Are Arabs Capable of Democracy?

The Arab Spring and Political Change

Jan Kuhlmann  

© Qantara.de - 9/2/2012

The Arab states currently undergoing democratic change will most certainly encounter setbacks. Democracy is not something that can be practiced beforehand, such as under the protective care of a monarchy. Jan Kuhlmann argues why we should give the people in the Arab world the benefit of the doubt

The question came unexpectedly. No one had posed anything similar up to that point. During a recent public discussion with journalists and experts in Berlin on the situation in Egypt after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, a member of the audience came forward. The Egyptians lack any experience in democracy, he said. Wouldn't it therefore be better, he proposed, to reinstate the monarchy that had been swept away in 1952 by a military putsch?
The question reflected serious concerns about what will follow after the mass protests in the Arab world. Above all, many fear that Islamists in countries such as Egypt and Tunisia will pursue the model of Iran or Saudi Arabia and establish strict religious rule. There is now even talk of an "Islamic Spring" in the Arab world.
The election results in Egypt confirm the views of many sceptics that the triumphal march of religion has now begun. The Muslim Brotherhood amassed almost 50 percent of the vote, while the ultra-conservative Salafists garnered 25 percent. One might suppose that the country is firmly in the grip of sinister, bearded religious fanatics.

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