Cover Stories
The Saudi Enigma
Although it is still impossible to build a Christian church in Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah has intensified interreligious dialogue with Pope Benedict XVI. The debate addressing women’s right to drive has recommenced, however, the “religious police”, the Mutawwa, continues to rule. Conflicting news from a mysterious kingdom safeguarding Islam’s holy places, but one that is certainly not considered a model by the Muslim world. Riyadh is still a key ally for the USA, not only for its oil but above all due to the anti-Iranian role it plays in this region, and this is one of the reasons for which, while the world fights for Tibet, for some time now silence has fallen as far as human rights in Saudi Arabia are concerned.
Who would be better for the World?
Barack Obama has a multicultural and international background. His father is Kenyan, he has lived in Indonesia and his family is spread out over three continents, as far as China. On the other hand, former First Lady Hillary Clinton has more experience in foreign policy issues, although only indirectly. The world cannot vote for either of them, but it is closely watching the race between the two Democrat candidates to the White House. And it wants to know who has more chance of resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict? Who would be better at handling the crisis in Iraq and the difficult relations with Iran?
No country for immigrants
In the Democratic Party primaries, immigrants took part en masse, but Walter Veltroni’s party has not even proposed one as a candidate for the forthcoming national elections on 13th April. On the contrary, he has excluded the only outgoing representative, Khaled Fouad Allam, from the list. The centre-right chose Souad Sbai, although she risks not being elected. Italians abroad who are not living in Italy can vote, whilst the children of immigrants, who support the Italian national football team, speak local dialects and have possibly always lived here, cannot vote. Why do Italian politics dismiss immigrants? Because they don't vote? Because politicians think that they make them lose votes?
What is secularism?
The concept of secularism originated in the West, although here it has and has had various meanings. Philosopher Charles Taylor says ‘it consists, among other things, of a move from a society where belief in God is unchallenged to one in which it is understood to be one option among others’. In the Muslim world secularism creates several misunderstandings. And yet when interpreted in a certain sense, it could present itself as ‘the third way’ to the crisis of political societies in the Middle East and in opposition to the secular authoritarianism of the state and the rise of religious fundamentalism within the civil society.
Boycotting Israel? Surely not
Various Communist politicians and Muslim intellectuals have called upon people to boycott the Book Fair in Turin, “guilty” of asking Israel to be its guest of honour. This has sparked off a heated debate in Italy, where the reasons of those against the boycott have come across as much more balanced and sound (one cannot compare the Israeli government with its writers, and the authors invited, such as Oz and Yehoshua, are men of peace and dialogue). Someone however (who really could not wait) has seized the occasion to expose some anti-semitism and "Islamic fascism" in someone who in reality only reacted due to political reasons, such as Tariq Ramadan.
The Oriana Phenomenon, a sociological perspective
One year after her death, an exhibition dedicated to Oriana Fallaci has met with the usual success with audiences in New York, Milan and Rome. And once again it resulted in moved memories expressed by the media (most of all Rizzoli and Mediaset). Two sociologist, one French and the other Italian, once again ask themselves why Italians love Oriana Fallaci and her Lepenist school of thought so much. Are they racists? Her success in Italy and abroad reveals interesting information not only about those who love her last books, but also about our societies. This is the thesis embraced by Giancarlo Bosetti, Reset’s editor in chief, who has written a book about Fallaci, about “orianism” and thinking-in-terms-of-the-enemy.
Saving Pakistan to save Islam
According to the Economist Pakistan is the most dangerous place in the world. And nevertheless, Pakistan boasts a long tradition of democracy. Its people is moderate and against terrorism. Its media are definitely freer than the average Arab country. Benazir Bhutto was the first Muslim woman to become Prime Minister. Its economy is growing by 7% on average per year. Pakistan could be a much more modern and attractive model for Islamic countries than the Saudi Wahhabi one. This is why on the next elections on 18th February, the future not only of Pakistan, but also a large part of the future of Islam is at stake.
Cairo-New York. A dialogue on democracy
What does 'democracy' mean for you? Reset posed the question to two prominent intellectuals – one belonging to the Western tradition and one from the Arabic tradition. The result is the dialogue published below, which takes its starting point from a text written for Resetdoc by Carlo Galli. Andrew Arato, the editor of Constellations and professor of Political Theory at New York's New School, does nothing to mask the limits of current Western liberal democracies, but states that democracy represents “the only response the the profound crisis of the Arab world.” The response of Hassan Hanafi, professor of philosophy at the University of Cairo, is caustic: "Democracy is a means, not an end, and liberal democracy is not the magic key that opens all the secrets of the world."
Islam and the Left. Dialogue or cold war?
