Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, April 2000, pages 54-55

Southern California Chronicle

Eric Rouleau Discusses Political Islamic Movements At UCLA Conference on “Fundamentalism”

By Pat and Samir Twair

One of the first things Prof. Afaf Marsot accomplished after her appointment as associate director of UCLA’s Center for Near Eastern Studies was to schedule an international symposium, entitled “Whither Islamic Fundamentalism?”

The Feb. 10 conference dealt with fundamentalist movements of the past, the present and their effects on women.

Journalist Eric Rouleau, who served as France’s ambassador to Turkey and Tunisia, addressed the topic of “Political Realities of Fundamentalism.”

Prefacing his remarks with the precept that all Muslims see themselves as fundamentalists, Rouleau said he preferred to use the phrase “political Islamists.” And, he stressed, these movements reflect social forces within their countries.

“The Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt today has changed tremendously from the Ikhwan of the 1940s and ’50s,” he said. “Likewise, the people who brought about the Iranian revolution are not the same individuals you meet there today.”

Political Islamist movements tend to be generated by a national crisis, Rouleau asserted. Drawing upon examples, he said that in Egypt after the 1967 war, people turned to the mosque because they were told the Jews were victorious because they stuck to their religion. In Iran, as the masses rejected the shah, the political vacuum that existed because political parties had not been allowed made it easy for the Ayatollah Khomeini to emerge as a leader. In Algeria, the people could not stand up to the corrupt FLN regime and turned to Islamic leaders who decried FLN policies.

“Islamic parties can be conservative or progressive, but they must appeal to society,” he continued. “This can be done by defending social justice, by demanding that the economically excluded will participate in government.”

These groups tend to call for a Western model of democracy, but they don’t use that term and instead talk about human rights and Islamic identity, he explained. Often they attempt to integrate Islamic ethics into their programs while more conservative groups may include the role of women into their agendas.

The most notable change in recent years, Rouleau opined, is that outlawed movements are ready for democracy.

“Violence led them nowhere, it didn’t enable them to take over the government. In Algeria and Egypt, the people were repulsed by violence.”

Rouleau said he has met with leaders of Egypt’s al-Wasat (The Center), a group of 35 to 45 professionals formerly with the Ikhwan. “They profess that ‘lslam is not a collection of dogma but of values,’ they call for pluralism, free elections that would include Copts and women, but the Egyptian government will not deal with them,” he said.

As for Tunisia, he averred the Islamist opposition seeks legal status and that it is dedicated not to commit violence, which would destroy the nation’s tourist industry. The leading banned opposition bloc in Morocco, he said, is Al-Adl Wal Ihsane (Justice and Charity).

In Iran, he said, two completely different Islamic movements—the conservatives and reformists—are vying for power in Iranian elections.

Rouleau recently met with Islamic philosopher Abdul Karim Souroush in Tehran to learn more about the reformist credo. Souroush maintained that “Islam should adapt to our needs because, in God’s view, human need is most important. Sovereignty is the people’s sovereignty and should have precedence over the clergy and government.”

These modernists quote the Ayatollah Khomeini, who said the interest of the people is above the interest of Islam, Rouleau concluded, and they want to radically change the system in Iran.

Discussant Dr. Joseph Kechichian commented that fundamentalism works because it is rooted in tradition. A phenomenon occurring today is that more Muslims are being educated than ever before and while the state could rule without accountability in the past, it must now link the welfare of society with its own rule.

“Fundamentalist Movements in the Past” were explored by Prof. Khaled Abou El Fadl, the Omar and Azmarelda Alfi distinguished fellow in Islamic legal studies, UCLA Law School. The discussant was Prof. Michael Cooperson of UCLA’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures.

“The Effect of Fundamentalism on Women” was the topic of Prof. Nancy Gallagher of UC Santa Babara. The discussant was Prof. Sondra Hale of UCLA’s Anthropology Department and Women’s Studies.

Robin Wright Discusses Iran

Los Angeles Times correspondent Robin Wright discussed “Turmoil and Transformation in Iran” at a Feb. 15 program of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.

