The Arab Spring will take a while to reach completion

 The Progressive Media Project

We need to be patient with the uprisings in the Arab world.

The dramatic spread of the revolts and the ease of ousting Tunisian strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak have raised unrealistic expectations about the speed of political and social change in the Middle East.

Let's remember that after the American Revolution, it took almost a century and a Civil War for the country to acknowledge that slavery is evil. It took an additional 100 years to issue historic civil rights legislation.

The great news is that the process of change in the Arab world has irretrievably taken off. The marathon race for freedom started last December, and the contestants are running at different speeds.

Some Arab uprisings have already achieved the first level of liberation: political reform or regime change. Constitutional reform - the second stage of the struggle - has proven to be tough. And the third level - liberty in the practice of religion - has yet to start.

A few societies are in the front in this race. Tunisia and Egypt and have already accomplished the first stage of liberation. Other societies are struggling hard to complete the first phase: Revolts confront obstinate and insecure regimes in Libya, Bahrain, Yemen and Syria. And some rulers consider their systems relatively shock resistant: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Jordan.

In stage two - the struggle for constitutional reform - the participation of women and other civic groups is particularly important.

Tunisia is well into the second stage, but Egypt is faltering. The shaky progress in Egyptian constitutional change is a result of marginalization of secular parties and the prohibitive interference of the military.

The stage three of change - the struggle for religious liberty - is still dormant in the region.

Women have a strong stake in religious freedom. Would the empowerment of women indirectly lead to spiritual liberty? To bring this about, women and youth movements should form a strong alliance in every Arab society.

At present, such reform is blocked. It is hard to advocate for secularism, for the right to interpret faith, to change affiliation, to marry "outsiders" and to have civil marriage.

This resistance is reinforced by several factors. Family law is under the administration of religious authority. Secularism is confused with atheism or Westernization. Religious education is dull and literal. Science education is shallow.

And international factors bolster religious triumphalism. American religious fundamentalism reinforces homegrown Arab fanatic movements. Not unrelated is the Arab-Israeli conflict, which perpetuates religious tension throughout the region. Peace between Israel and the Palestinians would facilitate interreligious harmony.

There are reasons for optimism, though.

We have already witnessed the miraculous speed of social transformation in an age of digital communication. The closer interdependence of nations in our time ought to accelerate genuine external support for the Arab Spring. The slow, but certain, withdrawal of American forces from the region will favorably impact social change. Mounting pressure for respect of universal human rights will have an effect on the Arab conscience. Another sign of hope is in the Arab youth: They are no longer ready to accept political lies.

There is still a long road ahead in the Middle East, even if a lot has been achieved so far.

·         Ghassan Michel Rubeiz is a former secretary of the Middle East for the Geneva-based World Council of Churches. His email address is:

Ghassan Michel Rubeiz grubeiz@comcast.net

Source:
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/07/15/117680/the-arab-spring-will-take-a-while.html?story_link=email_msg