A Palestinian film director says ‘there is no turning back’ on the revolutions towards democracy in the Arab world. Dr Imad Karam, the co-director of FLTfilms, gave his insights into the uprisings in the Arab World, when he addressed a Greencoat Forum in the London IofC centre on 15 March, 2011. The forum followed his recent journeys to Egypt and Sudan. FLTfilms is the production company of Initiatives of Change, and Karam’s PhD research had been on the impact of the media on the identity of Arab youth.
Karam emphasized that youth were the engine of the social revolution. ‘They mobilized for change to establish a political space for genuine freedoms and social justice,’ he said. The under 40s form more than 65 per cent of Arab populations. For decades they have suffered lack of participation and under-representation in public life and have the highest rate of unemployment in the developing world. They are also often seen as alienated by western culture or vulnerable to religious extremism. Now they have shown there is a third option, Karam said. ‘The people used to accuse the West of supporting the dictators and their governments; now it’s the governments accusing the youth of being sponsored by the West.’
The Internet and satellite television – offering continuous coverage – had made it possible for them to facilitate their actions. He had experienced this in Egypt, where he was in the early days of the uprisings, and described the media headquarters set up by his friends in their flat near Tahrir Square in Cairo.
He witnessed and felt the fear at the beginning but saw it fade away as people started to speak out against the regime. He was struck by the organizational skills of the youth: relaying information, arranging medication for the wounded, organizing neighborhood safety at night when the police gave up, facilitating traffic, distributing water, cleaning the roads, and putting pavements back into place.
Common elements to each of the Arab revolutions included the unpredictable speed with which the protests spread over the region; the absence of leadership as no political party, religious or military group could claim they were behind the protests; and they were started by local people and not brought in by foreigners.
The consequences included a renewed sense of identity and pride, restored hope and dignity and, for the first time, a feeling among the people that they own their own country. Anyone in the region could feel it, which was what lead the revolutionary spirit to spread so fast. ‘Now, the political opposition is trying to catch up with the masses after spending years trying to stir them to get things moving.’
Looking ahead, Dr Karam said that while there were common factors, each Arab country had its distinctions. While Egypt followed the Tunisian model, Libya did not and it remains to be seen what happens in Yemen and Bahrain. Some countries will see their president deposed, as in Egypt and Tunisia; others may end up changing their institutions and introducing a new political culture while keeping the head of the country. Everywhere there is a need to create a new political culture, Karam said. Young people couldn’t just take charge of their countries, he continued. Older people with experience and wisdom were needed, put in place by the youth who know what they want.
He hoped the revolutions would allow the opposite of the brain drain: Arab youth living in Europe will now be interested in returning to their country of origin. Children of Arab heritage ‘can now be brought up proud of where they come from,’ he said.
But he also expressed concern about racism towards black Africans, and other feelings deep down that are not being dealt with in the process. His visit to Sudan had been an eye opener about the pain his ancestors had caused to black Africa, he said.
‘No Arab country will escape genuine change, genuine freedom’
Asked about Israel, Karam said that unless Israel changes its policies it will be the biggest loser in the region because Palestinians have already started revolting against their own leaders. The status quo will be hard to maintain and he feared military interventions.
About Libya, Karam said that it looked, for both side, like either death or victory. Colonel Gaddafi had been smart because he made sure there was no real army in Libya. In Egypt and Tunisia, the army protected the people and had assured transition. No such thing was possible in Libya.
About Bahrain, Karam said the religious element between Shiite and Sunni was high-jacking the question of freedom. Preserving the purity of the revolution was possible only if you kept it about genuine human rights.
A forum participant also asked about Syria, having worked there. Karam said: ‘Eyes are on Syria. In my judgment the regime there is repressive, so the question of freedom, of political opposition, makes me feel that its time will come.’ Things would start locally with people asking for basic rights and gradually they ask for the fall of the regime.
He was convinced these revolutions would not reproduce repressive regimes because now the people know they are stronger than any regime.
Asked about mistrust and fear between western countries and the Muslim world, Karam pointed out that Arabs don’t want any form of intervention from western countries in their revolutions, other than through the UN. This was why they brought the matter of Libya to the UN which represents the wider world and also has the ability to intervene through its specialized agencies. He also emphasized that ‘The Arab will no longer accept anything less than equal partnership with the West.’
Asked what Europeans could do to support the Arab youth, Karam answered t hat messages of support from counterparts in the rest of the world are welcome. Mistrust was toward governments, not the people, and this could be changed from the grassroots, through people talking to their local politicians.
Addressing the controversial question, ‘Do Islam and democracy go together?’ Karam gave the examples of Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia and India with its 100 million Muslims. It was a question of mindset and culture ‘And these can change,’ he said.
‘There is no turning back,’ he concluded. ‘There is one way and it is forward.’
The forum was chaired and facilitated by Don de Silva, a former UN official who has experience in the Arab region on environment and development issues. He currently works with IofC UK as head of programmes.
FLTfilms’ latest production is ‘An African Answer’ depicting post-conflict mediation in Kenya. www.fltfilms.org.uk
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