Five Arab nations have experienced uprisings in the past few years, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen and Syria.
Now Egypt appears headed for a second uprising. Some other nations are at risk. What is their problem?
Well any form of absolute power will eventually lead to corruption and corruption will escalate where there is no mechanism in place for affecting change. Only in a democratic nation can these problems be addressed, albeit often quite inefficiently and slowly.
All organized religions are, and never have been, democratic so the Muslims are in a hopeless bind when they try to combine democracy and religious law. It can’t work.
Only if you separate government from religion that is, create a secular nation can democracy flourish.
Interestingly there is one impressive democracy success story in the Arab world. In a ten year period from about 1924 to 1934 (note the years) one man, Kemal Ataturk, changed the strict Muslim nation of Turkey into a secular democracy. It remains securely in place today and Turkey has prospered as no other Muslim nation has. It is the only secular Muslim nation.
Here are some of the incredible changes Ataturk brought about.
Regarding religion:
– Exiled the Sultan
(all powerful leader)
– Outlawed Sharia
(religious) law
– Shut down religious
schools
– Banned religious
brotherhoods
– Dissolved religious courts
– Eliminated all references
to the Koran in the
constitution
– Established the right of a
person to change religions
Also:
– Changed alphabet from
Arabic to Latin (our
alphabet)
– Replaced Muslim calendar
with Western calendar.
– Established a
democratically elected
government
– Required everyone to
have a surname
– Banned the wearing of the
conical red “Fez” hat
(former symbol of power)
– Outlawed traditional
Muslim dress. Required
Western dress (suits)
And for women:
– Given right to vote
– Given right to hold
public office
– Educated women
including university level
(today many are doctors
and lawyers).
– Permitted marriage of
Muslim women to non-
Muslim men
– Banned polygamy
While making these astounding changes there were no riots, no trouble whatsoever. It is an enduring mystery as to how Ataturk was able to do it and make it stick. Incidentally even if he had not achieved these stunning results his life itself is a fascinating story worth reading. For those of you interested in further information I suggest you start with the Wikipedia article on the Internet.
Theodore Theodorsen
