A short essay, friends, to explore this agonizing quandary: What would it take for the Arab world to get on the road to development. While I do not see it happening any time soon, just as an intellectual exercise, allow me to share with you thoughts and beliefs that have been discussed in the Arab opinion press for at least half a century. The discussion continues to this date as to why the Arab world is generally not considered a developed world.
The Arab World Lack of Development - Some Reasons
- A total refusal to subject its history and beliefs to scrutiny.
- An unwavering fascination with a holiness heritage, an obsession with religious fundamentalism.
- Not engaged in imagining a future where past ills are rectified, on the contrary the future is seen as a return to the past.
- Unable to grasp that religion is for a God, but a nation is for all religions.
- Unable to appreciate the value that diversity adds to a nation and to a culture.
- Unable to reason that separation of religion and government is paramount, a must.
- Unable to comprehend the necessity of culture and the arts.
- Unable to understand that women are one of two genders, different than men in many respects but not an iota lesser; certainly not food to be refrigerated or a pet to be controlled.
- A logic-defying belief that the afterlife is more important than life.
- Looks at its children and grandchildren as a recycle of their parents and grandparents, not as a new generation that should progress; urging them in perpetuity to uphold and maintain centuries-old customs and traditions.
While above is a partial list, it nevertheless goes a long way to show why the Arab world is unlikely to join the developed world anytime soon.
Aspects of the Arab World that Scream No Interest in Development
Religious fundamentalism and related forms of ideological beliefs
This is bound to keep the Arab world in a distressed state for the foreseeable future. Kathleen Taylor, a neurologist at Oxford University, said in the Digital Journal June 2, 2013 article that recent developments suggest that we will soon be able to treat religious fundamentalism and other forms of ideological beliefs potentially harmful to society as a form of mental illness. She said that radicalizing ideologies may soon be viewed not a personal choice or free will but as a category of mental disorder.
Here is Taylor's article: http://www.digitaljournal.
Here is Taylor's article: http://www.digitaljournal.
Little if any emphasis on education and imagination in favor of an obsession with a 1400-year old
ideology
When education is not a priority, people are denied the opportunity to be knowledgeable and informed. The Muslim world today is not comprised of knowledge-based societies. The Muslim world spends 0.2 per cent of its GDP on research and development, while the Christian world spends around 5 per cent of its GDP. Daily newspapers per 1,000 people and number of book titles per million are two indicators of whether knowledge is being diffused in a society. In Pakistan, there are 23 daily newspapers per 1,000 Pakistanis while the same ratio in Singapore is 360. In the UK, the number of book titles per million stands at 2,000 while the same in Egypt is 20. Exports of high technology products as a percentage of total exports are an important indicator of knowledge application. Pakistan's export of high technology products as a percentage of total exports stands at 1%. The same for Saudi Arabia is 0.3%; Kuwait, Morocco, and Algeria are all at 0.3%, while Singapore is at 58%.
Knowledge is like the air we breathe, the blood in our veins. Without knowledge permeating the Arab world, it is doomed to an aimless and unfocused life. With knowledge comes information and know-how; imagination, innovation, resilience and perseverance against long odds ensue; taking risks, challenging norms, and making things happen substitute for giving in to perceived difficulties or resignation to status quo. There is no substitute for a knowledgeable and informed populace.
Knowledge is like the air we breathe, the blood in our veins. Without knowledge permeating the Arab world, it is doomed to an aimless and unfocused life. With knowledge comes information and know-how; imagination, innovation, resilience and perseverance against long odds ensue; taking risks, challenging norms, and making things happen substitute for giving in to perceived difficulties or resignation to status quo. There is no substitute for a knowledgeable and informed populace.
It is no major revelation that the future belongs to knowledge-based societies. Only with knowledge would a nation develop and be in a position to increase its GDP. Currently the Arab world's GDP as a percentage of total world GDP is rapidly declining. Without a continual increase in a nation's GDP and with the inevitable increase in its population, such nation will increasingly experience for the vast majority of its people poverty, health care issues, joblessness for an ever-growing youth segment, and lack of economic opportunities. All of this leads to unrest, lack of security, sporadic violence and turmoil, an overall turbulent environment not conducive to remedial measures, a smoldering society with no real prospect of a better life for its citizenry, more and more corruption and despair.
Lack of tolerance for dissent: political, economic or social
Conformity is the rule, change is highly frowned upon and thus discouraged. Take the case of Saudi Arabia: in recent weeks Saudi Arabia has launched an offensive against anti-regime activists, arresting many and sentencing some to years in jail. This total number of political prisoners has now surpassed 40 thousand according to some reports. The crackdown has even forced a member of the ruling family to defect.
Russia Today Arabic spoke exclusively to Saudi princeKhaled Bin Farhan Al-Saud, who accuses the monarchy of corruption and silencing all voices of dissent.
Here is the whole report/interview with the prince: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Here is the whole report/interview with the prince: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Antagonism toward modernity and cultural diversity
Arab rulers in the modern era have successfully thus far caused their populations to fear the progress and modernity generated by the culture of the non-believers, from East to West, from North to South. It is progress not produced from within their own faith, their culture. Their rationale is this: if we are morally superior how come we are not economically superior? It must be the work of the devil and we want no part of it, we will get our good times in the afterlife. Such rationale is rather easy to disseminate among the have-nots, the poor, the illiterate, the misinformed and the disinformed. The cruel and inhumane irony here is that among the haves of the Arab world, it is the norm for them to enjoy the non-believers', the infidels', the apostates' consumer products, goods, services, advanced medical treatments,superior schools in Europe and the US, entertainment venues and shows including gambling casinos. People with means in the Arab world travel all over the world, mainly to destinations right in the heart of the non-believers' major cities and tourist sites. People with funds to spare in the Arab world don't think twice about investing it in these countries infested with non-believers.