The award-winning journalist also signed copies of her latest book, The Last Great Revolution, in which she asserts that Iranian revolution, the last uprising of the 20th century, is as significant as the French and Russian revolutions.

Addressing an audience that included both non-Iranians and Iranians, Wright urged her listeners to take a more objective view toward Iran and become aware of the trends toward moderation and growing empowerment of women since the death of the Ayatollah Khomeini.

A woman holds the office of vice president and there are more women in the Iranian parliament than in the American Senate, she commented.

The Iranian revolution has introduced indigenous democratic reforms to the Islamic world, she noted. While authoritarian governments prevail in the Middle East, the Iranians have ushered in a flawed but nevertheless democratic-style government.

Wright, who has traveled to Iran nearly every year since 1973, commented that in the early years of the revolution, the mullahs urged the people to have large families. The population has doubled in the last two decades and the government is now actively advocating that families limit their growth to only two children.

She also cited the thriving cultural life of Iran, ranging from its filmmakers who constantly win international awards to its writers and painters.

Community Protests Bombing of Lebanon

It was a rainy, blustery day Feb. 13, but that didn’t prevent more than 350 Arab Americans from gathering in front of the Israeli Consulate to protest the latest Israeli bombardment of Lebanese civilian infrastructure.

“What Do We Want?” the protesters chanted. “Israel Out!”

Marchers brandished posters reading “Israel is the Bully of the Middle East,” “Where’s the U.N. Now?,” and “Stop Killing the Children.”

Visibly upset by the latest attack on Lebanese power plants, UC Riverside Prof. Bajis Dodin commented: “Israel is always complaining that it is the victim of terrorism, but it kills Arab civilians with impunity. Hezbollah attacked Israeli soldiers occupying Lebanon and Israel retaliates by striking the entire country of Lebanon.

“This is going to boomerang on Israel. Now all of Lebanon will be Hezbollah.”

What struck these columnists was the number of toddlers whom parents had bundled up and brought to the demonstration. Also proving their determination to register their protest were two disabled pre-teens who carried Lebanese and American flags as friends pushed their wheelchairs.

Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Southern California Council on American-Islamic Relations, stated: “If it weren’t for the blind eyes of the Clinton administration, which is understood by Israel as a green light, [Israeli Prime Minister Ehud] Barak wouldn’t have opted for state terrorism against Lebanese civilians.

“And if it weren’t for the U.S. veto in the United Nations Security Council, Israel would be subject to investigations for crimes against humanity just as Serbia is.”

The event was called by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

MPAC Gets New Home

It took 10 years, but thanks to a donation from Azmeralda Alfi, the Muslim Public Affairs Council and The Minaret magazine now have a suite of offices in a high-rise on Wilshire Boulevard. During a Feb. 10 open house, friends of both organizations who visited the new offices included Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and Bob Blumenfield from Rep. Howard Berman’s office.

In addressing well-wishers, MPAC executive director Salam al-Marayati commented: “This marks a new chapter of MPAC and The Minaret. These new offices will be one of the access points between the public and our group, which represents the voice of mainstream American Muslims.”

A case in point was that after the ceremonies, several leaders of Los Angeles liberal Jewish groups met with their Muslim counterparts for a dialogue in the new offices.

Special tribute was paid to Mrs. Alfi, who said she was carrying out her duty as a Muslim to provide a good atmosphere for MPAC and The Minaret.

Nobel Laureate Launches Egyptian Project

At a dinner in Pasadena honoring Caltech’s latest Nobel laureate, Ahmed H. Zewail, the prize-winning chemist discussed his recent visit with Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak.

After a presentation of Egypt’s highest honor, the Grand Collar of the Nile, Dr. Zewail proposed to Mubarak that Egypt open a university for science and technology modeled after the California Institute of Technology. Mubarak approved of the idea and ground-breaking has already taken place for the institute, which will serve students from throughout the Middle East.

Pat and Samir Twair are free-lance writers based in Los Angeles.

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