Nov 20 2011
The result of the recent elections in Tunisia, which led to the triumph of the Nahada party, was hailed in the West as a victory for moderate Islam.

Nothing is further from the truth: Nahada is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood and share its strict Islamic program. Western media are reluctant to relinquish the rosy image of an Arab spring ushering a new dawn for all Arab peoples after decades of dictatorial rule. Unfortunately, it is easier to topple a regime than to build a new one, the more so when one seeks to set up a democratic regime in countries where oppression and repression have stifled all attempts to create liberal movements. What has the so-call Arab Spring brought so far? Egypt is plunging into bloody chaos; the Muslim Brothers are establishing their rule in Tunis; there are between 30 000 and 50 000 dead in Libya, and fears of renewed fighting on tribal lines; Syria is spiraling out of control with thousands of victims and no end in sight; Yemen is in the throes of a low grade rebellion with occasional flare-ups; tension is building up in Jordan, Morocco and Algiers.

In each and every one of these countries radical Islam is taking center stage. The fledgling liberal parties born of the revolution have a long way to go and are still largely unknown; they will need months, if not years, to become significant players. The legitimate aspirations of the masses who took to the street to fight for freedom, more social justice and better living conditions have been swept aside. Islam and Arab feudal traditions have not prepared the peoples of the Middle East for democracy. Human rights (and that includes women’s rights!), separation of religion and politics, a parliamentary regime based on universal suffrage and the separation of powers - these are values not recognized by Arab traditions, since according to Islam, the Koran and the Hadith dictate everything. It quickly became obvious that the Muslim Brotherhood – banned, persecuted or barely tolerated for decades – was the most powerful political and religious force in all Arab countries. The movement was founded in 1928 in Egypt by Hassan el Banna; its aim at the time was threefold. First, unify the Arab world under the banner of Islam and revive the Caliphate which had recently been abolished by Kemal Ata Turk; then conquer anew the territories which had been occupied in the first decades of the Arab expansion after the seventh century, and had been lost later – this includes the whole of Spain, the south of France and Italy, Sicily, Cyprus and Israel. The third and last stage would be to extend the control of Islam over the whole world. Before dismissing the whole thing out of hand and calling it preposterous, it might be wise to check what is being written and said today by the Brotherhood: the program still holds pride of place. Shortly after wwII, under the leadership of Said Ramadan, personal secretary of Hassan el Banna (and father of Tarek Ramadan), the Muslim Brotherhood sent emissaries to all Arab countries and helped set up local branches of the movement. Though being subjected to limitations and persecutions, they developed and grew, mainly thanks to their extensive networks of benevolent activities – helping the poor, building schools and hospitals – accompanied by the wide distribution of audio cassettes of religious indoctrination very well received by largely illiterate populations. Money for these activities was donated in the beginning by wealthy Gulf sheikhs and later by Arab expatriates living in the West.

Today the Brotherhood is poised to achieve a sweeping victory. In Egypt, where barring more violence, parliamentary elections are due to be held starting November 28, there are a dozen Islamist parties but that of the Brothers “Freedom and Justice” is the largest and its leaders openly state that they intend to impose Islamic law (Sharia) as the country’s constitution and legal system. The Secretary General of the Nahada party in Tunisia, soon to be head of the State, declared less than a week ago that he would fight for the revival of the Caliphate and the conquest of Jerusalem. Many members of the National Transition Council in Libya are Muslim Brothers and the movement held last week its first public conference on Libyan soil, in the city of Benghazi. Brothers are to be found in the Syrian National Council spearheading the fight against Bashar Assad. In Yemen they head the Al Islah – reform – party rebelling against Eli Abdallah Saleh; Taakul Karman, Nobel Peace prize winner this year, is a member of the party. In Algiers, the Islamic salvation Front – FIS- belonged to the Brotherhood; so do the “Justice and development” party in Morocco – and the “Ala’mal” – Action – in Jordan. Needless to say Hamas is an offshoot of the movement, as is the Islamist movement in Israel.

Can these parties be “moderate”? And what would be considered as “moderate”? One must remember that Islamic teachings are all pervasive in text books in the Arab world. From elementary to secondary school, it is taught that Islam is the one true religion – all others being inferior. Islam is omnipresent in daily life through its many prescriptions. This leads to discrimination and oppression of ethnic and religious minorities. It has to be remembered that Arab countries are far from being homogenous. There are large national and religious minorities – some 30 million Kurds spread across Syria, Iraq, Iran and Turkey; Berbers make up about a third of the populations in North Africa; in Egypt the Copts are 10 to 12%; in Iraq there were two and a half million Christians but half that number has fled following systematic targeting by Al Qaeda. These minorities are now raising their voices, asking for a full equality which no Islamic regime will be ready to grant them.

And so while the Middle East is in flames, the West still desperately search for an elusive “moderate” Islamic party …

Zvi Mazel

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