Thursday, February 2, 2012

Lawrence Davidson on Arab Spring

(1) As a result of Arab Spring two countries have gone to poll and both of them have voted for Islamic parties. These are Tunisia and Egypt.
(2) Liberals did  a good show in Tunisia.
(3) Till fifteenth century any external forces dabbling with the Muslim lands ended up getting Islamized - Turks, Mongols, Crusaders and all.
(4) After that the invaders were able to resist the Islamic influence and indeed the reverse trend started.
(5) Europeans started looking at Islam and Muslims as inferior.
(6) Muslims with political, social, economic, educational and military interactions with the Europeans started to move away from Islam.
(7) Some of them became liberal ans secular and some corrupt and dictatorial.
(8) This process has not penetrated deep into middle eastern society.
(9) This society is like a volcano - cool and calm from outside but boiling with lava from inside.
(10) The anger is against the western influences and an example of volcanic eruption is 1979 Iran revolution.
(11) Tunisian and Egyptian micro-revolutions are controlled eruption of the same Islamic magna.
(12) Juan Cole's assertions notwithstanding American politicians know nothing about middle east society.
(13) They keep driving home the Islamophobic message - because of a reason. There are entrenched interests.
(14) Because of this you can not create a workable US policy about middle east.
(15) Dalai Lama's quote that when ignorance is your master peace is not possible is applicable to current US relations with middle east.

Source : Arab News via Dr Abu Tamim