|
|
| Political Parties in the Arab Region; in the Age of Nationalism and Secularism |
 PRINTABLE VERSION |
Before the European colonialism of the Arab world, Islam had been the most appealing rationale that formed a kind of unity and solidarity between the Arab lands. However, the drawbacks of the western colonialism were of paramount importance. The ideas that emerged in Europe describing “the civil society,” “the modern state,” and the “nation state” represented a serious challenge to the way Arabs perceived each other under pan-Islamism. The ideologies of nowadays parties were in the phase of an embryo during the colonial era. Later on, the parties calling for an Arab nation state, such as the Nasserite Party of Egypt, and the Ba’th Party of Syria and Iraq, found in the idea of nationalism brought from Europe, the only effective means towards their independence. Other parties like the Old Wafd advocated the idea of an Egyptian nation state, as a primary step towards freedom from imperialist occupation. The colonist powers introduced to the Arab world to the concept of political representation, parliamentary elections, and rule of the majority, altogether, as a whole founding base of a new-politicized Arab world. Freud, Feuerbach and Darwin were the most influential thinkers in Europe at the end of the nineteenth century; hence, their ideas were displayed to the Arabs as their only path towards modernization. Those thinkers emphasized the role of reason as a non-religious alternative “law,” while rejecting the intermingling between religion and state affairs. The ideology of secularism, adopted by Arab liberal, communist, and socialist parties, has always been the most influential aspect of European modern politics. The immediate outcome of the secularization of the Arab world was the appearance of Islamic movements, who thought that Islamism is the most suitable policy for the Arab people to struggle against the western-imported ideas of secularism and nationalism. The Islamists were also influenced by pan-Islamism that emerged by the beginning of the twentieth centuries with Muhammad ‘Abduh, and Jamaluddin Al-Afghani, as well as Wahhabism with Abul-A’la Al-Mawdudi, and later-on Hassan Al-Banna. One should note also that there have been major changes in the ideologies of parties like Al-Wafd and the Nasserite Party, due to the changes in the region’s circumstances after the Arab independence from colonialism, and the creation of the state of Israel.
Summing up, one can say that the political parties in the Arab world could be categorized by their points of view regarding two main issues: The interpretation of the word “nation,” and the stance towards the role of religion in state affairs. On one hand, we have secular parties like Al-Ba’th and the Nasserite Party interpreting the word “nation” as being parallel to pan-Arabism, while other parties-secular also- like the NDP, Al-Wafd, and the Egyptian Tajammu’ Party, calling for Egyptian nationalism. On the other hand, we see that the Islamic movements such as the Wahhabi movement in Saudi Arabia, and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, interpret the word “nation” as a synonym of the traditional Islamic “Ummah.” The very distinct conclusion that can be drawn out of that analysis is that the major characteristic of secular parties is their call for nationalism.
In mid twentieth century, the Arab world became independent under secular nationalist parties and movements that gained support from the people, who then believed nationalism is the only working tactic if they want to end colonialism. Unfortunately, most of those secular regimes became gradually militarized, such as the National Liberation Front of Algeria, the Free Officers of Egypt, and Syrian-Iarqi Ba’th Party. Dictatorial rule became a persistent phenomenon in the Arab world until today, hindering the role political parties should play in the political arena. We see until today Arab kings, sultans, and presidents ruling for decades, without really giving freedom of operation to opponent political parties. In a country like Saudi Arabia, there are no political parties, and in Egypt the opposition parties are either banned, such as the Muslim Brothers, or given restricted domain of operation such as the New Wafd. A lot of opposition party figures in Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, and Saudi Arabia are having political asylum worldwide because they are simply “wanted” in their homelands.
|
1
Tags
You must be logged in to add tags.
|
Writer Profile
Saladin
My name is Ayman el-Hakea, I am a Construction Engineering graduate from the American University in Cairo. My origins date to an interesting mixture of Yemeni, Moroccan, Albanian, and Egyptian ancestors. I always try to be a moderate Muslim, I like animation, geopolitics, comparative religion, and football. I like to be with "people"...and I hope my writing isn't boring for anyone.
|
Comments
You must be a TakingITGlobal member to post a comment. Sign up for free or login.
|
|
