The fall of dictatorships does not guarantee the
creation of free societies. There is often a period in which we witness the
legacy of tyranny. The Arab uprisings have overthrown tyrants in Egypt and
Libya, but the populations and lawmakers have yet to grasp that democracy is
not only about free elections but creating free societies.
When sexual harassment of women increases on the
streets of Egypt, when centuries-old shrines of Muslim saints are
destroyed with explosives in Libya, when screenings of films such as
"Persepolis" trigger riots in Tunisia and Christian minorities
across the Middle East feel under siege, then we must stop pretending that all
is well with the Arab Spring. But all is not lost either.
Arab societies are on a journey. They can easily take
the wrong turn. The attacks on the American embassies in Libya, Egypt and
Yemen are examples of the ongoing presence of intolerant, tyrannical actors in
Arab societies.
These are people who were born and raised in
dictatorships. They are accustomed to thinking that a government controls its
citizens -- that a film or documentary cannot be produced without government
approval. For decades, this has been the reality of their lives, and they
strongly believe that the Western world and its citizens have a similarly
controlling relationship between individuals and government.
In light of this assumption, they hold the U.S.
government responsible for the tacky and distasteful film. The Egyptian
President Mohamed Morsy has called for the prosecution by the U.S government of
the filmmakers, and Egypt's top cleric, Mufti Ali Goma, has called on the
United Nations to forbid denigration of faiths. Morsy studied in the United
States and Ali Goma regularly visits the West on the interfaith circuit, yet
both men don't yet grasp that religious freedom and the freedom of expression
are inextricably linked in America.
It is hard for younger Arabs not born into freedom to
understand how individual liberty works in real life.
The freedom to proselytize also guarantees the right
to apostatize. Heresy and blasphemy are essential parts of free and democratic
societies. Arab activists cannot seek to emulate the West's political and
social achievements by looking at the United States and Europe today, but must
observe and learn from the religious battles of 17th-century Europe, the
smashing of the tyranny of the Roman Catholic Church, the ending of burning
witches and the forbidding of hanging heretics.
The Arab uprisings are not over yet. They are still
unfolding and shaping the future. This culture of shouting and killing those
with whom Muslims disagree must end. When the Prophet Mohammed's companions
shouted "Allahu Akbar," (meaning "God is Greatest," a
popular slogan for those yelling outside embassies today) the prophet
reprimanded them saying "Our Lord is not deaf."
Ed Husein
