"Democracy and Human Rights in the Middle East Today"
Address by Saad Eddin Ibrahim
Egyptian Democracy Activist
Founder of the Ibn Khaldun Center, Egypt
Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy, Fourth Annual
Conference Washington, DC May 16, 2003

Thank you very much. Thank you, Carl, for these very warm
words. Thank you all for this warm reception. Thank you,
CSID, for inviting me to address this very distinguished
gathering.

Standing here in the United States again, I'm
overwhelmed... [Pauses as voice chokes up.] During those
dark days there were times I sometimes thought I'd never
see freedom again. But they were very short moments. I
never really lost hope.

I heard about this organization, the Center for the Study
of Islam and Democracy,in prison for the first time. My
wife Barbara, who is the real heroine of this saga, brought
me CSID newsletter [Muslim Democrat] one day.
I didn't know the organization or the articles' authors,
but it gave me comfort to know that others were working for
the cause, that there would be others to hand the torch for
democracy in the Arab world, in the Middle
East, and the Muslim world. And I'm so glad now to be here
and see CSID in the flesh.

This is a different world from that of June 30, 2000, when
I was arrested at gunpoint by a swarm of burly security
agents. Just one of these tall men would have been enough
to arrest me, yet at least 30 of them stormed the
house in the middle of the night. When they brought me out
of my house, I was surprised to see a small army
outside-over 200 armed soldiers, some in armored vehicles,
had surrounded my house in Cairo. It was enough to conquer
a small town.

All this to arrest an unarmed sixty year-old intellectual.
The "crime" was to merely advocate what you are all here to
support, democracy.

After a few moments of confusion and despair at this sudden
invasion, I regained my confidence and strength and, at the
sight of all the troops that
had been sent to apprehend me, I felt, ironically enough,
stronger than my oppressors. That feeling of strength is
hard to explain. When the state mobilizes that many troops
and weaponry to arrest one unarmed intellectual,it is the
state that appears vulnerable, not the lone individual.

There were many painful lessons during my captivity. Some
involved the unreliability of intelligentsia -- sometimes
people I considered friends -- who smeared myself and my
colleagues at the Ibn Khaldun Center with baseless lies in
order to curry favor with the government. Others involved
dealing with fear for the future, for yourself and your
loved ones. These are the lessons any freedom fighter in
the Third World must be prepared to endure if s/he is to
prevail.

Another great source of support and hope was Nelson
Mandela. During my days of solitary confinement, I was
overjoyed to receive a package from Mandela,who had
obviously heard about my predicament. It was the first copy
of the Arabic translation of his book, The Long Walk to
Freedom. I eagerly read the book and was inspired and
fortified by it. One of its greatest strengths is that it
talks about his feelings, his weaknesses, his fears.

I learned that we should not be ashamed of our fears. We
should only be shamed by the failure to confront those
fears. That's what he did. He was an inspiration. I wish
all political prisoners could read Nelson Mandela's book.

My wife Barbara and our many friends would often send me
books about prison experiences of other freedom fighters
around the world and I was struck by how, in almost every
book the story was essentially the same. Regardless of
nationality, culture or religion of the person involved,
the process, the struggles and human experiences are the
same.

This is when I realized then that the cause would succeed.
I had no idea then of the many events that were to come
that put democracy at the top of the agenda of the world,
the United States, and Egypt. I had no idea what would
happen, but I had a feeling deep in my heart that the cause
would prevail.I still believe this. In fact, I think it is
prevailing today.

I 'm lucky to meet once again my good friend, Dr. Ali
Mazrui [CSID Chair],our guru of the Sixties and Seventies.
I'm glad to see him in good health and in the same spirit
as when I first met him 25 years ago, when I heard
him pound the table for justice. He didn't pound the table
this time,[laughter] but I'm relieved to see that he is
still fighting for the cause.

It has also been a pleasure to see Lorne Craner [Assistant
Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, & Labor,
U.S. State Department] again.When I had the honor of making
his acquaintance 2 weeks ago, Lorne assured
me that this time the United States was truly serious about
its commitment to democracy in the Middle East. Over the
years we have heard so much about "failed states"-- many of
which are, sadly, located in our region --but I am
relieved to see that there is an increasing awareness there
have also been failed policies. They seem to be moving in
the right direction and I hope that the United States will
have the strength and consistency to see it
through, and in collaboration with indigenous forces for
reform committed to building a democratic culture in their
societies.