What stance should the left adopt with regard to Islam and a multicultural society? Dialogue or cold war? In an article published in the magazine Reset, Nadia Urbinati of Columbia University initiated a long discussion with the Princeton philosopher Michael Walzer, editor of Dissent. Urbinati evoked post-war categories, internal criticism from Eastern dissidents, and the rejection of 'block thinking'. Walzer adopted a more sceptical stance on dialogue, saying that criticism of extremists must come from within their own ranks. It is a crucial issue for today's world, on which the philosopher Charles Taylor has also shared his views.
More yawns than hopes
Even symbols have a certain importance. This is why the Annapolis handshake between Abbas and Olmert can bring hope with the new talks between Israelis and Palestinians. But an agreement is still far away and two very serious conundrums are weighing down on the future of the region. Hamas, locked away in the prison that is Gaza, still does not want to recognize Israel. Meanwhile, Iran feels more and more surrounded, following the Syrian and Saudi participation in the conference. The Annapolis summit, which was lived out with more enthusiasm in Washington than in the Middle East, will be the umpteenth false start, a film which has already been seen? Or, despite the general skepticism, will represent the beginning of a new road to peace?
Kosovo, time to decide
The parliamentary elections on the 17th November saw victory for those in favour of secession from Serbia. It is likely that with effect from the 10th December Kosovo will unilaterally declare its independence. What will the consequences of this decision be for the region? The Kosovars see no other alternative. Serbia considers independence to be inadmissible, and has the support of Russia. The international community is divided. And so is Europe, which urges caution but risks proving itself once again to be impotent in the face of crisis in the Balkans. Yet now more than ever there would seem to be a need for an inequivocal stance.
Embracing the foreign
Fear of the other is engulfing European cities. The xenophobic right of Christoph Blocher wins in Switzerland, trouble is brewing in the suburbs of Amsterdam, and in Italy hatred of Roma and Romanians is spreading. And yet the number of mixed marriages continues to rise in France, in the UK, in Italy and in the US, amongst others, uniting partners of different religion, different colour, different ethnic group and different nationality. They are the sign of a hope, of a society which opens itself up the 'other'. They are couples formed often of people who are prepared to make compromises, and their children are destined to be even more open to the world. Beyond all prejudice.
Burma, what next?
They marched for days, braving the wrath of the regime. The Burmese demonstrators caught the attention of the world with their demands for democracy, freedom and dignity. Their weapons were mobile phones, and their leaders Buddhist monks who have reminded the world how religion can sometimes contain a unique energy. Now, however, those sacrifices and those deaths, demand that the lights do not go out on Burma. More than two months after the start of the protests, what has become of the “saffron revolution”? Much lies in the hands of China and India, the two main allies of the military junta. But the West, too, can still play its part.
Forbidden Mosques
Berlin, London, Cologne, Marseille, and now Bologna and Genoa. All over Europe the building of new Mosques is giving rise to disputes and protests. According to some in Italy there are too many Mosques; according to others there are too few. The media is blowing on the fire, and the fear of differences is mixing with Islamophobic provocations and more rational arguments. How transparent is the running of our Mosques? The left is divided. In Bologna, the mayor Sergio Cofferati says that Mosques guarantee more security than an improvised garage. In the face of protests, however, he is opting for a local referendum. In America, according to the Economist, everything is easier. And in Australia, a deliberative poll has showed that…
A Turkish model for Morocco?
The expected spectacular victory of the Moroccan Islamic Party of Justice and Development did not happen. But in the parliamentary elections of September 7th , the PJD proved itself to be an authoritative and responsible protagonist in a Morocco which is increasingly open and modern, despite the low turnout at the ballot box. Opening up the system to Islamic parties is a decision that cannot now be reversed for a country which wishes to call itself democratic. The people therefore have the freedom to choose, and the Islamic parties in turn are encouraged to open up, to engage in dialogue with secularists, and to come face to face with reality. Just as has happened in Turkey with Tayyip Erdogan's AKP. But can Ankara serve as a model for Rabat? After Turkey, might Morocco also have the right to a claim for EU membership?
The dilemma of the liberal State
In 1976 Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde presented the following dilemma: “The liberal secular state lives on premises that it is not able to guarantee by itself. On one side it can subsist only if the freedom it consents to its citizens is regulated from within, inside the moral substance of individuals and of a homogeneous society. On the other side, it is not able to guarantee these forces of inner regulation by itself without renouncing to its liberalism.” What answers can the liberal state offer to questions of social cohesion and ethical deficit that are affecting secularized democracies? Are we living in a secular or a post-secular society? Reset put these questions to some of the most influential international intellectuals.
