THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume X, Issue # 205, August 19, 2008
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
MODERNITY STARTS HERE -- TUNISIA
By Asaf Romirowsky
ACHIEVING MODERNITY & MODERATION IN THE MUSLIM WORLD: THE TUNISIAN MODEL FOR AN ISLAMIC
REFORMATION -- TUNISIA'S DEVELOPMENT IN RECENT YEARS OF AN ENVIRONMENT OF CO-EXISTENCE AMONG JEWS,
CHRISTIANS & MUSLIMS, AN ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH MODERNITY SERVES AS A COMMON DENOMINATOR & RELIGION
DOES NOT GET IN THE WAY OF ONE'S DAY-TO-DAY LIFE -- TUNISIA'S POLITICAL STABILITY, WESTERN-ARAB SYNTHESIS,
& ECONOMIC VISION: A POSSIBLE PARADIGM FOR OTHER MIDDLE EASTERN STATES
FULL STORY:
Middle East scholar Dr. Daniel Pipes has argued for years that the solution to Islamism, or radical Islam, is moderate Islam.
But the question is still, who are these moderates and where can they be found. As Pipes states:
"Islamism [is] a radical utopian version of Islam. Islamists,
adherents of this well funded, widespread, totalitarian
ideology, are attempting to create a global Islamic order
that fully applies the Islamic law (Shari'a)."
Using this definition, moderation requires rejection of jihad to impose Muslim rule and the rejection of suicide terrorism. No
more second-class citizenship for non-Muslims. No more imposition of the death penalty for adultery. No more "honor"
killings of women. And no more death sentences for blasphemy or apostasy.
Ultimately, it means embracing the same modernity that Jews and Christians have adopted, modernity whereby there is no
contradiction between being a religiously observant individual on the one hand and living in a modern society on the other.
The headlines from Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, and a host of other places suggest this moderation is simply not feasible, and
that Islam, at its most basic and aggressive, always wins.
I recently traveled to Tunisia to explore this small and beautiful country located in the heart of North Africa between Algeria
and Libya. Tunisia has quietly and successfully developed in recent years an environment of co-existence amongst Jews,
Christians and Muslims, an environment in which modernity serves as a common denominator and religion does not get in the
way of one's day-to-day life. Tunisia is hardly perfect, but its political stability, Western-Arab synthesis, and economic
vision could serve as a paradigm for other Middle Eastern states.
As Oussama Romdhani, the Director General of the Tunisian External Communication Agency told me:
"Cultural and religious tolerance is part of Tunisia's patrimony.
The display of religious harmony that one witnesses on the
Ghriba celebrations is possible because of Tunisia's social
history and because the changes and reforms introduced in
Tunisia, especially during the last two decades, have
anchored the values of tolerance and acceptance of religious
and cultural differences."
The Tunisian people are warm, friendly and educated, as well as open to the West. The 10 million citizens of Tunisia today
show a great appreciation of the centuries of Phoenician, Roman, Jewish, Arabic, and European influences that still impact
their culture.
Tunisia was rated by the World Economic Forum as the most competitive economy in Africa, and is known for its low level
of poverty, high rate of literacy, and the number of opportunities available to women.
But critics also contend that it is a place where the political leadership controls the press and routinely jails opponents.
Many of my one-on-one conversations with academics and others involved world politics, American foreign policy in the
Middle East, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian dynamic.
What I found interesting is that Tunisians, like Europeans, are proud of their Jews and their Jewish heritage, but hate
Israelis, who are perceived as the embodiment of evil.
However, this animosity does not prevent Tunisia from seeing its model of co-existence as a mechanism for helping
establish peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
One obvious reason Tunisians differentiate between Jews and Israelis is the proximity to France. Another issue is the
Tunisian position on the problem Europe faces, as a whole, with new Muslim immigrants, who despise the Jewish state
because of the Palestinians' situation.
Europe is seeing a slow but steady growth in anti-Semitism under the guise of anti-Zionism, which is spreading back to its
Muslim neighbors, themselves no strangers to Koranic anti-Semitism.
There has not been such a level of concern, anxiety, even depression, among European Jews since 1945. One reason for
this is the loose official definition of anti-Semitism in places like Germany where, until it prompts an act of violence, there are
enough legal loopholes to allow perpetrators to avoid consequences.
Robert Wistrich, a historian of anti-Semitism, notes:
"Europe cannot fight anti-Semitism if it appeases terrorists
or blackens Israel's name. We need to insist that a linkage
exists between blind Palestinophilia, being soft on terror
and jihad, defaming Israel, and the current wave of
anti-Semitic violence."
Tunisia has indeed had its share of anti-Semitism and Islamist activity. In April, 2002, an al-Qa'ida homicide bomber drove
a truckload of propane up to al-Ghriba, the oldest synagogue in North Africa. Nineteen people, mostly German tourists,
were slaughtered.
Historically, anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism rose in the wake of the Six-Day War, but it was former Tunisian President
Habib Bourguiba (1903-2000) who acted precipitously to quell such violence and ensure Jewish safety.
Bourguiba was known for being a shrewd politician who often preferred to outmaneuver adversaries like French officials
and Islamic militants rather than confront them. His tactics became known in the Paris press as Bourguibism, and they
helped him retain his position as Tunisia's leader after the rulers of other Muslim nations -- the Shah of Iran, the King of
Libya, strongmen in Syria and Iraq -- were overthrown. When Tunisia became independent, it was Bourguiba who worked
for women's rights and pushed through a "personal status code" that ran counter to traditional Muslim jurisprudence and
custom in enhancing women's rights.
