Issue No. 608
Opinion
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17 - 23 October 2002 Issue No. 608 Opinion |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
The power thing
Muslims are loathe to take the blame for the international mess they are now part of. There are other culprits, undoubtedly, and we know who they are, but, frankly, it takes two to tango. Muslims would do well to engage in a little soul- searching, for a change. Most Muslims states have adopted the trappings of liberal nation-states, using them as a veneer for despotism. They have acquired modern means of communications, but use them to enhance their capacity for control.
The masses, steeped in religious tradition, have hardly taken a more constructive tack. In their mistrust for the state, some opposition groups have resorted to terror, against their own states at first, and increasingly against foreign targets. Public opinion, if such a thing exists, is torn between harsh governments and equally intolerant opposition movements. Indonesia, Kuwait, Yemen, Algeria, Sudan, Turkey, among others, all offer a scene of dysfunctional bliss, of beleaguered governments at odds with traditional societies, and of modern institutions busy stifling the spirit of modernity.
Muslims, we are told, need power. They need a powerful state, a powerful faith, a powerful military, and powerful unity so as to gain the respect of others. This obsession with power, incessantly harped on, has probably been around since the Ottoman Empire. At one point it may have been a justifiable obsession, an inevitable yearning for a glorious past, but, increasingly, it is just an imbecilic way to dodge the real issue.
Power is in the mind. What Muslims really need is a new mentality, a modern way of thinking, a new understanding of the self and the other. Freethinking is the one weapon Muslims have yet to seek.
This week's Soapbox speaker is managing editor of Al-Siyassa Al-Dawlia (International Politics) quarterly issued by Al-Ahram.
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