Are we there yet? This is currently the attitude of the U.S. and western Europe regarding the Islamic world and the hoped-for Islamic Reformation-Enlightenment. In a nutshell, much of the Islamic world is very poor and destitute and lives according to social and political norms that were once familiar to Europe and the Mediterranean basin, after the dissolution of the Roman Empire in the 5th and 6th Centuries. We’re talking about theocratic rulership, strictly defined social roles with extreme male domination, few if any personal rights and economic opportunities for the masses, and frequent use of violence and cruelty to resolve tribal disputes and punish deviations (whether criminal acts, disagreement with leadership, or simply the expression of individuality, “being different”). <\/p>\n
There are signs of hope. Young Arab and other Islamic populations armed with smart phones and Facebook and Twitter have started organizing and challenging the entrenched leadership. Thus far they have had some success with the easiest targets, i.e. the aging dictators who based their power on secular nationalism and socialist theories, more than on religion. So we have seen bold “Arab democracy” actions and street demonstrations in Egypt, Tunisia, Syria and Libya, with varying degrees of success. They haven’t done as well against the ancient royalties (e.g. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Yemen) or against the theocrats (e.g. the failed Green Revolution in Iraq). But they are active in those places too, despite extreme repression. Again, signs of hope, but still very tentative.<\/p>\n
Also, Osama Bin Laden has finally been disposed of. Many analysts warn “this is not the end of Al Qaeda and its ideology”. But given what Bin Laden’s role was — i.e., a preacher and prophet of a violent, anti-western Islamic revolution, an inspirer of action — well, it probably doesn’t bode well for them. The “hearts and minds” of the Arab street are possibly up for grab now. There is a vacuum of sorts, and we must wait and watch as to who fills it; i.e., the old school or the modernists. <\/p>\n
Personally, I have trouble with the methods which the USA and its SEAL team dealt with Bin Laden. On May 2, we treated him according to rules of war, i.e. identification and summary execution. This was despite indications that the SEAL team could have wounded him and taken him alive (as they did with one of Osama’s wives, who rushed the Navy team and was shot in the leg). In effect we declared that we are at war with an important and significant (if murderous) faction within the Islamic world, a faction that the majority does not embrace but certainly still accepts as brothers and sister. I would have preferred the criminal justice approach, i.e. take the perpetrator alive if at all possible, then give him due process respecting his rights as a human being before enforcing retribution. I believe that that would have made a huge statement in favor of the Reformation \/ Enlightenment values that we want the Islamic world to embrace. Instead, we showed them that we basically play by the same ancient blood sport that we criticize them for.<\/p>\n
So, is there reason for new optimism regarding America’s “Islam problem”? Well, from what I’ve been reading, it’s not time to break the champagne out yet (a metaphor that the Islamic But OK, that’s from the conservative side. Is there any optimism amidst the liberals? Well, not if Tom Friedman at the NY Times is your bellweather. He just published a rather pessimistic column<\/a> about our relationships with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in light of Bin Laden’s death; about all the double-agent games these nations play to appear cooperative with us and sympathetic to our values, while working hard to maintain the ancient ways and beliefs. His article title is also a bit gloomy, i.e. “Bad Bargains”.<\/p>\n
\nworld would blanch at, perhaps with justification). I just read an article on the National Review web site that says it all with the title: “The Dark Night of Islam”. OK, I’ll admit that the National Review is quite conservative and reactionary, but it is also usually intelligent and informed. And this article by Michael Beran<\/a> definitely fits that mold, making the point that despite some hopeful rumblings in the Moslem nations, they are still few signs of their embracing a tradition of intellectual inquiry and openness. There still isn’t a critical mass of scholars and intellectual leaders in places like Egypt and Iraq and Saudi Arabia discussing how Islam can reconcile itself with western values such as science, human rights, democracy and freedom of belief and personal expression.<\/p>\n