The Islamic democratic movement is a work in progress. Unfortunately, pro-Western Arab and Muslim dictators, not Islamic activists, keep the gates of power locked and block any real democratic opening. In most of the Middle East, they are the jihadis' unintentional allies in the fight against the empowerment of ordinary men and women.
Zarqawi, bin Laden and other jihadis miscalculate monstrously if they think their anti-democratic diatribes will resonate with ordinary Muslims. Indigenous calls for democratic reforms are being heard in almost every corner of the Muslim world, including Iran, Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Pakistan. Muslim human rights groups and civil society leaders are challenging the autocratic status quo and risking arrest and persecution. The democratic genie is already out of the bottle.
What's Islamic? Abu Musab Zarqawi, shown in a wanted poster, says democracy is heresy.
(Atef Hassan -- Reuters)
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Young Muslims, in particular, long to be in charge of their lives, and they are a huge constituency. They are fed up with autocrats and false prophets alike. Young Muslims do not want their human rights violated or to live in perpetual fear because of their dissenting views. They want their dignity back and long to be proud of their countries, which are falling further behind the rest of humanity.
By declaring an all-out war against the "evil principle" of democracy, Zarqawi and his followers are thus swimming against the current of Muslim public opinion and the spirit of the times. Few Muslims will buy into their nihilistic and apocalyptic nightmare.
But the Bush administration, by blindly insisting on holding the elections in Iraq today despite widespread violence and misgivings, may not advance the cause of freedom and democracy. Elections are not synonymous with democracy and, unless care is taken, they could play into the hands of antidemocratic forces. Tomorrow, on the morning after the election, the Bush administration and the new Iraqi government must do their utmost to reassure Sunni Arabs and bring them into the political process, particularly by involving them in the writing of a permanent constitution. Treating every Sunni as a potential terrorist deepens fear and a sense of repression that makes the community susceptible to extremists.
In his inaugural address, Bush declared it "the policy of the United States" to promote democracy and end tyranny in the Middle East and vowed to "persistently" challenge "every ruler and every nation" about how they treat their own people." Muslims, not just Americans, will be watching very closely to see how -- or if -- the president translates his rhetoric into reality.
Author's e-mail: fgerges@slc.edu
Fawaz Gerges is a professor of Middle East studies and international affairs at Sarah Lawrence College and author of the forthcoming "The Jihadists: Unholy Warriors" (Harcourt).
