More than three years ago, in March 2012, I was in
Dubai at a conference presenting the changing political landscape in the Muslim
world when the idea of this forum took
shape.
When I used that phrase – changing political landscape, back then, it
indeed reflected the turbulent times we were in. However, now with the benefit
of hindsight, it did not anticipate the pace of the change, nor its intensity
and ramifications.
The Arab Spring was still unfolding with Tunisia blazing the democracy
trail, after successfully deposing Ben Ali, just 13 months before that.
But
hardly a year later, Bashar al-Assad warned protesters of consequences of
“working with foreign elements to undermine his regime.”
Soon after, the first of a series of murderous attacks by the Assad
regime on its own people unfolded in the city of Homs.
Two weeks before I delivered that keynote address in Dubai, Ali Abdullah
Saleh stepped down. Two months later, Mohammed Morsi won the first round of the
presidential elections in Egypt and the day after, Assad ordered another round
of massacre in Houla.
On June 24, 2012, the election commission officially announced that
Morsi had won the presidential runoff. It was a narrow margin of 51.7% of the
vote versus 48.3% for the contender.
By July, the international world finally realised that a full blown
civil war in Syria was underway. Over 200,000 Syrian refugees had fled the
country.
On 9/11 that year, the American diplomatic mission at Benghazi, in
Libya, was attacked killing US ambassador Christopher Stevens.
Sometime in November, Morsi changed the state constitution to empower
the president to “protect” the nation and to legislate without judicial
oversight.
Eight months later, he was deposed in a military coup d’état.
In the early part of last year, Isis emerged as the “Kraken” seemingly
out of nowhere to capitalise on the conflict in Syria and Iraq, the instability
in the Middle East and the power vacuum created by the Sunni/Shia strife in the
region. The rest, as they say, is history.
Lessons of history
Indeed, I have taken some time to recount these events because I believe
in the powerful lessons of history – if we have the humility and the conviction
to learn from them.
T.S. Eliot tells us that history can be freedom but then immediately
reminds us that history can also be servitude. That, I suppose, is a question
of which side of history we choose to be on.
Yes, it is true. Today, Isis is making headlines committing acts of
terror, violence and barbarism not just within the Middle East but also in
Europe and elsewhere.
Together with al-Shabab, Boko Haram, al-Qaeda, and other terrorist
organisations, they are vying for media attention and what they believe to be
the adulation and admiration of young minds. We know on which side of history
they will be remembered for.
I might speak from a prison cell in Malaysia, having been unjustly
denied of my freedom, but that does not present an obstacle to the deep sadness
and outrage anyone must feel upon hearing of such heinous and despicable acts –
most recently in seven simultaneous attacks in Paris.
These despicable acts of savage and wanton killing of innocent civilians
including women and young persons deserve our unreserved condemnation.
We must join hands with all like-minded forces, eschewing all parochial
boundaries of race and religion, in one resolute message – that such
premeditated and cruel killing is simply not acceptable.
Today, we are on the cusp of that wave of a sea change by which future
generations will judge us. The forum for Muslim democrats will be tested here.
Did the rest of the Muslim world just fold its arms in resignation as
the newly minted democracies and newly liberated societies in Egypt, Libya, in
Iraq crumbled under the weight of the machinations of the deep state?
It appears that the Hegelian cycle of history does ring true. Monolithic
regimes built on totalitarian foundations and dictatorial use of power will not
give up their culture of repression, oppression and violence even in the face
of widespread protests of the people for change.
They may cave in for a while. But without the full conviction of the
people and the establishment of democratic institutions, they will return with
a vengeance.
Spring may revert to winter because there are always
counter-revolutionary forces at work to turn the clock back and restore the
power and glory enjoyed for so long.
The brutal mayhem and bloody reprisals unleashed on the people will
serve as chilling reminders of the desperation and savagery of tyrants and
autocrats who refuse to give up power.
Muslim democrats must not allow the deep state or the terrorists to
continue hijacking the course of history. We must chart a new course. In this
new narrative, there will be zero tolerance for them.
We must make it clear that the actions of these killers can never be
jihad. This is corruption of Islam of the most vulgar and savage kind. They don
the cloak of religiosity and claim they are doing this for Islam and the umma
but what they really seek is worldly gain and political power.
A such, we must reiterate our condemnation on the dastardly/barbarous
acts of the fanatical few – and Isis as the war menace to a civilised world.
Our resolve and struggle for reform, democracy and justice are
unequivocal and unabated. It’s a bold intiative – to determine the narrative;
that freedom and justice; that democracy and the rule of law are rightfully the
Muslim agenda.
Imperatives for the Muslim ummah
In this ever more turbulent world, what we need is to keep our focus on
what is best for the ummah.
We must be clear on the fundamentals of governance, characteristics in
determining the legitimacy of a regime. The main predicament or malaise of the
ummah is the inability to participate in the process of determining who
represents them. This is at the core of the problem.
So, we must strive for a humane economy and a clean and caring
government. We need to strike a balance between free enterprise and the demands
of social justice.
We need constitutional guarantees for our fundamental liberties, good
governance and an independent judiciary.
How are we treating our women and children, the old and the infirm? We
demand rights for Muslims in non-Muslim majority countries but what is our
record and position when it comes to protecting the rights of minorities in
Muslim countries?
We must strive to stamp out bigotry and intolerance within ourselves.
Islamophobia begins at home. Sunni Muslims fear Shia Muslims and Shia Muslims
fear Sunni Muslims. And within the different denominations, sub-denominations
harbour mutual suspicion.
We need to go through a rebirth. This implies reform and renewal. We
need to boldly go on the path where the Maqasid Shariah will guide us.
