Prolific scholar and author Prof Tariq Ramadan drew packed crowds at two venues in the Mother City this week, compelling audiences with his unique view on everything from Islam, the Arab uprisings to the revered Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Capetonians were inspired by his words at a lecture at the Islamia Academia Centre in Lansdowne on Monday evening as well as at a public talk at the University of Cape Town (UCT) on Tuesday, both attended by a large number of Muslim students. Cape Town was the last leg of Ramadan’s lecture series in South Africa and his talks around the country are said to have ignited vibrant discussions amongst the audiences. The professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University is also promoting his latest book entitled The Arab Awakening.
Speaking to VOC Drivetime in an exclusive interview on Monday, Ramadan debated the discourse used when speaking about the most important socio-political events of the past century, commonly known as the ‘Arab Spring’. The intellectual has coined the term ‘Arab Awakening’ in his book, criticizing the terms ‘Arab Spring’ and ‘Arab revolutions’. The term ‘spring’ was dubbed in Eastern Europe, whereas the term ‘revolution’ may be viewed as somewhat critical.
“There are revolutions taking place in many countries, and from the beginning [of the uprising] they said we have to be optimistic, but cautiously optimistic,” he said. Ramadan said the regime change in the Arab countries he initially envisioned was confirmed about one and half years ago. Based on the facts which were evident in these countries, there was a shift in the mindset of the people.
Arab revolt
“It was awareness, where we realized that we can remove dictators and dictatorships. It is more an intellectual revolution then a political one and an awakening is therefore thought of… ‘yes we can do it’.” However, Ramadan said there was a difference in terms of what was taking place on the ground, which he has uncovered in his book.
“I studied everything that was not said publically, but these are issues that are known in terms of the cyber dissidents and who trained them. These are institutions in the states such as Freedom House, the Albert Einstein Institute and even a transnational corporation such as Google – these organizations supported networks of cyber dissidents, but they stated that they did not know about anything that was happening… that is wrong.”
The public unhappiness evident in the regimes such as in Egypt and Tunisia were mostly fuelled by rising cost of food and bread. These increases took place about a year before the ‘awakenings’ took place. It was pushed by the self-immolation of Tunisian Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor who set himself alight on the 17th December 2010 in protest against authorities confiscating his goods.
“Bouazizi’s death is considered the catalyst for the Tunisian revolution and the ensuing protests in the Arab world. “It therefore really went beyond political affiliations, and even beyond secularists and Islamists – this is something that is not only internal, but it also came from abroad.” Ramadan disputed claims that the protests were a result of a conspiracy against the dictators of the Arab world. “The best example in this is Syria,” the scholar said.
“At the beginning of the awakenings the US, Israel and Europeans did not want Bashar Al-Assad to leave. Instead they wanted him to stay and reform the regime from within,” said Ramadan. “But, when they saw the people were ready to die, that they were protesting and there was a courage coming from the streets, they understood that they [the West] had to change and they did not know who they could rely on.”
Change
Ramadan said the entire picture of the Arab Awakening is actually much more complex as Tunisia remains unsettled, while many questions still need to be answered in Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain. Jordan and Morocco still have a long way to go. “Nothing changed…for about 30 to 40 years in the region, dictatorships were there and it was very difficult. We cannot deny the fact that people are now having the taste of what freedom could be. To resist that situation now, we have to realize that it will be painful, may result in many problems and deep suffering, and is not going to be easy.”
He said the countries will have to look at why the US and its western allies had to change its strategy in the region as they were previously supportive of all these dictators. “Now all of a sudden they celebrate democracy, but in a selective way. The petrol monarchies are not to be stirred as they are protecting their western interests.”
The scholar said it is necessary to look at the political framework and structures within these Arab countries. However the real problem lies with the economy, the stability of the region and the geostrategic realities there. “This is where the BRIC countries such as Brazil, Russia, India, China and Turkey come in. Even South Africa is a new actor in the region. It is also where the multi-polar, new economic reality could have a tremendous impact,” said Ramadan.
“But, only if the new leaders coming out of the process of change understand that they should not only be acknowledged by the west as democratic. Instead they should be smart enough to play with all the new partners. This would then shift the situation towards east, they should not accept the tension between the west and Islam and west and the Middle East as well,” he continued.
Moving forward
Countries such as Libya and Tunisia who are currently in absolute chaos, should instead engage in a south-south relationship in terms of developing a partnership with Africa economically. “These countries should perhaps look at the Turkish way of dealing with the global economy, as they open so many embassies in Africa. They are now heading towards a relationship with the south and the east, where at first we saw integration with the European Union,” said the professor.
Ramadan highlighted the importance in terms of stopping the simplistic polarization between the secularists and the Islamists. “Every group is trying to find its justification through the presence of ‘the other’ and not with the real policies that are needed now, such as the educational policy and the struggle against corruption, which is not only an African disease… but also an international disease.” The Arab countries also have to deal with the issue of education for women, the job market, economic stability and cultural creativity. “We cannot have a free society, if we are not clear that there is cultural creativity, and we have to think of what we can provide within our countries.”
In terms of the Islamic viewpoint on ethics in politics and culture, Ramadan highlighted the importance of not only about respecting rules, but creating good in society. “We are facing a world culture that is lying to us. They say you feel good when you pay, when you eat and when you are a consumer, and this in the end promotes a consumerist society. This is a huge challenge and it is at the heart of a true revolution.” VOC (Aqeelah Bawa)
Source: http://www.vocfm.co.za/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=6979:2012-11-07-18-02-26&Itemid=155