Confucius’ democracy
The democratization of China will not necessarily involve the adoption of the Western model. On the contrary, it is by looking within itself, and going back to its Confucian roots, that the Asian giant could slowly open itself up to democracy. So says Daniel A. Bell in his latest book Beyond Liberal Democracy. The traditional values of Asia are founded upon communitarianism, social order, respect for elders and a paternalistic state – but is this definition still valid? As China opens itself up to the values of the West, the West seems to look down with a sense of superiority on Asian values. And yet Benjamin Franklin, almost 300 years ago...
Turkey, why Europe is wrong
The media of the old continent have accentuated the political battle which has recently prevented the Islamic moderate Abdullah Gul from becoming president of the Republic: an event which has reignited the anti-Turkish and anti-Islamic polemic. “There is no risk whatsoever of theocracy”, assures the philosopher Seyla Benhabib, who says to be interested in the experiment of Gul and Erdogan’s party. Turkish politics is already ever more European, and the same laics, as sociologist Nilüfer Göle explains, have knocked down the wall of incomprehension which separated them from the clergymen. So, the only wall left is the one which Europe is putting up. The doors of the EU remain closed.
New media for a New Arab World
Politics may continue to slam the door in their faces and to suppress all dissent, but, to the citizens of the Arab world, the emergence of new media today offers an extraordinary opportunity. Satellite TV, on-line journals, blogs and Youtube are giving a new voice to Arab 'subjects', who escape with increasing frequency the control of regimes. A part of the credit must be attributed to the pan-Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera, which has for years been challenging the 'single thought' of governments, and which is changing the very nature of journalism in the Arab world. The agendas of the media have been shaken, opening up unexpected spaces for all - for Islamic opposition, but also for secularists and reformists.
The New Germans
The Second session of the German Conference on Islam concluded with a controversial balance. No concrete results, but an undoubted symbolic success. It's some time now that Germany has quit considering immigrants as simple Gastarbeiter, guest workers. New Germans of Turkish origins are in the Bundestag or at the top of major political parties, and they often play the main characters in German movies and TV fictional stories. Surely some problems remain if one Turkish-German out of two still searches for his wife abroad, and if every generation is still a first-generation - as the NYT Magazine wrote. But the new course has started and Germany shows to be seriously taking into account the challenge of integration.
Ayaan or Tariq?
Over the past few months a heated debate, spread across the pages of the international press and of the website Signandsight.com, has raised the following question: Should the West support moderate yet controversial Muslims such as Tariq Ramadan, the popular grandson of the founder of the Muslim Brothers, or Islamic dissidents such as Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who for years has spoken out against crimes committed on women in the name of Islam, and who wrote the screenplay of Theo Van Gogh's provocative film Submission? The two intellectuals know and cannot stand each other. And yet today, while the Italian right once again attacks Ramadan, who is still banned from the U.S., the ex-Somalian refugee here defends his right to freedom of speech, even if she claims to be completely opposed to his thinking.
Algeria, les jeux sont faits?
Algeria prepares for the election of the National Popular Assembly, voting coming about a month after the attack - claimed by "Al Qaeda for the Islamic Maghreb" - which killed 33 people in the capital. While intelligence services warn that the likelihood of a new attack is far from remote, political parties are wearily preparing themselves for the elections. Algerians remember those of 1991, won by the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), and for this reason too, no surprises are expected. High levels of abstention are likely, which can be interpreted as a protest against the National Front of Liberation's (FNL) hegemony, and a monopoly that is set to be confirmed in an ever more dull and monotonous democracy.
Mubarak Forever?
On the 26th March, the reform of the Egyptian Constitution was approved by popular referendum, in which only 27% of those eligible voted (5% according to the human rights groups). Socialism is cast to one side, and the regime becomes even more authoritarian: religious parties are banned, judicial supervision of elections is eliminated, and legislation brought in for a state of emergency become permanent. President Mubarak strengthens his rule, and the possibility of the ‘monarchical’ succession to power of his son Gamal looms ever closer. In the meantime, as the American scholar Robert S. Leiken explains in an interview, the international community considers with growing interest the increasing influence of moderates within the Muslim Brotherhood, the only real force of opposition to the regime.
The French Mosaic
France will go to the polls to elect the new President of the Republic, and it will be interesting to see how multicultural France votes. After the autumn of 2005 and the banlieue riots, and following the controversy over the threat of anti-semitism, which way will the country’s major religious communities go? The republican model of integration itself is being called into question, and whilst other European countries look on with increasing interest, there have also been strong criticisms, as was seen in the debate concerning the wearing of the Islamic veil in schools. How will the direction of French foreign policy change? And is it true that France will reject its current pro-Arab orientation should Nicolas Sarkozy and the center-right triumph?
