ISTANBUL
- A global Congress of democrats from the Islamic World
is calling for "regular multi-party elections" in Muslim
countries, declaring that Islam and democracy are
compatible and can reinforce one another.
The
declaration Wednesday followed a three-day meeting in
Istanbul of "political practitioners" from mostly Muslim
countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
Delegates included present and former heads of state and
government, cabinet ministers, members of parliament and
political party leaders.
In a go at
authoritarian regimes, the declaration demanded "free,
fair and regular multiparty elections that enable a
peaceful transfer of power". It called also for freedom
of expression, media pluralism, equal rights, the rule
of law, abolition of torture, reduction of poverty and
"specific advantages" in favor of women and youth.
The declaration noted that Islamic societies
need to apply rather than flout Islamic principles of
tolerance, justice and participation. "If parts of the
Islamic world are not democratic, it cannot be
attributed to Islam," Yemen's human rights minister Amat
al-Aleem Alsoswa told IPS.
Democracy in the
Islamic world is a "historic necessity", she said. "If
people want democracy, they can have it. It depends on
their willingness to fight for it and the willingness of
the political elite for change. Democracy is the proper
medicine for relieving the ills of governance and
development."
The young are becoming more active
in pressing for democratic reforms, she said. Economic
well-being would also play a role in bringing political
change. Fundamentalism is "a topic of much concern" but
not confined to one religion or culture, al-Aleem said.
Some delegates said Islam should not be judged
by the developments and violence in the Middle East or
the Arab world. "We are Muslims and European and see no
problem between the two," said former prime minister of
Bosnia-Herzegovina Zlatko Lagumdzija.
The
congress produced a declaration but stopped short of a
plan of action, Lagumdzija said, because each Islamic
country needs to determine its own course in
democratization.
Host Turkey presented itself as
an example of a predominantly Muslim but also a secular
republic, but made no push to be emulated.
Delegates said they would follow up the congress
with networking among "democrats from the Islamic
World". President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal issued a
statement to say that he would organize a
Christian-Islamic dialogue next year.
Turkish
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, whose Islamic-rooted
party has been in power for 15 months said "a Muslim
society could transform and improve itself while
protecting its own values and identity". There are
embryonic actions in the Islamic world already that may
be called experiments in democracy, Gul said. But the
general picture, he acknowledged, is one of gloom.
Leaders in most parts of the Islamic world are
not accountable to anyone, he said, adding that Islamic
countries should introduce good governance, transparency
and accountability, fundamental rights and freedoms, and
uphold gender equality.
Following two years of
preparation and held with the sponsorship of the United
Nations Development Program, the first congress
specifically of "Muslim democrats" also took a swipe at
United States President George W Bush's ideas on the
application of universal democratic values in the Middle
East. The congress rejected outside interference.
Nurcin Yildiz, analyst of Islamic societies,
told the meeting that "the fear of many Muslims is that
the notion of democracy and human rights, in the name of
universal values could be a pretext for America to
impose its values onto the Islamic and Third worlds".
Ahmet Akyurek, president of the non-governmental
organization Anatolian Development Foundation, said that
with the fall of communism, the Christian Western world
had lost its biggest enemy.
"Since then they are
insistently trying to create a new enemy in order not to
break their unity," he says. "This enemy is obviously
Islam. Anything bad that happens is automatically
related to Muslims. Even though country leaders in their
official speeches state that this has nothing to do with
Islam, yet they pinpoint by all means the Muslim
religion."
As concerns intensify over a
perceived "clash of civilizations", the Istanbul
gathering was not the first to promote better
understanding of Islam and reform within Islamic
societies. Turkey had hosted a pow-wow earlier between
the European Union and the Organization of the Islamic
Conference. Other forums too have considered
democratization in the world of Islam.
"There
are problems facing Islam," King Abdullah of Jordan said
during his recent trip to Turkey. "The silent majority
should stand up and make its voice heard. We, as
moderate Muslims, should stand up against the extremists
and say 'this is not what Koran says, this is not how
Islam is'. We should say 'enough' and explain to the
world that these people do not represent our beliefs."
Abdullah called for better education and for
tackling the root causes of terrorism and radicalism,
such as poverty.