Such a stance against the modern world betrays a crop of leaders in the Arab world that lacks competency, integrity and an appreciation of their people's inalienable rights. These leaders have forged an alliance from hell with extremists from within, counting on the later innate ideology that only Muslims are God's people, only Muslims will go to heaven and only Muslims of their ilk at that, Sharia'a law believers, etc. We are talking here about 10% controlling the fate of the 90%, most of whom are downtrodden and destitute. We are talking here about 100-150 million (at most) extremist Muslims acting on the belief that they and not the other billions of humanity are in the know.
Thomas Friedman writes on August 10, 2013 in his column in the New York Times: "Al Qaeda often says that if the Muslim world wants to restore its strength, it needs to go back to the 'pure' days of Islam, when it was a monoculture unsullied by foreign influences. In fact, the'Golden Age' of the Arab/Muslim world was when it became a polyculture between the 8th and 13th centuries. Of that era, Wikipedia says,'During this period the Arab world became an intellectual center for science, philosophy, medicine and education. ...[It was] a collection of cultures, which put together, synthesized and significantly advanced the knowledge gained from the ancient Roman, Chinese, Indian, Persian, Egyptian, Greek, Byzantine and Phoenician civilizations.
"What is going on in the Arab world today is a relentless push, also funded by fossil fuels, for more monocultures. It’s Al Qaeda trying to 'purify' the Arabian Peninsula. It’s Shiites and Sunnis, funded by oil money, trying to purge each other in Iraq and Syria. It’s Alexandria, Egypt, once a great melting pot of Greeks, Italians, Jews, Christians, Arabs and Muslims, now a city dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, with most non-Muslims gone. It makes these societies much less able to spark new ideas and much more susceptible to diseased conspiracy theories and extreme ideologies. To be blunt, this evolution of Arab/Muslim polycultures into monocultures is a disaster.
"Pluralism, diversity and tolerance were once native plants in the Middle East — the way the polyculture prairie was in the Middle West. Neither ecosystem will be healthy without restoring its diversity."
"What is going on in the Arab world today is a relentless push, also funded by fossil fuels, for more monocultures. It’s Al Qaeda trying to 'purify' the Arabian Peninsula. It’s Shiites and Sunnis, funded by oil money, trying to purge each other in Iraq and Syria. It’s Alexandria, Egypt, once a great melting pot of Greeks, Italians, Jews, Christians, Arabs and Muslims, now a city dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, with most non-Muslims gone. It makes these societies much less able to spark new ideas and much more susceptible to diseased conspiracy theories and extreme ideologies. To be blunt, this evolution of Arab/Muslim polycultures into monocultures is a disaster.
"Pluralism, diversity and tolerance were once native plants in the Middle East — the way the polyculture prairie was in the Middle West. Neither ecosystem will be healthy without restoring its diversity."
Here is Friedman's article: http://www.nytimes.
Intervention and meddling from the West, US, UK, EU, and from the East, Iran, Russia, China
Such intervention is making a bad situation a dire one, the reason being that such intervention always will serve the security, strategic and economic interests of the intervening nation. It cannot and should not be expected to promote growth for the people of any given Arab nation.
This will continue unless and until there is development and progress on all fronts (politically, economically and most importantly socially) in the Arab world nations. Only then will there be a semblance of a level playing field, and the intervention will gradually be of a different nature. Intervening powers will have little choice but to adjust their stance, their mindset, their programs, they will understand that achieving national interests goes both ways, that at times they may have to settle for less than the achievements of a 100% of their interests and take for example Egypt's interests into account.
This will continue unless and until there is development and progress on all fronts (politically, economically and most importantly socially) in the Arab world nations. Only then will there be a semblance of a level playing field, and the intervention will gradually be of a different nature. Intervening powers will have little choice but to adjust their stance, their mindset, their programs, they will understand that achieving national interests goes both ways, that at times they may have to settle for less than the achievements of a 100% of their interests and take for example Egypt's interests into account.
A New Islamic Golden Age
For that to become a reality, each nation in the Arab world should seek a model of nation-building it would be comfortable with, and start from there.
For my country of birth, Egypt, the Japanese model for progress and development would be an excellent starting point, staying away from the incendiary example of the evil West. Japan has a long history of economic growth. In 1945 Japan had just suffered a devastating defeat in WWII, Japan lost the war but since won the peace of nation building. Japan emerged from 1950 to 1980 as a powerhouse economy, having based its economic growth on its people, particularly the youth, drilled on the principles and ethics of a nation and not any particular religion, and its unique culture. Japan established itself as a beacon of science, industry, innovation, education. When Prime Ministers of Japan were asked about their key concerns, the last three said: “Students: they are the future of Japan.” Japan is creating wealth and sharing it globally. Japan's economic growth has its people today enjoying one of the best worldwide income levels, best income distribution, no grave nor significant poverty, and a wonderful healthcare system; achieving all of that while maintaining its admirable culture and legendary character of a nation, and most telling by keeping religion, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, in its appropriate position in society, without a trace of it in public, to safeguard national unity.
If that doesn't happen, I do not foresee a developed Arab world anytime soon. That would be fine I guess for these religious extremists since Heaven is their iron-clad, guaranteed destination. Most unfortunate for the rest of us, we are Hell-bound. See you there!
Hussein
If that doesn't happen, I do not foresee a developed Arab world anytime soon. That would be fine I guess for these religious extremists since Heaven is their iron-clad, guaranteed destination. Most unfortunate for the rest of us, we are Hell-bound. See you there!
Hussein
"When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet, at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it -- but all that had gone before." Jacob Riis
