Political Islam at a crossroads

Political Islam explained

Almost every modern religion has faced a clash of ideologies of some sort. However, none is so far-reaching and momentous than the challenges facing the Islamic religion today. Ever since 9/11, Islam has become the epitome of extremism and radicalism in the religious divergence.

The effects of Islamic extremism in the world have been substantial and influential. Muslim radicals have managed to hijacked airplanes and used them as weapons of mass destruction, rallied entire villages and factions against US and foreign troops, kidnapped, attacked and invaded sovereign nationals and territories, and managed to influence political and religious discourse in the Middle East, temporarily unifying at least, other Muslims to rally behind their cause.

However, we keep asking ourselves, where are the moderate Muslims? Why have not they come forward by publicly condemning this wing of Islamic radicalism. Moderate countries lost a very good opportunity to come forward during the 34-day war between Israel and Hizbollah. The situation is very complex. Muslims are a very traditionalist culture. Many nations are plagued with sectarianism even under the skirts of ‘democracy’ and the religion itself has many branches of ideology from very moderate to very orthodox. Nevertheless, the Islamic religion is in a historical crossroad; change won’t come easily, but it is worth the try, and many are already doing so.

The real thing Muslims have to acknowledge is which faction of Islam will get them to form better, peaceful societies with strong foundation of governance and democracy and which allows them to be full participants in world affairs. Unfortunately, the message being carried by the radicals is: “you will never accomplish anything without violence”. Communication between different Islamic factions is at a low and it is up to moderate Muslims in the region to commit themselves to bringing peaceful discourse and negotiation. The clergy can also provide a dash of wisdom as they still are a strong, staunch voice in Islamic politics.

Muslims as powerful regional players

There is a new war being fought in Lebanon after the UN-brokered cease-fire. It is not a military war, but a political one. Despite 34 days of fierce fighting between Hizbollah and the Israelis, Hizbollah has consolidated its grasp in Southern Lebanon as they have laid down their rockets and picked up the shovels in an effort to rebuild war-torn Lebanon.

And what is even more surprising is that despite the aid been poured by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other nations, the Lebanese government is having difficulty reaching those in need amidst the country's reconstruction mode. Iran has already contributed $150 million in cash and is still sending more. Hizbollah is endearing themselves among their supporters by sending out engineers and contractors to survey and repair damages done to entires villages in the south.

This consolidation in power makes it more difficult for the world to dissarm Hizbollah. Their influence has grown exponentially, not just because they withstood the powerful Israeli army but also because they were the first in the line of responders for reconstruction efforts.

This entails many new tangibles for the West. Washington's influence and diplomacy in the region is at a new low. The US has only committed $50 million in aid. Iran has already disumbursed three times that amount to Hizbollah and so far Saudi Arabia has injected $500 million into the Lebanese economy. However this is not enough, the government needs approximately $3 billion to reach pre-war levels. The real and often obscure predicament is that the rules of the game have changed and many are not willing to see this. By supporting Hizbollah, Iran is telling the world that not only are they a powerful player in the region, but there needs to be a shift in the way negotiations occur in the Middle East. It is not only up to the West to make decisions that affect mostly the inhabitants of the region. The message is clear yet it's difficult to digest.

We have come to see that Israel's military might is not as reliable as it once was. Something the US can relate to in Iraq. Hizbollah has succedeed in punching a hole in the invincibility of the Israeli military apparatus. With this said, a new reality is emerging in that the countries of the West need to shift their political policies to encompass a more balanced round of discussions, by respecting their counterparts' ideologies without stumping on their political rights. The truth is that Arabs should no longer be considered "donkey riders", as an Israeli reservist said. Israel and the West must recognize Arabs as equals and seek political solutions rather than military ones. All western countries went down that path before being emacipated and reaching high class status; at some point they too were donkey riders with a cause.

It is time we play it fair.