By Anwar Ibrahim,
"Let not your hatred of others cause you to act unjustly against them."
The Koran
Never in Islam's history have the actions of so few of its followers
caused the religion and its community of believers to be such an
abomination in the eyes of others. Millions of Muslims who fled to North
America and Europe to escape poverty and persecution at home have
become the objects of hatred and are now profiled as potential
terrorists. The nascent democratic movements in Muslim countries will
regress for a few decades as ruling autocrats use their participation in
the global war against terrorism to terrorize their critics and
dissenters.
This is what Mohamed Atta and his fellow terrorists and sponsors have
done to Islam and its community worldwide by their murder of innocents
at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The attacks must be
condemned, and the condemnation must be without reservation. The
foremost religious authorities are outraged and have issued statements
denouncing the monstrous murders. All efforts to punish the perpetrators
must be supported.
One is therefore perturbed by the confusion among Muslims who responded
to the attack with a misplaced diatribe against the U.S. In Malaysia,
the government-controlled media have been deployed to stir up
anti-American sentiments, while members of the political Elite use a
different language for international diplomacy. Certainly there are
legitimate grievances against the U.S. and good reason for despondency
over the fate of the Palestinians, who now face an even more arrogant
Israel. But this is not the time for sermonizing or moralizing over U.S.
foreign policy. Had we Malaysians been the victims of such a tragedy,
we would find such hectoring tasteless and repulsive.
One wonders how, in the 21st century, the Muslim world could have
produced an Osama bin Laden. In the centuries when Islam forged
civilizations, men of wealth created pious foundations supporting
universities and hospitals, and princes competed with one another to
patronize scientists, philosophers and men of letters. The greatest of
scientists and philosophers of the medieval age, ibn Sina, was a product
of that system. But bin Laden uses his personal fortune to sponsor
terror and murder, not learning or creativity, and to wreak destruction
rather than promote creation.
Bin Laden and his protgs are the children of desperation; they come
from countries where political struggle through peaceful means is
futile. In many Muslim countries, political dissent is simply illegal.
Yet, year by year, the size of the educated class and the number of
young professionals continue to increase. These people need space to
express their political and social concerns. But state control is total,
leaving no room for civil society to grow.
The need for Muslim societies to address their internal social and
political development has become more urgent than ever. Economic
development alone is clearly insufficient: it creates its own tensions
in the social and political spheres, which must be addressed. A proper
orientation must be developed for Muslim engagement with the world at
large. Participation in the global processes must not be the monopoly of
the government.
It is the sense of alienation and the perception that the world is
against them that nurture bitterness among those who resort to
terrorism. Confusion and anger against the global order and its only
superpower have been brought about by the failure of the Muslim world to
address two crucial issues: Afghanistan's descent into chaos and
anarchy as a result of the Soviet invasion and the subsequent rise of
the Taliban, and the suffering inflicted on the Muslim masses in Iraq by
its dictator as well as by sanctions imposed on that long-suffering
nation.
For ethical reasons, Muslims will support the global initiative against
terrorism. But there is a growing perception that autocrats of all types
will seize the opportunity to prop up their regimes and deal a severe
blow to democratic movements. Russian President Vladimir Putin will use
it to defend atrocities in Chechnya, Israel to defend its intransigence
and Malaysia its detentions without trial.
Necessity will prompt the U.S. to seek the collaboration of the
governments of Muslim countries. This is understandable. But they do not
hold all the answers to terrorism. The growth of democracy, political
participation and civil society is the final answer. By softening its
endorsement of the struggle for democracy and the protection of human
rights, the U.S. will inadvertently strengthen dictatorial regimes, thus
replicating past associations with Marcos, Suharto and the Shah of
Iran.
For more than 100 years, the Muslim world has had to grapple with the
problem of modernity. Of greatest urgency is the effort to inculcate an
intellectual and political orientation that promotes democracy and
openness. Intellectuals and politicians must have the courage to condemn
fanaticism in all its forms. But they must, in the same breath, equally
condemn the tyrants and oppressive regimes that dash every hope of
peaceful change.
According to Anwar Ibrahim's lawyer, this essay will be part of a
lawsuit that Anwar, the jailed former Deputy Prime Minister, plans to
file this week against the Malaysian government for alleged defamation
resulting from a state-owned TV broadcast that he says characterized him
as an Islamic extremist and a threat to national security.
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