The demands of islah (reform) would also warrant that interpretation of
Islamic law be re-examined not just in the light of the historical experience
of Muslims under colonial rule but taking into account the maqasid. There is a
need to reemphasise the true, peaceful and pluralistic nature of Islam.
The forum must endeavour to encourage Muslim intellectuals and masses to
return to the primacy of the Islamic message of freedom and rahmatan lil alamin
(blessings to the worlds).
This is also in line with a very healthy growing trend among Muslim
scholars to go deeper into the area of civilisational dialogue. The importance
of interfaith programmes cannot be overemphasised.
Economic empowerment is essential. Among the two billion plus Muslims,
more than half are living below the poverty line. This kind of economic
marginalisation breeds devastating socio-economic consequences.
The very idea of social justice is at stake. Where is the social justice
enjoined by the Quran and the Sunnah? What has become of the Islamic
imperatives on health care, education, housing and employment?
The outrageous inequities that plague the Muslim world will persist and
get even worse if there is no collective and concerted effort.
The Muslim nations that are better off must lead this venture armed with
a clear and firm resolve to those who are not so fortunate.
We cannot be mere bystanders
The greatest tragedy is that other Muslim nations tend to be mere
bystanders in this theatre of mayhem and killing.
And because of this, the stark reality is that the future of these
nations lies not in the hands of the Arab and Muslim world but in the United
States of America and Europe.
In spite of the immense wealth in oil and other resources, they choose
to hibernate in pathetic indifference while some are themselves in utter
disarray.
Is it because it is not happening to us directly that we tell ourselves
that it doesn’t really concern us?
Martin Luther King, Jr. reminds us that “Injustice anywhere is a threat
to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality,
tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all
indirectly.”
What we need is less looking at others and more at ourselves.
Ask one fundamental question: Why do Muslim refugees prefer to seek
asylum in the European countries rather than in the Middle East or in other
Muslim countries elsewhere?
What does it say about the state of the Muslim world when the most
trampled, most disadvantaged and the least fortunate of its umma, prefer to
seek shelter in countries such as Germany, Sweden, Hungary, and Turkey?
We, therefore, need to look into our moral compass and ask where the arrow
is pointing.
The issue of legitimacy in government is an overarching problem in the
Muslim world. Despite decades of independence, we are still grappling with the
fundamental questions of democracy, the rule of law, justice and human dignity.
The powers that be are too preoccupied with staying in power to bother about
political legitimacy.
Forging ahead with the Maqasid
Based on the Maqasid Shariah, there are sufficient imperatives for
Muslim leaders to get on with the task of establishing the institutions of
governance for justice, democracy and human rights. That is the way forward for
the resurgence of the ummah.
Social justice must be a priority and Muslim societies being among the
poorest in the world, must address poverty. Poverty is to be eliminated and
education be made a birth right.
To talk of an Islamic resurgence without freedom of speech, or freedom
from arbitrary arrest, is pointless. To my mind, Islamic resurgence is about
ensuring the rule of law, clean government, social justice, and cultural
empowerment where women are not treated as second-class citizens or regarded as
mere chattels and minorities are not marginalised.
It is a trying period ahead for the Muslim world and the road to
recovery and strength is long and winding.
The greatest challenges facing the ummah is not the West or Europe, but
from within. Tajdid (renewal) and islah must emanate from within ourselves.
Conclusion
A revolution may happen overnight but the transition to democracy
requires sustained efforts, collective will and steely resolution to let it
take its course. Or else, the reversion may lead to situation even worse than
the one it had attempted to replace.
In this part of the world, we can see that the experience of Indonesia
shows that the first cycle of transformation set in motion. Civil liberties are
now guaranteed and basic institutions of civil society flourish.
Elections are generally free and fair as well as transparent. There are
institutions in place to ensure the existence of an effective check and balance
against executive powers, the protection of fundamental liberties, the rule of
law and an independent judiciary.
And following a free and democratic elections, the issue of democratic
accountability, inequality, quality of education, and the move to address
endemic corruption are allowed to effectively surface.
Such is our hope and remain future challenges for Indonesia, Turkey,
even Malaysia. Muslim leaders certainly should not be known for amassing
personal wealth but for propagating rahmatan lil alamin.
Finally, allow me to thank all friends for their sense of comradeship, sympathy and support in
supporting this vision during my forced hiatus. Insha Allah, I shall soon
return.
Let me part with a quote from a 17th century English poet Richard Lovelace, who, too, had the honour of going in and out of prison for his beliefs:
Let me part with a quote from a 17th century English poet Richard Lovelace, who, too, had the honour of going in and out of prison for his beliefs:
Stone walls do not a prison make,
Nor iron bars a cage;
Minds innocent and quiet take
That for an hermitage;
If I have freedom in my love
And in my soul am free,
Angels alone, that soar above,
Enjoy such liberty.
Nor iron bars a cage;
Minds innocent and quiet take
That for an hermitage;
If I have freedom in my love
And in my soul am free,
Angels alone, that soar above,
Enjoy such liberty.
I end with a reminder that continued repression by ruthless dictators
and autocrats, are incubators for fanatics.
In the absence of hope of reform or peaceful regime change, their only
option is to promise heaven by blowing themselves.
The barbarous few terrorists aim to create fear and perhaps to provoke
similar retaliatory actions of hate. It is imperative we ensure that they fail
to do so.
We must remember that they do not speak for or represent the overwhelming
majority of peace-loving human beings. The barbarous few cannot be allowed to
hijack Islam.
Democrats worldwide, it is time to unite.
November 29, 2015.
* Text of the opening address by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, delivered by
PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, at the Second International Conference of
the World Forum for Muslim Democrats in Jakarta, November 23, 2015.
