I believe the opposition voiced to “reformist” Tariq Ramadan in “American Muslims disagree” (Opinion, Thursday) is justified on three basic premises.
First, the Muslim world is in no position to lecture the Western world about human rights and democracy because it is sinking into backwardness and represents a throwback to the Dark Ages. It is ironic that preachers and lecturers from the Muslim world come to the United States or Europe, trying to argue that the “illness” is with Western values, and that evil resides in the Western world, when reality is quite the opposite.
The Muslim world has produced poverty, illiteracy, dictatorship, an absence of law and arbitrary governance. What needs to be questioned is not the Western world, but the Muslim world, and what needs to be revolutionized is the Muslim mindset. The Christian church long ago recognized the value of science and human responsibility, and thus was forced to adjust to human nature. In contrast, the Muslim world refuses to question its own heritage and tradition, and that has absolutely nothing to do with faith and salvation. Revisionism remains taboo, and the Islamic world refuses to acknowledge the supremacy of science over theology. Hence, it appoints religious leaders as the guardians of morality, and in so doing, rejects personal choice.
Second, the debate is not between the West and the Muslim world, but rather it must take place within the Muslim world itself. The West does not negate others or reject them, but calls on the supremacy of the objective law and people’s consent. The Muslim world remains aloof to anything alien to its tradition, and thus rejects any form of compromise.
Third, science must assume its position of supremacy and religion must be banned from the political sphere. The continuous contradictory and often ridiculous fatwas announced by self-made preachers on a daily basis is perpetuating ignorance and empowering the religious establishment at the expense of science and intellectualism.
When it comes to illiteracy, unemployment, lack of transparency, absence of democracy, the rule of law, human rights abuses and oppression, the Muslim and Arab worlds hold the records. As a result, it needs to start redirecting criticisms to itself, its culture and its ruling class. The Western world can be used as a role model and an example of modernization and development. The best example to follow is Japan, which transformed itself once it saw the superiority of the Western tradition of democracy and the rule of law.
Zerougui Abdelkader is an adjunct professor at American University in Washington.