Years of study in Paris during the 1920s had imbued Bourguiba with a blueprint of logical and Western thought, and, during
his three decades as President of Tunisia, he found it only logical to advocate restraint toward Israel, even after the Israeli
victory in the 1967 war, when other Arab leaders were demanding revenge.
In addition, he also called on the Arab/Muslim world to face the fact that Israel is a reality that had to be acknowledged and
worked with.
This realism had political consequences; in a backdoor conversation with Nasser in 1965, Nasser commended Bourguiba for
his statement about Israel, then publicly denounced it. And, thanks to the way Nasser ridiculed Tunisia, they severed
diplomatic ties in 1966.
Some months before the Yom Kippur war in 1973, Bourguiba called for a "just and lasting peace," citing Israel's right "not to
be exterminated and thrown into the sea." But in 1973, as in 1967, he sent a token military force to show his support for the
Arab side.
When the Palestine Liberation Organization left West Beirut in 1982 after the Israeli invasion, despite many misgivings he
took them in. And approximately, 1,100 active PLO members arrived by sea at Bizerte to a tumultuous welcome. The chief
greeter was Bourguiba waving from the dock and allowing the PLO to set up shop in Tunis.
Fast-forward to 1987, and one of the quietest coup d'états in all history, when Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali took power. Ben Ali
had been Prime Minister and Intelligence Chief under Bourguiba. And, given Bourguiba's poor health in 1987, the transition
was remarkably unremarkable.
Under Ben Ali, the leaders in Tunis have adopted a tough stance on separation of religion and state. Enforcement of the
constitutional prohibition on political parties formed along religious lines is swift and silent, as are crackdowns on
individuals suspected of the slightest inclination of advancing Islamic political movements. This helps explain why men with
Islamist-style beards are a rarity in Tunisia. The authorities firmly quelled the leading Islamist organization, An-Nahda
("Renaissance" in Arabic) Movement, under the leadership of the renowned exegete Rashid al-Ghannushi.
All of this has engendered much support for Ben Ali and Bourguiba for moving Tunisia in the direction of moderation and
modernity in a region that is constantly threatened by Islamism and instability.
And this is indeed the impression I got as I traveled throughout the country, the impression that is that Tunisians are happy
with their lifestyles and are not looking to carry their religion on a flag in the name of an ideology.
However, maintaining this balance is dependent on Tunisia promoting its model to Algeria and Libya seeing Tunisia as a
gateway for modernity. Then, if the Tunisian model can be successfully replicated elsewhere in the Muslim world, there is a
chance that we will see change.
Without a doubt, anyone concerned about the future of Islam should be harnessing Tunisia's pro-Western sentiments.
This hidden treasure in the Muslim world was illustrated to me by my friend Jerry Sorkin, a Philadelphia based entrepreneur
with many years of experience in Tunisia.
He described to me his first visit to Tunisia 25 years ago, saying:
"I got into a taxi, the driver instinctively put on the meter,
drove within the lanes and upon my paying the fare, gave
me my change and thanked me. I knew I was experiencing
something I had never experienced in my many prior visits
to many other countries in the Middle East and North
Africa! This was the first of what has been a perpetual
stream of dichotomies I have witnessed and experienced
in Tunisia that has allowed me to say that Tunisia breaks
the image that most people in the West have of the Arab
and Muslim world. We in the West, particularly our
present administration, should look to Tunisia as a
country that, while far from perfect, can be a wonderful
bridge between Americans and the Arab and Muslim
world and whose many achievements within the
socio-economic realm can be the barometer to which
other countries in the region can aspire."
The above truly highlights what Tunisia has to offer and what we should be embracing. As the next U.S. President looks on
the one hand to win the war on terror and on the other to find those moderate Muslims who can and will speak out against
radical Islam, Tunisia could help. It could deliver individuals desperately needed in the public eye to show that the Islamists
are not the majority.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
Tunisia, Islamic North Africa, & the Arab World
American Foreign Policy -- The Middle East
North Africa -- The Arab States of Islamic North Africa
The Middle East & the Arabs
Israel & the Arabs -- The Israeli-Arab Conflict
Islamism & Jihadism -- The Threat of Radical Islam
Page Three
Page Two
Page One
International Politics & World Disorder:
War & Peace in the Real World
Page Two
Page One
Islamist Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.A.
Osama bin Laden & the Islamist Declaration of War
Against the U.S.A. & Western Civilization
Islamist International Terrorism &
U.S. Intelligence Agencies
U.S. National Security Strategy
Asaf Romirowsky, an associate fellow at the Middle East Forum, is Manager of Israel & Middle East Affairs for the Jewish
Federation of Greater Philadelphia
The foregoing article by Asaf Romirowsky was originally published in the Middle East Times, August 19, 2008, and
can be found on the Internet website maintained by the Middle East Forum, a foreign policy think tank which seeks to
define and promote American interests in the Middle East, defining U.S. interests to include fighting radical Islam,
working for Palestinian Arab acceptance of the State of Israel, improving the management of U.S. efforts to promote
constitutional democracy in the Middle East, reducing America's energy dependence on the Middle East, more robustly
asserting U.S. interests vis-ŕ-vis Saudi Arabia, and countering the Iranian threat.
(Article URL: http://www.meforum.org/article/1972)
Republished with Permission of the Middle East Forum
Reprinted from the Middle East Forum News
mefnews@meforum.org (MEF NEWS)
August 19, 2008
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Conservative & Free-Market Analysis of Government, Politics & Public Policy, Covering Political, Legal, Constitutional, Economic,
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Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity