Address by Saad Eddin Ibrahim
Egyptian Democracy Activist
Founder of the Ibn Khaldun Center, Egypt
Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy, Fourth Annual Conference
Washington, DC
CSID President Radwan Masmoudi, with National Endowment for
Democracy President Carl Gershman, presenting Saad Eddin
Ibrahim the 2003 “Muslim Democrat of the Year” award.
May 16, 2003
Thank you very much. Thank you, Carl, for these very warm words. Thank you
all for this warm reception. Thank you, CSID, for inviting me to address
this very distinguished gathering.
Standing here in the United States again, I’m overwhelmed… [Pauses as
voice chokes up.] During those dark days there were times I sometimes
thought I’d never see freedom again. But they were very short moments. I
never really lost hope.
I heard about this organization, the Center for the Study of Islam and
Democracy, in prison for the first time. My wife Barbara, who is the real
heroine of this saga, brought me CSID newsletter [Muslim Democrat] one day.
I didn’t know the organization or the articles’ authors, but it gave me
comfort to know that others were working for the cause, that there would be
others to hand the torch for democracy in the Arab world, in the Middle
East, and the Muslim world. And I’m so glad now to be here and see CSID in
the flesh.
This is a different world from that of June 30, 2000, when I was arrested at
gunpoint by a swarm of burly security agents. Just one of these tall men
would have been enough to arrest me, yet at least 30 of them stormed the
house in the middle of the night. When they brought me out of my house, I
was surprised to see a small army outside-over 200 armed soldiers, some in
armored vehicles, had surrounded my house in Cairo. It was enough to
conquer a small town.
All this to arrest an unarmed sixty year-old intellectual. The “crime” was
to merely advocate what you are all here to support, democracy.
After a few moments of confusion and despair at this sudden invasion, I
regained my confidence and strength and, at the sight of all the troops that
had been sent to apprehend me, I felt, ironically enough, stronger than my
oppressors. That feeling of strength is hard to explain. When the state
mobilizes that many troops and weaponry to arrest one unarmed intellectual,
it is the state that appears vulnerable, not the lone individual.
There were many painful lessons during my captivity. Some involved the
unreliability of intelligentsia — sometimes people I considered friends — who
smeared myself and my colleagues at the Ibn Khaldun Center with baseless
lies in order to curry favor with the government. Others involved dealing
with fear for the future, for yourself and your loved ones. These are the
lessons any freedom fighter in the Third World must be prepared to endure if
s/he is to prevail.
Another great source of support and hope was Nelson Mandela. During my days
of solitary confinement, I was overjoyed to receive a package from Mandela,
who had obviously heard about my predicament. It was the first copy of the
Arabic translation of his book, The Long Walk to Freedom. I eagerly read
the book and was inspired and fortified by it. One of its greatest
strengths is that it talks about his feelings, his weaknesses, his fears.
I learned that we should not be ashamed of our fears. We should only be
shamed by the failure to confront those fears. That’s what he did. He was
an inspiration. I wish all political prisoners could read Nelson Mandela’s
book.
My wife Barbara and our many friends would often send me books about prison
experiences of other freedom fighters around the world and I was struck by
how, in almost every book the story was essentially the same. Regardless of
nationality, culture or religion of the person involved, the process, the
struggles and human experiences are the same.
This is when I realized then that the cause would succeed. I had no idea
then of the many events that were to come that put democracy at the top of the
agenda of the world, the United States, and Egypt. I had no idea what would
happen, but I had a feeling deep in my heart that the cause would prevail.
I still believe this. In fact, I think it is prevailing today.
I ‘m lucky to meet once again my good friend, Dr. Ali Mazrui [CSID Chair],
our guru of the Sixties and Seventies. I’m glad to see him in good health
and in the same spirit as when I first met him 25 years ago, when I heard
him pound the table for justice. He didn’t pound the table this time,
[laughter] but I’m relieved to see that he is still fighting for the cause.
It has also been a pleasure to see Lorne Craner [Assistant Secretary of
State for Democracy, Human Rights, & Labor, U.S. State Department] again.
When I had the honor of making his acquaintance 2 weeks ago, Lorne assured
me that this time the United States was truly serious about its commitment
to democracy in the Middle East. Over the years we have heard so much about
“failed states”– many of which are, sadly, located in our region –but I am
relieved to see that there is an increasing awareness there have also been
failed policies. They seem to be moving in the right direction and I hope
that the United States will have the strength and consistency to see it
through, and in collaboration with indigenous forces for reform committed to
building a democratic culture in their societies.
