Tunisia: A Catalyst and a Model
By Nadir Khan, PhD
Alta Loma, CA
It all started in tiny little Tunisia , tucked between Algeria and Libya on the northern tip of Africa. Westerners, very fond of labeling everything ,called it the Arab Spring. May be it is true good things come in small packages.
An unemployed college graduate was trying to eke out a living by selling a few goods. A policeperson did not like that and a confrontation followed , resulting in the death of the student vendor. This little spark ignited a fire which is still burning. For the moment it is stalled in Egypt and Syria. Dictators have never been good students of history. They do not realize the simple fact that they are on the wrong side of history. The outcome may be delayed and postponed but it cannot be avoided. It is inevitable. The march of history may be slow but it is inevitable. Ultimately people and their will always prevail.
Tunisia was a French protectorate till 1956. Habib Bouraqiba was the leader of the freedom movement. A diehard Francophile, he did not want people to fast during the holy month of Ramadan and had some other strange ideas. His rule lasted for a long time and finally he was ousted in an army takeover in the typical fashion common in Muslim lands. Zine al Abidine Ben Ali was ruling the country at the time of the student’s death.
There was always an Islamic movement, Ennahda in Tunisia. It was led by a very dynamic and progressive intellectual Rascheed Ghanuchi who spent almost 25 years in self-imposed exile after the military coup. His writings are very enlightening and inspiring and worth reading.
The dictator left the country for safe haven for dictators in Saudi Arabia. Elections were held and Ennahda won a decisive victory. But the secularists were not happy about the outcome. There was high unemployment, riots, terrorist attacks and political assassinations At the same time dialogues were going on and farsighted leaders were ready for compromises in the larger national interests. Prime ministers resigned and finally after two years of hard work a draft constitution was approved the other day. It is one of the most progressive constitutions in the Arab world, safeguarding democratic principles and particularly women’s rights.
The situation in Tunisia has turned out to be much better than in Libya, Egypt, and Syria. The brutality and mayhem in the latter three countries is disheartening . Syria, particularly has become a nightmare. More than 130,000 have been killed and more than 2 million have been displaced. One wonders how these killers sleep in the night with that kind of moral burden on their conscience. But then we forget that people like these do not have a conscience.
Tiny Tunisia was the catalyst in starting a chain reaction which has not yet reached its final destination."The first sign of awakening is the realization that one is sleeping,” so goes an old adage. This is finally becoming true about the Umma. Above and below the surface there are signs of awakening. Some get up late in the morning and some waste most of their days sleeping. But the sun is piercing through dark clouds There are some encouraging and exciting silver linings.
Two critical issues still haunt this awakening: the impatience and lack of political maturity and the resistance of the ruling elites and the armed forces. People want overnight changes which are not going to happen despite the good intentions of the new leaders. Patience is a prerequisite for the cultivation, blossoming and flourishing of democracy.
The resistance is going to be severe and punishing. As we have seen in Libya, Egypt and Syria. Libya still remains unsettled. Egyptian democracy got hijacked by Mubarak’s cronies .If it was not so serious it would be laughable. Army officers who illegally toppled the first democratically elected government in Egyptian history, killing more than 1100 people, are trying the ousted president for inciting riots.
Syria has become a human tragedy of unimaginable proportions. It is the most ghastly example of an avoidable human suffering. These armed forces which do not hesitate to kill unarmed civilians have never been able to protect their country against foreign invasions. Between Iran and Saudi Arabia, it has taken a sectarian overtone. The guardians of our holy places and the followers of “Islamic” republic are trampling the fundamental principle of our faith. It is no more enough to be a Muslim.
Time is on our side. Yesterday, Saudi Arabia came out with some of the most draconian laws for national security. These are nothing but jitters of a failing system. Dictators, emirs and kings are having sleepless nights. On a recent trip to Jordan, we found out that the king does not sleep in the same bed every night. What a pity and what a shame!
Tiny Tunisia has been a catalyst in starting this awakening and it has also become a model for working together for the common and greater good.
One wonders whether there are advantages in being small and not being very important on world stage. VIVA TUNISIA!!!
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