Which brings me to some remarks I'd like to make about the
theme of this conference, Islam and Democracy.

The Islamic state began in Madinah after the flight of the
Muslims from Mecca [in 622 CE]. One of the very earliest
acts of this state was the signing of what the historians
call Saheefat al-Madinah, the Charter of Madinah. That
Charter appeared some 500-600 years before the Magna Carta.
If you read it carefully --and urge you all to do so -- you
will find all the elements of pluralism, which is the
prerequisite of democracy.Democracy is not the practice of
people who think the same. It is a system of governance
that regulates relations between those who are different,
not those who are similar. This fact must always be born in
mind when discussing democracy, and this is what the
Charter of Medina is all about.

The Charter was a pact signed by the Prophet Muhammad,
peace be upon him,and the main non-Muslim tribes residing
in Madinah at the time. It was,thus, a compact between the
Muslims and 14 tribes of people who chose not to
convert to Islam --some pagans and Christians, but mostly
Jews --and was binding on all inhabitants of Medina for a
long time.

The Charter emphasized two key points: First, in matters of
the soul, each person had his own religion and would be
held accountable by God, not the State. Second, in worldly
matters, all citizens of Medina were equal,regardless of
their religious affiliation. The first point established
religious freedom. With the second point, the principle of
equal responsibility and enfranchisement of all citizens of
the same polity, was laid down in the Charter.

I think the Charter answers in the affirmative many
questions about whetherIslam is compatible with democracy,
and the ultimate authority in Islam, the Holy Quran,
answers even more of these questions. Without getting
bogged down in details --besides, I'm sure that many of the
papers being present at this excellent conference will
illustrate this point better than I could here --I will
note that the Quran repeatedly emphasizes the importance of
shura (consultation), the value of diversity, and the need
for peaceful coexistence between different religious
traditions. The Quran clearly supports democracy in one
form or another.

Another point I want to make is that the Charter
illustrates that the ethos of the golden age of the Prophet
Muhammad and his Four Caliphs was remarkably sympathetic to
democracy, even if the word did not yet exist in their
vocabulary (or that of the West, for that matter). This
exciting political experiment did not last, sadly; the
fifth Caliph Muawiyyah eventually reestablished despotism
by unilaterally appointing his son as his
successor, in the process defying historical precedent and
cultural norms of the time. The philosophical seeds were
planted, however, even if sometimes in distorted form.

So there is much to be learned from this glorious past. The
question for historians is, when did the decay and
corruption set in? The question for activists and people of
conscience interested in reform is, how do you stop
that decay? This is a challenge for all of us, and
especially for Muslim living in America.

Democracy is the answer. Not because democracy is perfect.
It is precisely because it is imperfect. We are not looking
for another utopia; we are looking for an optimal solution
based on the systems available to us.By that standard,
there is no contest. Democracy defeated fascism,
communism, and many other ideologies and survived.

But democracy must be grounded in our values. It must not
ignore the cultures and values of the societies in which it
is implanted. Otherwise,it will never take root or be
embraced by the masses.

And there is no justification for further delay. For
decades after independence, many of our populist regimes
told us that democracy had to be suspended until "national
liberation"; until Palestine had been liberated;until we
have economic development; until we have true social
justice, and so on. As it turns out now, after fifty years
of depriving ourselves of democracy, we find ourselves with
none of these things! And we're no closer todemocracy.

We must not continue to allow ourselves to be manipulated
by these false messiahs--these masih dajjal--who use empty
promises to keep democracy on hold and deny the people
justice and accountable governments. Now we know
better than to fall for the despots' delaying tactics.

There is no better group to lead this effort than Muslim
Americans. The responsibility of American Muslims is not
only to serve as a bridge between cultures, but to get
involved on both sides. It is your right and duty as
citizens of a democratic society to participate fully in
the political process and make your voice heard. You can do
this, because you are part of the system. It's your right
as a voter and taxpayer.

You cannot do this in much of the Muslim world. Trying to
do so can reduce one's freedom dramatically, to a dark,
cramped prison cell. That's why we're all here today.

You must remember this lesson. You must use your good
fortune, as citizens of America, to help your brothers and
sisters overseas, to bring democracy to a world that is
dying for democracy. I think you can do it. With the help
of God, you will.

 © Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy, 2003.  All
rights reserved.
1050 Connecticutt Avenue, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20036
Phone/Fax: (202) 772-2022







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