Failings of Arabs - as Representative of Muslims

9/3/2002 - Political Social - Article Ref: IV0208-1727
By: Siraj Islam Mufti* - Iviews

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) recently published a very pertinent study by a team of Arab intellectuals called "Arab Human Development Report 2002". This is the first report targeting a region, rather than a country, and it highlights the failings of the Arab world in face of the huge human and natural resource potential that they possess. The Economist (London) describes its salient features; but readers, please note that the main conclusions apply, more or less, to all of the Muslim countries.

The Arab world comprises of the 22 member states of the Arab League with a total population of 280 million, which is roughly the same as the United States and ranges from 68 million in Egypt to 565,000 in Qatar. This region has proportionately the largest population of youth in the world, i.e. 38% under 14, which is estimated to top 400 million by 2022.

The question addressed is, why the Arab world has fallen behind the times? It is not an unlucky region, endowed as it is with oil, and its people inherit a rich culture, religion and language. It is neither stricken with endemic poverty, nor with ethnic conflicts. It has been free of colonial rule for a long time and, the countries that had revolutions should have recovered by now.

However, it is ruled by autocrats-whether presidents or kings, and they do not give up their authority until death, any elections held are a sick joke, women are treated as lesser beings, and more than half of its young are unemployed who want to get out, as soon as possible. The freedom of expression is severely restricted to the extent that there is not a single think tank in the entire Arab world.

The report gives some good news, such as increase in life expectancy by 15 years and drop in infant mortality by two-thirds over past three decades. Arabs are known for their wealth and their per capita income is higher than most other developing countries; yet, their total GDP, at $531, is less than that of Spain. The abject poverty among Arabs, at less than one dollar a day, is not as bad as in other parts of the developing world, thanks to Islamic and Arab traditions of charity. But one in five Arabs still lives on less than two dollars a day.

The growth in income per head per year was 0.5% over the past 20 years, which is lowest in the world, except for sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, it will take 140 years for an average Arab to double his income. This growth stagnation along with rapid population increase would mean more unemployment; it will rise from the current 12 million, or 15%, to 25 million by 2010.

The report concludes that what is responsible for this poor performance of the Arabs is not lack of resources, but lamentable shortage of three essentials: freedom, knowledge and woman power. It argues that it is because of these deficits that Arabs are held back and the rest of the world fears a deadly combination of their wealth and backwardness.

Their lack of freedom explains many fundamental wrongs; such as the survival of autocracies, holding of bogus elections, confusion between the executive and judiciary, constraints on the media and on civil society, and an intolerant, sometimes suffocating, patriarchal social environment. Thus the great wave of democratization, which has swept much of the world, has left the Arab world untouched.

Thus the power change through ballot box is unknown to Arabs. The government ministers and officials are rarely appointed on the basis of merit, but are offered positions because of connection with those in authority. Therefore, the common man is unrelated and unmotivated, and the central authority is inept and irresponsible. The American-based Freedom House records that no Arab country has a genuine free media; only three were rated as partly free.

Their knowledge base is as bad. More money per capita is spent than any other developing region, but it is not well spent, with a great mismatch between what is required and what is produced by their education system. Sixty five million adults, 2/3 of them women, are illiterate and 10 million children have no schooling at all. Expenditure on research and development is less than 1/7 of the world average. The personal computer penetration is a mere 1.2% and only 0.6% of the population uses the Internet.

Thus the Arabs, that once led the world in science, are now most backwards in their pursuit. There is little of the creative activity, and very few new authors among them. Even the knowledge transfer rate from foreign countries is deplorable; all the translations attempted from the medieval times until now are fewer than what Spain accomplishes in a year's time.

The Arab world does not take its women as full citizens, resulting in an awful waste of potential. Half of Arab women can neither read nor write; their participation in political and economic arenas is the lowest in the world. Although the treatment meted out varies with countries and societies, yet in almost all, women suffer from unequal citizenship and legal entitlements. This is evidenced by the fact that the UN was able to obtain the necessary data for this report from only 14 out of the 22 Arab states.

How all this happened? The primary focus of Arabs and Muslims after the World War II was to secure their independence from the West, which ruled them directly or indirectly. But the emphasis was on national independence, not on personal rights and liberties. And the new governments while they aped the colonial West in allocating power to various segments, yet they maintained their firm control of it, under their personal patronage. Thus in Arab lands mock elections and fictitious human rights conventions are held, and occasionally democracy is offered - but as a concession, and not as a right of the people.