Women, Between Veil and Capitalism
According to the latest UN report on human development, women in Arab countries still have great difficulties in gaining access to education, health, politics, work and rights. Unemployment, Aids and domestic violence are problems which remain unresolved. However, it is not because of Islam that women rights are not respected in the Muslim world, as the American philosopher Martha Nussbaum says to us in an interview. In the Arab-speaking region, businesses led by female entrepreneurs have a larger number of employees, attract more foreign investors and export more than those led by male entrepreneurs. Is it through women that the Arab renaissance will develop?
Iran and the Paths to War
War has not yet been waged, but both Iran and the United States are doing their best not to avoid it. The Iranian leadership continues to pursue its nuclear programme, heedless of UN concerns. The Bush administration partakes in dangerous "provocations" (Gary Sick) on Iraqi soil, and does not exclude military intervention. Between the two lies Europe. The paths to war are infinite and implicate the role of Western intellectuals, who unwittingly risk strenghtening the current regime at a time when President Ahmadinejad is at ist lowest point and there are rumours of divisions amongst Tehran's top ranks.
The Armenian Issue
Dispersed throughout the world, they have a history that stretches over millenniums. Today there are just over 10 million Armenians, but the early twentieth century genocide of which they were the victims has barely been acknowledged. It is a controversial question which continues to be as relevant as ever: the French National Assembly has passed a law punishing denial of the Armenian genocide; the Taviani brothers have dedicated a film to the massacre, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival; the Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was killed in Istanbul because of his origins; and the U.S. Congress is divided over the official recognition of the genocide. But who are the Armenians? And how ‘Armenian’ do the members of this diaspora feel?
Democracy and Religion
They don’t seem to always exist in perfect harmony. Yet, in the current post-secular society, religion and democracy can’t make it without each other. That applies to the Western world, where more faiths live together in the same territory and where we face a religious revival (even though religion, to be true, never disappeared). But it is also valid for Muslim societies, where Islam needs to bring modernity, autonomous reason and science to account. Between a democracy subjugated by the ideology of secularization and one dominated by faith, is there possibly a third way?
Somalia: the Law of the Jungle
After sixteen years of chaos, in 2004 the main politicians and warlords finally signed a deal for a new government. Last summer, though, an Islamist movement (UIC) gained control of much of the south, including the capital Mogadishu, and imposed Sharia Law. With the backing of Ethiopia and the U.S., by the end of 2006 forces loyal to the government had defeated the Islamists. Can this be classified as a clash of civilization or just geopolitical conflict? The role of U.S. and of the Arab countries in a war in which prevailed only one rule: the law of the jungle.
Al Jazeera meets the World
During the Iraqi war some named it “Jihad TV” or “Terrorist News Network”. Now the Qatar-based satellite network, the first attempt at a pan-Arab Arabic channel, launches its English version, Al Jazeera International. It demonstrates that the Arab world is not closed in upon itself and knows how to produce communications for the global market. Can TV help East and West to understand each other better?
A Foot in Two Camps
According to French Sinologist François Jullien, China has a foot in two camps: a traditional one, and a western one. How do these two cultures coexist? Confucius fights against Individualism, but the battle is bloody and the outcome is in doubt. China’s influence meanwhile spreads in the world, from Venezuela to Sudan. But what is its relation to Islam? What about the old Huntington prophecy, of an emerging “Sino-Islamic connection”?
Words of Dialogue
The experience of dialogue begins with the clarification of terms. That’s why ResetDoc is creating an “Intercultural Lexicon” - a place where the most contested issues of intercultural significance can be explored by analyzing the key words we hear in today’s philosophical and cultural debates. Because words count and can become dangerous weapons, Reset Doc’s Lexicon is a way for us to start understanding each other.
Who is afraid of a Shia Revival?
During the Lebanese war, some Sunni governments criticized Hezbollah’s actions. They probably fear that the emergence of the so-called “Shia Crescent”, from Damascus to Tehran, from Beirut to Baghdad, will change the balance of power in the Muslim world. Will the phenomenon spread to other countries? Why is such an old sectarian division still dividing Islam? Iran funds and waits, and is always more powerful.
From Beirut to Haifa. Living together after the war
Multicultural cities, have always represented an experiment of coexistence between different cultures and faiths. After being violently hit during the last war, does the capital of Lebanon and the biggest city of Northern Israel still represent examples of factual dialogue?
Learning from Cairo
The West and the East do not understand each other. But amidst mutual incomprehension, terrorism and clash of civilizations, we still have a soft but effective arm: dialogue. Should religion be a part of it? What’s happening in Egypt, where our association held its first international conference.