Post by pieter on Aug 10, 2012 11:57:53 GMT -7
Karl,
The changing Arab world and Northern-Africa due to the Arab Spring have to face new phenomena and often conflicting ideas, programs, people, movements, influences (from within and abroad), mergers of native and alien ideas, synergy, pluriformity and thus diversity. People in the Arab states were used to two kinds of regimes. First the old Patriarchal, dynastic, monarchist or oligarchic regimes. A royal family, Sheikh or ruling family. Secondly a militairy dictatorship (Algeria, Yemen, Egypt) and thirdly a one party state (Syria under Assad, Iraq under Sadam Hussein, Egypt under Mubarak) and a combination of these three authoritarian and totalitarian regimes. Theocracies are a minority with Iran and Saoudi Arabia (which is a mix of an absolutist monarchistic and theocratic regime).
In the "New Arab" democracies tensions will develop between secular revolutionairy movements (a lot of the protesters were secular students, women and civilian groups) and branches of the Muslim Brotherhood and it's more radical Salafist rivals, the Fundamentalist Islamist parties (in Tunesia, Libya, Egypt, Algeria, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories -the rivalry between Hamas and Fatah/PLO-, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen and Oman).
Due to Internet, social media and international connections, the import of Western goods like DVD's, music, other products and opinions, ideas, though systems and influences will change the Middle east. Liberal, Western-European secular-humanist, American, Canadian, social democracy (Labour/The Democrats), socialism (the European radical left), environmentalism (European Greens), Feminism (You have a Muslima branch of feminism), pro-life and pro-choice, the decadence and hedonism of the West, pornography, Western art and culture, Sitcoms, stand up comedy, nudity, a Western moral (ethics and core value's), the idea of a "civil society", homosexuality and Gay marriage, euthenasia, abortion, eqaulity in the sense of the system of Trias Politica (The separation of powers; the state is divided into branches, each with separate and independent powers and areas of responsibility so that no branch has more power than the other branches. The normal division of branches is into an executive, a legislature, and a judiciary), a just legal system, aversion against and combat of corruption and nepotism and the respect and acceptance of another with a different (individual) opinion will change the existing Arab systems of total power, opression of the peoples will and Machiavellistic devide and rule tactics.
The theory of political modification of markets through the Countervailing powers will change the regional Arab economy and the national economies. Goods and services are provided and prices set by free bargaining. Modern economies give massive powers to large business corporations to bias this process, and there arise 'countervailing' powers in the form of trade unions, citizens' organizations and so on, to offset business's excessive advantage. In a changing Arab world the power of this Civil society will grow, because reform and democratisation will change Arab societies.
This will go slowly and step by step, because you do not change the old decades or in some cases centuries old system of dynastic rule or one party rule. Pan Arabism, Arab socialism and Arab Nationalism, Islamism and national and ethnic groups and parties will change due to this process.
Why? Because mankind is changing due to scientific progress, investments in human capital word wide, globalisation, evolution and changing technology and the influence of the connecting world wide web (Internet, e-mail, MSM, chat, Google Plus, Facebook, LinkedIN, blogs, newsnetworks, newsgroups, Forums, Al Jazeera, CNN, BBC, online education and exchange of ideas and connections and thus communication).
The 21th century starts with one of the largest economical, monetary and financial crisis the world has ever known. This leads to soberness, more isolationalism, and a reïnvention of old ideas and thoughts. In Europe the Islam and Muslim culture have had a great influence due to the influcs of Turkish and North-African (mainly Moroccan) immigration. Also Algerians and Tunesians went to France and Wallon (the French part of Belgium). After these people the asylum seekers, the refugees came from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Palestine, Afghanistan, Chechenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Somalia and Sudan. These Muslim migrants created a colorful mix in the large European cities, the European capitals. There were tensions, there was xenophobia from the native people and the populist parties, but also seperatism, rejectionist attitudes and gettoïsation of neighbourhoods with immigrants who created ethnic, national zones of Moroccans and Turks. Each group wanted to stay in their own environment. You could say that there is one Sunni Islam, but Turks and Moroccans in the Netherlands go to seperate Turkish Sunni mosques and Moroccan Sunni mosques. And the Surinamese, Moluccan, Arab, Kurd, African and other ethnic minorities have their own mosques too. In that sense Islam is as segregated or pluriform in Europe as in the Muslim world and as the Christian world. But in some cases like some churches a mosque in Amsterdam, The Hague or Rotterdam can attract many different nationalities, because the "church language" of the mosque is classical Arab, the language of the Quran. Maybe the preaching will be in one non-arab language, but the Muslim prayers and expressions are the same. Like I went to Polish mass in Poland and the french mass in the Wallon part of Belgium and to a German mass in Düsseldorf in Germany when I was travelling. These were not Dutch sermons, but as a Roman-Catholic I understood the meaning and good message of these priests. Probably the same is the case with imams of these mosques.
