說明：Ramadan教授提到中東地區民主化，伊斯蘭在政治層面依然是很重要的因素。
Religion remains an unavoidable reference for the Arabs and as such
will be critical in building the future
By Tariq Ramadan, Special to
Gulf News
· Published: 00:00 November 1,
2011
Over the last few weeks the new Libyan leader, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, chairman of the
National Transitional Council (NTC), has been repeating, "Sharia will be the main reference and will be implemented in
Libya." Several of his references to Islamic legislation came in the
presence of western politicians and intellectuals like the pro-Israel French
self-styled philosopher Bernard Henri Levy, who, surprisingly, did not react
with any shock whatsoever. Surprising indeed! It was as if Abdul Jalil was
determined to show that the ‘Libyan revolutionaries' were truly independent and
not supported or protected by France, the US, or the West.
The West kept silent, though
some media have asked pointed questions about whom the French, the Americans
and the British were supporting.
Given Libya's
extremely complex political situation, Abdul Jalil's statement was timely and
very smart. He referred intentionally to concepts seen as very
controversial in the West to make it clear to the Libyan people he was not a
western puppet.
In a way that seemed weird to a western ear, he spoke of Sharia
and polygamy, knowing that for the emotionally wrought Libyan Muslims he was
offering proof of his complete independence (such references are of course
demonised in the West).
For France, Britain and the US it was a way to show the world
that Libya was now "on its own;" time for Nato to allow the new Libya
to build its future by relying on its own traditions. The religious and political reference to Islam thus serves to appease
the Muslims and lend traditional and religious legitimacy to the NTC while
concealing the West's tri-dimensional — military, geopolitical and economic
— penetration of Libya.
The Arab uprisings are
showing that the peoples of the region are drawn to freedom, dignity and
justice but are not prepared to betray their traditions and religious beliefs. The recent
victory of Tunisia's Islamist party, Al
Nahda, in that country's constituent elections, underlines a historical
reality: Islam remains an unavoidable
reference for the Arabs and as such will be critical in building the future,
especially through the democratic process by which peoples are now able to
express their political demands, their concerns about identity and their
economic hopes. The conservative parties that invoke Islam in one way or another
(hence the Islamists as well) are gaining ground and achieving greater
political legitimacy. They are operating
on three distinct levels: acceptance of democratic rules, preservation of the
nation's Islamic identity and readiness to open their markets to the dominant
economic powers and the multinational corporations.
The Turkish example
has set a precedent: no one can deny that the AKP — coming from an Islamist
background — is proving its leadership's success in these very three fields: they are
religiously conservative, geopolitically prepared to deal with all the western
powers (including, until recently, Israel), and economically integrated into
the dominant capitalist system. They have shown great openness (with the EU)
and demonstrated considerable flexibility. The West can indeed do business with
any Islamist party that evidences a similar willingness to adapt and to
collaborate, from Al Nahda to the Muslim Brotherhood. Things are moving fast in
the Middle East and North Africa (Mena); the new political strategies are based
on new economic and geopolitical concerns, driven by the active presence of new
state actors in the region: Brazil, Russia, India and China (Bric). The West
has no time to waste in the race to win Arab minds, hearts and money.
In these highly complex political and economic games, one issue
stands out as crucial. The western countries have shown in the past that they
have no major problem in dealing with political Islam to protect their
interests. Given the presence of the Bric's countries, they have no choice as
the latter are ready to establish strong political and economic ties whatever
the situation in the respective Arab countries.
Stance against Israel
The key factor will be
Israel. All the Islamist parties have taken strong position against the Zionist
state (even Turkey recently), which is the reason for their broad popular
support (including the current Iranian regime). The Islamists may well
be ready to promote the democratic process and to participate fully in the
dominant economic system (the great majority of the Islamist parties accept it
today) but they remain quite explicit in their stance against Israel. Here lies
the core of the acute tensions and contradictions in the US and the European
countries: they need to be involved in Mena but they cannot distance themselves
from Israel. Meanwhile, the Bric countries do not have the same historical
alliance with Israel and they seem ready to challenge the western bias towards
the Middle East conflict.
The Islamic reference is
at the heart of the debate in the Arab world. Political Islam is at the crossroads: it faces numerous challenges
and must deal with conflicting interests. Only a comprehensive approach can
give us a sense of what is at stake. Many trends — even some Islamist parties —
are playing with Islam in an attempt to gain legitimacy. There can be no doubt
that politics corrupts. Who, in the Arab countries, will be able to hold power
while respecting the Islamic imperatives of dignity, justice and transparency —
let alone truly supporting the just cause of Palestine?
Tariq Ramadan is Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies
in the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Oxford University and a visiting
Professor at the Faculty of Islamic Studies in Qatar. His new book Islam and
the Arab Awakening will be out this month.
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