At EUMEF's 16th Summer School, young scholars and renowned experts developed proposals for the transformation process
From August 27 to September 7, 2012, the summer school discussed the opportunities and problems that evolved from the transformation processes in Tunisia and Egypt. The removal of their autocrats represented a turning point for both countries. After relatively free elections, the stakeholders are confronted with an immense task: political power is being redistributed and constitutional conventions are at work. Economic growth is necessary to overcome social imbalances.
Transformation Instead of Adaptation
The region is divided by traditional boundaries, such as the schism between Sunnis and Shiites, but also by new ones, as growing nationalisms oppose each other. Rifts run right through the center of Egyptian and Tunisian societies. First class citizens stand removed from those deemed second rate. This is the biggest danger for democracy, warned Tariq Ramadan. “Real democracy lives from a feeling of belonging. The formality of a valid passport is not enough.”
Since the events of 2011, the region has undoubtedly been in a process of democratization. Democracy also functions in the Middle East, as Ramadan emphasized. To appreciate this, however, one must be willing to change perspectives. “The Western model of democracy cannot be the benchmark, adaptation cannot be the goal.”
After taking over political responsibility, many Muslims have become democrats automatically. In contrast to common assumptions, Islam and democracy are not mutually exclusive, argued Ramadan. Moreover, religion plays a role in every society. “Just like Christian democrats, there are Muslim democrats.” Democracy is based on universal principles, but there are differing regional variations.
Civil Society as Source for Modernization
“A fundamental incitement for political change in the Middle East is civil society,” highlighted Mustafa Kamal Al-Sayyid in a separate summer school event. For civil and nongovernmental organizations, the revolutions meant liberation, although, like in Egypt, a civil society had already developed in earlier years. But the removal of restrictions and the relative weakness of the transitional governments created vital freedoms for nongovernmental forces.
Al-Sayyid outlined the array of questions that have arisen after the shift of governmental power: What legal status will NGOs obtain in the new pluralistic system? What will their participation in political processes look like? How will they be funded? Additionally, newly arising governmental restrictions and religious intolerance are already jeopardizing the achievements of 2011.
As a result of the post-revolutionary elections, Egypt is now ruled by the Muslim Brotherhood political party. This organization, which is rich in tradition, deeply rooted in the society, and was originally founded as a charity organization, is now suddenly active in governmental roles.
The distribution of political power distribution along the Nile makes clear the dilemma of the Arab spring. As Al-Sayyid argued: “It was triggered by new and progressive forces but it was won by existing and established social movements.” The ruling Muslim brothers now have their own agenda and will try to restrict the scope of actors and organizations whose goals they do not share. Foreign NGOs or the “National Women’s Council” are already experiencing this, as they must fear for their financial resources.
EU-Middle East Forum
The EUMEF is a network for young academics and professionals from the Middle East and Europe. It is a platform for intercultural dialogue and collective learning. 30 highly qualified young scholars from the Middle East and Europe attend the summer school in Berlin. The aspiring academics, politicians, and journalists meet internationally renowned experts and work on solutions for the security-related and developmental challenges of the Middle East. The program’s partners are the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa e.V.), as well as the German Foreign Office.