Which brings me to some remarks I’d like to make about the theme of this
conference, Islam and Democracy.
The Islamic state began in Madinah after the flight of the Muslims from
Mecca [in 622 CE]. One of the very earliest acts of this state was the
signing of what the historians call Saheefat al-Madinah, the Charter of
Madinah. That Charter appeared some 500-600 years before the Magna Carta.
If you read it carefully –and urge you all to do so — you will find all the
elements of pluralism, which is the prerequisite of democracy.
Democracy is not the practice of people who think the same. It is a system
of governance that regulates relations between those who are
different, not those who are similar. This fact must always be born in mind
when discussing democracy, and this is what the Charter of Medina is all
about.
The Charter was a pact signed by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him,
and the main non-Muslim tribes residing in Madinah at the time. It was,
thus, a compact between the Muslims and 14 tribes of people who chose not to
convert to Islam –some pagans and Christians, but mostly Jews –and was binding on all inhabitants of Medina for a long time.
The Charter emphasized two key points: First, in matters of the soul, each
person had his own religion and would be held accountable by God, not the
State. Second, in worldly matters, all citizens of Medina were equal,
regardless of their religious affiliation. The first point established
religious freedom. With the second point, the principle of equal
responsibility and enfranchisement of all citizens of the same polity, was
laid down in the Charter.
I think the Charter answers in the affirmative many questions about whether
Islam is compatible with democracy, and the ultimate authority in Islam, the
Holy Quran, answers even more of these questions. Without getting bogged
down in details –besides, I’m sure that many of the papers being present at
this excellent conference will illustrate this point better than I could
here –I will note that the Quran repeatedly emphasizes the importance of
shura (consultation), the value of diversity, and the need for peaceful
coexistence between different religious traditions. The Quran clearly
supports democracy in one form or another.
Another point I want to make is that the Charter illustrates that the ethos
of the golden age of the Prophet Muhammad and his Four Caliphs was
remarkably sympathetic to democracy, even if the word did not yet exist in
their vocabulary (or that of the West, for that matter). This exciting
political experiment did not last, sadly; the fifth Caliph Muawiyyah
eventually reestablished despotism by unilaterally appointing his son as his
successor, in the process defying historical precedent and cultural norms of
the time. The philosophical seeds were planted, however, even if sometimes
in distorted form.
So there is much to be learned from this glorious past. The question for
historians is, when did the decay and corruption set in? The question for
activists and people of conscience interested in reform is, how do you stop
that decay? This is a challenge for all of us, and especially for Muslim
living in America.
Democracy is the answer. Not because democracy is perfect. It is precisely
because it is imperfect. We are not looking for another utopia; we are
looking for an optimal solution based on the systems available to us.
By that standard, there is no contest. Democracy defeated fascism,
communism, and many other ideologies and survived.
But democracy must be grounded in our values. It must not ignore the
cultures and values of the societies in which it is implanted. Otherwise,
it will never take root or be embraced by the masses.
And there is no justification for further delay. For decades after
independence, many of our populist regimes told us that democracy had to be
suspended until “national liberation”; until Palestine had been liberated;
until we have economic development; until we have true social justice, and
so on. As it turns out now, after fifty years of depriving ourselves of
democracy, we find ourselves with none of these things! And we’re no closer
to democracy.
We must not continue to allow ourselves to be manipulated by these false
messiahs–these masih dajjal–who use empty promises to keep democracy on
hold and deny the people justice and accountable governments. Now we know
better than to fall for the despots’ delaying tactics.
There is no better group to lead this effort than Muslim Americans. The
responsibility of American Muslims is not only to serve as a bridge between
cultures, but to get involved on both sides. It is your right and duty as
citizens of a democratic society to participate fully in the political
process and make your voice heard. You can do this, because you are part of
the system. It’s your right as a voter and taxpayer.
You cannot do this in much of the Muslim world. Trying to do so can reduce
one’s freedom dramatically, to a dark, cramped prison cell. That’s why
we’re all here today.
You must remember this lesson. You must use your good fortune, as citizens
of America, to help your brothers and sisters overseas, to bring democracy
to a world that is dying for democracy. I think you can do it. With the
help of God, you will.
