Project for Philosophical Evaluations of the Economy |
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How liberal are Tunisia’s Islamists?
Dialog with the Alter Ego about the future of democracy in Tunisia, drafted and published on Jan. 25, 2011
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Question by Alter Ego of Noah denkt™ (AE): Have you read Jean Mari Colombani’s very lucid comment about the
popular revolution in Tunisia? (see: “¿Qué sera de la revolucion?” in EL País, Jan. 24, 2011, page 9)
Answer by Noah denkt™ (Nd): Yes, we have.
AE: And do you agree with him when he points out that it is in deed an open question whether a liberal democracy
in Tunisia is sustainable, or whether it is not more likely that said revolution will eventually evolve into a moderate
Islamic republic which, while respecting certain democratic rights, will ultimately curtail some liberties (especially
gender-related ones) that a true democracy should naturally provide ****?
Nd: Yes, this is in deed the gravest concern that we have with respect to the situation in Tunisia. After all, it is only
logical to presume that, given the up an down of party politics, a sequence of free elections in Tunisia will one day
produce a majority vote in favor of the Islamist movement in that country. And so the prospect of an Islamic
republic doesn’t seem to be as far-fetched as it may appear right now.
AE: That doesn’t mean though that you would, by now, want to retract from your earlier support for the popular
uprising in Tunisia?
Nd: By no means. Instead we would argue that one simply has to hope for the best as far as the freedom
aspirations of the people Tunisia are concerned. After all, there is no other country in the Arab world which would
be better suited to westernize Islamic traditions than Tunisia. And so, it‘s really worth the while to give freedom a
chance in that country.
AE: Why do you believe that the educated middle class in Tunisia will be sufficiently resilient to resist traditional
patriarchal tendencies that are certainly dormant in that culture?
Nd: Well, our biggest hope in this respect rests with the women of Tunisia. It seems to us, as if their state of
emancipation is sufficiently advanced in order to be able to defend their hard earned liberties from anyone that
wants to curtail them.
AE: What have the Tunisian women done to merit so much hope from your part?
Nd: Don’t forget that they were in the forefront of the protesters against Ben Ali. So they really seem to have a
stake in this revolution. And what’s more, they also have the miserable examples of Al-Qaeda, Afghanistan and
Iran to draw from when it comes to defining their position vis-à-vis Islamic fundamentalism. We, therefore, hope
that they won’t give up their support of Western democracy even if it should turn out that this democracy cannot
fulfill all the promises that they hold from it.
AE: In any case, it isn’t easy to stay enthusiastic about freedom once you have been subjected to the chaos and
the challenges that such freedom entails!
Nd: No, it’s certainly easier to fall for the slimy charm of a benevolent dictator whether he may wear a turban or
not.
AE: But you still confide in the staying power of civil rights protesters who, for the time being, don’t even know how
psychologically challenging it is to live with the distortions that freedom creates?
Nd: Well, we keep hanging in there, don’t we? So why shouldn&
Dialog with the Alter Ego about the future of democracy in Tunisia, drafted and published on Jan. 25, 2011
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question by Alter Ego of Noah denkt™ (AE): Have you read Jean Mari Colombani’s very lucid comment about the
popular revolution in Tunisia? (see: “¿Qué sera de la revolucion?” in EL País, Jan. 24, 2011, page 9)
Answer by Noah denkt™ (Nd): Yes, we have.
AE: And do you agree with him when he points out that it is in deed an open question whether a liberal democracy
in Tunisia is sustainable, or whether it is not more likely that said revolution will eventually evolve into a moderate
Islamic republic which, while respecting certain democratic rights, will ultimately curtail some liberties (especially
gender-related ones) that a true democracy should naturally provide ****?
Nd: Yes, this is in deed the gravest concern that we have with respect to the situation in Tunisia. After all, it is only
logical to presume that, given the up an down of party politics, a sequence of free elections in Tunisia will one day
produce a majority vote in favor of the Islamist movement in that country. And so the prospect of an Islamic
republic doesn’t seem to be as far-fetched as it may appear right now.
AE: That doesn’t mean though that you would, by now, want to retract from your earlier support for the popular
uprising in Tunisia?
Nd: By no means. Instead we would argue that one simply has to hope for the best as far as the freedom
aspirations of the people Tunisia are concerned. After all, there is no other country in the Arab world which would
be better suited to westernize Islamic traditions than Tunisia. And so, it‘s really worth the while to give freedom a
chance in that country.
AE: Why do you believe that the educated middle class in Tunisia will be sufficiently resilient to resist traditional
patriarchal tendencies that are certainly dormant in that culture?
Nd: Well, our biggest hope in this respect rests with the women of Tunisia. It seems to us, as if their state of
emancipation is sufficiently advanced in order to be able to defend their hard earned liberties from anyone that
wants to curtail them.
AE: What have the Tunisian women done to merit so much hope from your part?
Nd: Don’t forget that they were in the forefront of the protesters against Ben Ali. So they really seem to have a
stake in this revolution. And what’s more, they also have the miserable examples of Al-Qaeda, Afghanistan and
Iran to draw from when it comes to defining their position vis-à-vis Islamic fundamentalism. We, therefore, hope
that they won’t give up their support of Western democracy even if it should turn out that this democracy cannot
fulfill all the promises that they hold from it.
AE: In any case, it isn’t easy to stay enthusiastic about freedom once you have been subjected to the chaos and
the challenges that such freedom entails!
Nd: No, it’s certainly easier to fall for the slimy charm of a benevolent dictator whether he may wear a turban or
not.
AE: But you still confide in the staying power of civil rights protesters who, for the time being, don’t even know how
psychologically challenging it is to live with the distortions that freedom creates?
Nd: Well, we keep hanging in there, don’t we? So why shouldn&