Mevlana Mosque in Rotterdam
Imam Mevlana Mosque in Rotterdam
Cheers,
Pieter
The changing Arab world and Northern-Africa due to the Arab Spring have to face new phenomena and often conflicting ideas, programs, people, movements, influences (from within and abroad), mergers of native and alien ideas, synergy, pluriformity and thus diversity. People in the Arab states were used to two kinds of regimes. First the old Patriarchal, dynastic, monarchist or oligarchic regimes. A royal family, Sheikh or ruling family. Secondly a militairy dictatorship (Algeria, Yemen, Egypt) and thirdly a one party state (Syria under Assad, Iraq under Sadam Hussein, Egypt under Mubarak) and a combination of these three authoritarian and totalitarian regimes. Theocracies are a minority with Iran and Saoudi Arabia (which is a mix of an absolutist monarchistic and theocratic regime).
In the "New Arab" democracies tensions will develop between secular revolutionairy movements (a lot of the protesters were secular students, women and civilian groups) and branches of the Muslim Brotherhood and it's more radical Salafist rivals, the Fundamentalist Islamist parties (in Tunesia, Libya, Egypt, Algeria, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories -the rivalry between Hamas and Fatah/PLO-, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen and Oman).
Due to Internet, social media and international connections, the import of Western goods like DVD's, music, other products and opinions, ideas, though systems and influences will change the Middle east. Liberal, Western-European secular-humanist, American, Canadian, social democracy (Labour/The Democrats), socialism (the European radical left), environmentalism (European Greens), Feminism (You have a Muslima branch of feminism), pro-life and pro-choice, the decadence and hedonism of the West, pornography, Western art and culture, Sitcoms, stand up comedy, nudity, a Western moral (ethics and core value's), the idea of a "civil society", homosexuality and Gay marriage, euthenasia, abortion, eqaulity in the sense of the system of Trias Politica (The separation of powers; the state is divided into branches, each with separate and independent powers and areas of responsibility so that no branch has more power than the other branches. The normal division of branches is into an executive, a legislature, and a judiciary), a just legal system, aversion against and combat of corruption and nepotism and the respect and acceptance of another with a different (individual) opinion will change the existing Arab systems of total power, opression of the peoples will and Machiavellistic devide and rule tactics.
The theory of political modification of markets through the Countervailing powers will change the regional Arab economy and the national economies. Goods and services are provided and prices set by free bargaining. Modern economies give massive powers to large business corporations to bias this process, and there arise 'countervailing' powers in the form of trade unions, citizens' organizations and so on, to offset business's excessive advantage. In a changing Arab world the power of this Civil society will grow, because reform and democratisation will change Arab societies.
This will go slowly and step by step, because you do not change the old decades or in some cases centuries old system of dynastic rule or one party rule. Pan Arabism, Arab socialism and Arab Nationalism, Islamism and national and ethnic groups and parties will change due to this process.
Why? Because mankind is changing due to scientific progress, investments in human capital word wide, globalisation, evolution and changing technology and the influence of the connecting world wide web (Internet, e-mail, MSM, chat, Google Plus, Facebook, LinkedIN, blogs, newsnetworks, newsgroups, Forums, Al Jazeera, CNN, BBC, online education and exchange of ideas and connections and thus communication).
The 21th century starts with one of the largest economical, monetary and financial crisis the world has ever known. This leads to soberness, more isolationalism, and a reïnvention of old ideas and thoughts. In Europe the Islam and Muslim culture have had a great influence due to the influcs of Turkish and North-African (mainly Moroccan) immigration. Also Algerians and Tunesians went to France and Wallon (the French part of Belgium). After these people the asylum seekers, the refugees came from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Palestine, Afghanistan, Chechenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Somalia and Sudan. These Muslim migrants created a colorful mix in the large European cities, the European capitals. There were tensions, there was xenophobia from the native people and the populist parties, but also seperatism, rejectionist attitudes and gettoïsation of neighbourhoods with immigrants who created ethnic, national zones of Moroccans and Turks. Each group wanted to stay in their own environment. You could say that there is one Sunni Islam, but Turks and Moroccans in the Netherlands go to seperate Turkish Sunni mosques and Moroccan Sunni mosques. And the Surinamese, Moluccan, Arab, Kurd, African and other ethnic minorities have their own mosques too. In that sense Islam is as segregated or pluriform in Europe as in the Muslim world and as the Christian world. But in some cases like some churches a mosque in Amsterdam, The Hague or Rotterdam can attract many different nationalities, because the "church language" of the mosque is classical Arab, the language of the Quran. Maybe the preaching will be in one non-arab language, but the Muslim prayers and expressions are the same. Like I went to Polish mass in Poland and the french mass in the Wallon part of Belgium and to a German mass in Düsseldorf in Germany when I was travelling. These were not Dutch sermons, but as a Roman-Catholic I understood the meaning and good message of these priests. Probably the same is the case with imams of these mosques.
Mevlana Mosque in Rotterdam
Imam Mevlana Mosque in Rotterdam
Cheers,
Pieter