Are Islam and secularism incompatible? Equally important is the question how the West, particularly the US and European Union would and should react to the development? Do both pose a fatal threat to each other? Before dealing with these questions let us have a brief look at Egypt’s past and present.
Mr. Gamal Abdel Nasser and Mr. Anwar El-Sadat (may Allah forgive them) would have turned into their graves on Dec 1 when Islamists emerged on the political horizon of Egypt as a result of elections for Parliament. It is nice to feel that Mr. Hosni Mubarak would, much before he enters into history, be able to see the utter futility of assiduously keeping Islam at bay in the otherwise Islamic Egypt.
The Islamists in the 498-member People’s Assembly have been thrown up by the electorate.They are likely to have 68% presence. One victorious party is moderate and the other hardliner. The Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm, Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and the Al-Noor Party that represents the Salafi school are going to form the government in Cairo.
TURKISH MODEL
After the dawn of the Arab Spring, Islam as a political force is fast gathering momentum in West Asia and North Africa. Following the recent elections, Islam has made its presence felt in Tunisia and Morocco. They have formed governments over there. Islamists’ assertion is also discernible in Libya. If we delve deep, we would find, in 2002, the roots of Islamic resurgence in the Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Turkey struggling to give shape to what they call today the Turkish model.
What has to be noted here is that the Islamists had not instigated Islamic uprising anywhere. The Tahrir Square, let us recall, was not enacted by the Islamists. It was created by the Liberals and the Leftists, who have fortunately been rejected by the electorate in Egypt. Everywhere it is the Islamists who have emerged successful in the countries that went for election.
According to observers, the 21st century appears to be the century of Islam. The said emergence of the Islamic ideology has caught the imagination of masses. Now Islamic wave is in the making. To be noted is the fact that Islam had never been rejected in West Asia or North Africa. The votaries of Western democracy and too-liberal capitalism had been virtually planted by the West which is a past master in changing leaderships. Islam lay dormant politically.If anywhere the ideology tried to assert, it was mercilessly crushed as we see in the case of Egypt where unimaginable oppression was perpetrated against the sons of the soil simply because they wanted to obey Allah not only in mosques but in the courts of law, police stations and marketstoo.
Democratic countries may ask how it was made possible. Everything is and was possible when you run a government through intelligence and police. It is fair to recall that Mr. Nasser, Mr. Sadat and Mr. Mubarak always won the elections by say, 98%. The democratic world laughed at them and their victories.
Much more than the isolated Liberals in Egypt, elsewhere the Leftists are demonstrably disturbed and several of them are articulating their grievances. For example: Military trials of civilians, police brutality, authoritarian mindset tempered with callousness. But some genuine grievances are also being articulated like separation of Islam from the State and social justice.
CARICATURE OF ISLAM
A cursory study of the Qur’ān and Sunnah can remove their misgivings. Our feeling is that it is not Islam but its caricature that frightens the uninitiated like the Liberals and the Leftists. The west has been a victim of its own propaganda.
“Would Muslim Brotherhood oppress women?” This was the first, obviously very important question that Mr. Nicolas Kristaf, a journalist attached with the New York Times shot at Ms Sandos Asem who herself is a journalist. Her cool reply was: My mother herself, Mrs Manal Abul Hassan is one of the many female Muslim Brotherhood affiliated candidates running for parliament. The questioner’s eyes remained wide open for a while as he was told: 50% of the Brotherhood consists of women.
What about female circumcision? A loaded question indeed! Mr. Kristaf was told that Mr. Mubarak tried to stop the brutality but he could not succeed. Islam does not permit this oppression on girl children. The Brotherhood would try to eliminate it, root and branch.
The questions put up rather forcefully by the western commentators are about alcohol, peace with Israel and the veil. Dress code for the Egyptian girls and tourists, who come to enjoy at the beaches is another question being usually put to the Egyptians these days. The spokesmen of the Brotherhood aver: We do not think that any upcoming administration would focus on banning anything.
As regards peace with Israel, the response of Mr. Amr Mousa, former foreign minister and the Arab League Secretary General and now a front runner for presidency said: “Whatever unfolds, Egypt will continue to seek good relations with the US and will unquestionably stand by its peace treaty with Israel.” Mr. Mousa stressed: “You cannot conduct an adventurous foreign policy when you rebuild a country.”
Thomas L. Friedman poses a question in the New York Times: Do the Egyptian Islamist parties, which could dominate a future cabinet have any idea of how to generate economic growth at a time when economy is sinking?
We here in Bharat are inclined to feel the eminent journalist has no idea of why and how Islam disapproves of interest and tackles the economic problem. The confusion arises among the minds of the westerners perhaps because they are incapable of thinking of an economy without the usurious moneylenders. Why don’t they have a dispassionate look at Turkey, which sits on a boom of its economy?
See what Dan Blefsky says in the New York Times: “A century ago when the Ottoman Empire was crumbling, Turkey acquired the nickname ‘the Sick Man of Europe’. Now Turkey’s economy is forecast to grow at a 7.5% rate this year while Europe is sputtering, ‘those who called us sick in the past are sick themselves’.”
PAK EXPERIENCE
The United States and Israel would, sooner or later, start vigorous thinking on how to dilute the Islamic trend, how to find fault with the ideology, and how to smash or indoctrinate the minds that think in terms other than western. Essays may also be made in changing the leaderships and planting the Karzais etc. etc. The reason behind our apprehension is a study of the history of American diplomacy.
As far as Bharat is concerned, we feel and so feel the Islamists of West Asia and North Africa that secularism and Islam can co-exist in the given situation. The emphasis is not on “Pax Arabana” territorial or ideological expansion. It is on jobs, employment, development and good relations. Everywhere in the said countries, the stress is on moderacy, democratic or republican system. It has to be noted that those who have come to power, or are likely to come to, have not been chosen by the US. They have roots in their own soil. At the moment there is no room for confrontation. What is called for is cooperation with Godspeed.
Our only anxiety is the incumbents’ inexperience in running the governments. They have not practised diplomacy.
Just with a view to substantiating our argument, we recall the era of President Zia-ul Haque of Pakistan. The Islamists had four cabinet ministers. But all of them were novices and their subordinates were seasoned bureaucrats who, they say, did not allow their superiors to work.