President Obama, political Islam and Progress

By Terry Lacey

(June 06, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) In Cairo President Barack Obama has to show if he can make a break with the illusions of the Bush legacy as far as the Muslim world is concerned.

Arief Munandar, recently reviewed The Illusion of an Islamic State: Expansion of Transnational Islamist Movements to Indonesia, and concludes that its lumping together of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the Council of Indonesian Jihad Fighters (MMI) and the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) is “simplistic, unfocused and runs counter to historical fact.” (Jakarta Post 31.05.09).

Arief rejects the simplistic categorization of Muslim ideas and organizations into two camps representing “Wahabism” or “moderation”.

He argues the Muslim Brotherhood (IM) is not monolithic and you cannot simply equate IM with Sayyid Qutb. Hassan Al Banna, IM´s founder said his followers should be moderate and wise in accepting differences, since IM did not claim to be a group embracing all Muslims, but one among many striving to restore the glory of Islam.

There is little evidence that modern political Islam is a systemic threat to the West.

Political Islam in Egypt and the Gaza Strip is home grown, not made in Iran. In Egypt a growing parliamentary opposition inspired by IM is pro-economic and social reform, while in Gaza and the West Bank the popularity of Hamas reflects its broad nationalist and reformist appeal not a narrow religious-based platform.

In Turkey the Justice and Development Party (AKP) is in power, pro-Western, pro NATO, pro-EU, pro liberal economy, and aside from some understandable anger over the Gaza war, normally has economic, political and security co-operation with Israel.

In Malaysia the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) is politically Islamic, but allied with non Muslim ethnic minorities and parties in a rainbow coalition to promote economic and social reform in a majority Muslim society and to contest the 50 year monopoly of national power of the politically conservative United Malays National Organization (UMNO).

In Indonesia the PKS leads four Islamic parties in a coalition led by the Democratic Party of the incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, likely to win the July 8th direct presidential elections. These parties seek reform of international economic institutions, anti-poverty measures, support for small and medium enterprises and continuing reform of public administration alongside an anti-corruption drive.

The recent visit of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, to Indonesia to discuss trade and investment brought a breath of fresh air on Islam and politics.

Qatar is strongly influenced by Wahabi ideas, but the Emir himself donated the land for the first new Christian church, and there are now at least six. (Jerusalem Post 16.03.08).

Qatar has also taken a more pragmatic position on the Israel-Palestine dispute, opening up links to Israel prior to the Gaza war, then pulling back from them in protest, and taking a more even-handed approach to Hamas.

Qatar also lined up with Saudi Arabia, across the supposed radical-conservative divide after the Western-backed summit in Egypt to plan post-war aid to Gaza. Both preferred to push their support into Gaza directly, not via the Palestinian Authority.

Indonesia is consolidating trade and investment links with Qatar, the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia alongside new deals with Iran, Libya and Syria.

So maybe the new reality in the Muslim world for most people is towards pragmatism, peace and prosperity. The impact of theological and political divisions and conflicts on the Muslim world should not be exaggerated. A lot of Muslims are fed up with too much politics and not enough progress.

The Muslim world remains hopeful that the Middle East tour of President Obama will open up a new dialogue marking a departure from the Bush legacy.

But the litmus tests will be how the US now deals with Pakistan-Afghanistan and Palestine-Israel. The first needs security policies in support of comprehensive and resourced civil strategies and not the reverse. The second needs an end to the blockade of Gaza and a political dialogue with Hamas. They are not the Taliban.

Political Islam is more diverse, progressive and pragmatic than many Americans think.

Terry Lacey is a development economist who writes from Jakarta on modernization in the Muslim world, investment and trade relations with the EU and Islamic banking.

-Sri Lanka Guardian