Excellent article!

Weekly Blitz replies:

Dear Ms Madeline:

Thank you for your well informed comment.

1) Reinterpretation of Islamic scriptures, if allowed in Muslim countries, would certainly help the process of democratization. Reinterpretation is key to progress on the national and the individual levels. To be effective, reinterpretation needs to be supplemented by scientific examination of the historicity of the Quran and the Hadith. However, such developments require tolerance, freedom of expression, and respect to views different from what the ulama teach. Such developments cannot evolve under the intimidation of blasphemy laws or fear of cross-border Islamists' violence.

2) Islam needs a combination of a Martin Luther and a Kemal Ataturk. The Arab world will not produce either. The Arab ulama and peoples generally consider themselves the defenders and protectors of an Arabic religion from modern "contamination".

Non-Arabs might produce such a reformer. Already, Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, countries accounting for more than 50% of Muslims, enjoy parliamentary democracy with women presidents and prime ministers. These are important steps forward, upon which further progress can be built. Arab societies, by comparison, are still tribal. The Arab ulama will act to discredit and destroy any serious future reformer in the Arab world or abroad.

3) When one sees a benevolent dictator, one would recognize him (her). Benevolent dictatorship delivers participatory governance and integrity in government. A benevolent dictator promotes a culture of meritocracy, transparency and accountability, enforces the rule of law, ensures the independence and integrity of the judiciary, fights corruption, prevents nepotism, and stops sectarianism and tribalism. A benevolent dictator reforms the educational system, modernizes Shari'a law, puts an end to discrimination against women, encourages fundamental religious reform, and separates religion from the state.

Whether a particular dictatorship is benevolent or not depends on the character of the dictator. A charismatic dictator with high moral principles and a towering commanding personality leads the ruling group by example into good governance. Such a leader removes the glue of corruption that typically keeps dictatorial regimes together.

4) There is no easy and quick fix here. The West, especially the US should encourage scholars, Muslim scholars in particular, to examine the historicity of the Quran and the Sunna scientifically and to reinterpret the Islamic scriptures in light of modern realities without fear of persecution or prosecution. Washington should pressure those Muslim rulers whose survival depends on its protection, especially Arab kings and presidents, to sponsor and support scholarly research in sensitive religious areas, considered thus far as untouchable, and to promote the discussion of such issues freely in schools, mosques, and mass media. The target here is to evolve a culture of individual philosophical reasoning to replace the culture of religious demagoguery, belief in predestination, evil eye, angels, and djinn.

Elie