Edward Said of Columbia University commenting in Al Ahram weekly (English edition) writes that underlying most of the findings in this report is "the extraordinary lack of coordination between Arab countries." He then goes on to say, "There is considerable wrong in the fact that the Arabs are discussed and referred to both in this report and elsewhere as a group even though they seem rarely to function as one, except negatively." That "there is little strategic cooperation between them and virtually none in the economic sphere. As for more specific issues like policy towards Israel, the U.S. and the Palestinians, and despite a common front of embarrassed hand-wringing and disgraceful powerlessness, one senses a frightened determination first of all not to offend the U.S., not to engage in war or in real peace with Israel, not ever to think of a common Arab front on matters that affect an overall Arab future or security."

And "yet when it comes to perpetuation of each regime, the Arab ruling classes are united in purpose and surviving skills." And thus these failed governments continue to remain in power.

The Arab tradition also plays a role; that they should not defy it, respect authority and seek truth in the book, but not in experience. This failure to search and question is greatly responsible for a lack of transparency and innovation, and holds back progress.

The report alludes to the role of Islam in the Arab concepts of justice, peace, tolerance, balance and other great virtues. That it gives a sense of self-respect to the great army of young Arabs, who are jobless, unskilled and embittered, and also cut off from changing their own societies through democratic means.

But it avoids discussing the crucial role of Islam in any Arab or Muslim renaissance. This is a grave omission since the entire history of Islam is witness to its phenomenal power, and any solution to their problems must be firmly based on it. Islam is ingrained in the very psyche of Muslims, Arabs and non-Arabs alike, and all secular solutions since they contradict this inherent nature of these people, would fail. This fact has been acknowledged even by a number of intellectuals in the West. For example, Don Belt, Senior Editor of National Geographic writing in January 2002 issue under "Islam: The Empire of Faith" states as follows:

"After the breakup of the Ottoman Empire following World War I and the decline of European colonial empires following World War II, Muslim nations adopted Western ideologies - communism, socialism, secular nationalism, and capitalism. Yet most Muslims remained poor and powerless. Their governments, secular regimes often backed by the West, were corrupt and repressive. Muslims looked to their religion for answers, sparking an Islamic revival - whose proponents are known as Islamists - that has taken different forms in different countries. Westerners often call these movements "fundamentalism" and assume they are anti modern. .. Instead, they struggle to resist what they see as an invasion of Western culture and to find an Islamic way to reorder the institutions of their societies." Belt also attests that today Islamists represent "mainstream Muslim thought."

And it is not some utopian dream that Muslims worldwide are yearning for, but a revalidation of the glorious history of Islamic civilization that lasted more than a thousand years - a fact that is acknowledged by notable Western historians, and other keen observers of history, in most glowing terms. For example, in a recent address Carly Fiorina CEO of Hewlett Packard states that Islamic civilization "was the greatest in the world." That "this civilization was driven more than anything, by invention." That "when nations were afraid of ideas, this civilization thrived on them and kept them alive" and in proof she cites its architecture, mathematics, medicine, astronomy, art, and poetry. That "its gifts are very much a part of our heritage," for example, "the technology industry would not exist without the contributions of Arab mathematicians."

It is because of this great legacy that today millions of Muslims are self-consciously engaged in an effort to bring their lives in accord with the requirements of their sacred sources - informing them as to their personal piety and behavior, as well as for arranging their public life. It has generated new paradigms for their education and economics, and for leading their collective, social lives. And, in it they look for solutions for theirs, as well as for humankind's prevalent problems.

However, currently the Western media and politicians are busy promoting a negative image of Islam and Muslims. The media perpetuates the negative stereotyping by parroting orientalists' carry-over from the history of crusades and colonialism; while, the politicians are using every possible means to pursue their hegemonic interests. This attitude is hardened after the September 11 tragic events, committed by a misguided disgruntled group. This, while Muslims everywhere are frustrated by witnessing the sufferings of Palestinians by Israelis with active support of the U.S., and of the Iraqis devastated by the U.S. imposed sanctions. Sadly, as the report concludes, with all the legitimate paths closed to them, some will continue to turn their anger on the Western world; especially the U.S., who they see as equally culpable in perpetrating injustices on them. The solution for the autocratic rulers, as well as the West lies in listening - rather than harassing and doing all they could to arrest and eliminate - the moderate majority of Islamists, who are sincere and credible, and come to terms with their principled stand at home and abroad. This is the only certain way out of the current dismal situation, which would also ensure progress and development of the Arab and Muslim people, and give them their due place in the great comity of nations.


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*Siraj Mufti, Ph.D. is a researcher and free-lance journalist.

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