DATE=4/1/97
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-36089
TITLE=ISLAM IN AFRICA - PART -V
BYLINE=HILLETEWORK MATHIAS
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
UN-VOICED:
INTRO: THE IMPACT OF WHAT IS CALLED ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM IN
AFRICA OR ELSEWHERE ON THE WEST HAS PROVOKED INTENSE DISCUSSIONS
AMONG POLITICAL OBSERVERS. WHILE SOME REGARD IT AS A GROWING
THREAT TO THE WEST IN THE POST-COLD-WAR ERA, OTHERS DISAGREE. IN
THE LAST OF A FIVE-PART SERIES ON ISLAM IN AFRICA, V-O-A'S
HILLETEWORK MATHIAS REPORTS ON THE DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW ON
THIS ISSUE.
TEXT: THE DEBATE ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE MOVEMENT IS A THREAT
TO THE WEST HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE THE FORMATION OF AN ISLAMIC
REPUBLIC IN IRAN IN 1979. SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENTS, SUCH AS A
VICTORY BY AN ISLAMIC GROUP IN ALGERIA'S FIRST FREE ELECTIONS IN
1991 AND THE COMING OF THE FIRST ISLAMIC-LED MILITARY GOVERNMENT
IN SUDAN, HAVE FURTHER INTENSIFIED THE DEBATE.
THOSE ANALYSTS WHO REGARD SO-CALLED ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM AS AN
ENEMY OF THE WEST BASE THEIR ARGUMENT ON THE IDEA IT IS A
MOVEMENT STRONGLY REJECTING WESTERN VALUES. THEY SAY AS
FUNDAMENTALISM SPREADS IN NORTH AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST, THE
WEST WILL CONFRONT A PRINCIPAL ENEMY SIMILAR TO THAT OF COMMUNISM
DURING THE COLD WAR. THE ANALYSTS ARGUE THIS WILL UNDERMINE
STABILITY IN PRO-WESTERN COUNTRIES SUCH AS EGYPT AND MOROCCO, AND
THREATEN WESTERN INTERESTS IN THE REGION.
PROFESSOR OF AFRICAN HISTORY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA, MOHAMMED EL-KHAWAS, SAYS RECENT INCIDENTS IN THE UNITED
STATES AND NORTH AFRICA SHOW MUSLIM FUNDAMENTALISM POSES A DANGER
TO THE WEST.
// EL-KHAWAS //
THE INCIDENCE OF USING EXPLOSIVES IN FRANCE, THE KILLING
OF FOREIGNERS IN ALGERIA, ALSO THE INCIDENT THAT TOOK
PLACE IN THE UNITED STATES WITH REGARD TO THE WORLD
TRADE CENTER WILL ALL GIVE ME AN INDICATION THAT
FUNDAMENTALISM WILL BE A THREAT TO THE WEST. THE COMING
OF FUNDAMENTALISTS TO POWER IN ANY OF THE COUNTRIES IN
AFRICA WOULD MEAN THEY WILL BREAK AWAY FROM THE WESTERN
ORBIT AND THAT MIGHT UNDERMINE WESTERN INTERESTS,
ESPECIALLY ECONOMIC AND STRATEGIC INTERESTS IN SOME OF
THE COUNTRIES IN THE REGION.
// END OF ACT //
OTHER ANALYSTS SAY AMERICAN POLITICIANS MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO
THE ANTI-WESTERN CAMPAIGN BY SOME MUSLIMS. THEY SAY EFFORTS BY
SOME U-S POLICY MAKERS TO PORTRAY ALL MUSLIMS AS THE ENEMIES OF
THE WEST IS BOUND TO SERVE THE INTERESTS OF THE FUNDAMENTALISTS.
A PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AT CALIFORNIA STATE COLLEGE AT
STANISLAUS, ASAD ABUKALIL, SAYS POLITICIANS SHOULD MAKE A CLEAR
DISTINCTION BETWEEN ISLAM AND ISLAMIC MILITANTS.
// ABUKALIL //
THE UNITED STATES DOES NOT NEED TO MAKE ALL MUSLIMS OF
AFRICA ITS ENEMY. ALTHOUGH MANY STATEMENTS ARE COMING
OUT OF OFFICIALS OF THE U-S GOVERNMENT, MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS ARE QUITE TRADITIONAL AGAINST ISLAM. EVERY
INDIVIDUAL ACT OF VIOLENCE BY ONE MUSLIM BECOMES THE
RESPONSIBILITY OF NOT ONLY ISLAM, BUT EVERY INDIVIDUAL
MUSLIM. YET WHENEVER INDIVIDUAL ACTS OF VIOLENCE BY
CHRISTIANS OR JEWS ARE PERPETRATED, THERE IS ALWAYS THE
TENDENCY TO DIVIDE, TO SEPARATE BETWEEN THOSE ACTS AND
ALL THE OTHERS JEWS, ALL THE OTHER CHRISTIANS. THIS
IDEOLOGY AGAINST ISLAM IS FURTHERING THE CAUSE OF
MILITANT FUNDAMENTALISTS IN AFRICA WHO WISH TO WIDEN THE
GAP BETWEEN WEST AND ISLAM IN AFRICA.
// END ACT //
SOME OBSERVERS CAUTION AGAINST A GROSS GENERALIZATION OF AN
ISLAMIC THREAT TO THE WEST. THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE "CENTER
OF MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN UNDERSTANDING" AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY IN
WASHINGTON D-C, PROFESSOR JOHN VOLL, SAYS WESTERN WRITERS HAVE
FAILED TO UNDERSTAND THE IMMENSE DIVERSITY WITHIN THE ISLAMIC
WORLD.
// VOLL ACT //
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WHAT WE NEED TO ASK IN ALMOST EVERY
CASE IS NOT THE GRAND QUESTION BUT THE MOST SPECIFIC
QUESTION. IF AMERICA HAS A PARTICULAR INTEREST IN
CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN SOUTH AFRICA AS IT DID WHEN THE
APARTHEID REGIME WAS THERE, THEN THE RISE OF ISLAMIC
ACTIVIST GROUPS ASSOCIATED WITH THE AFRICAN NATIONAL
CONGRESS IN SOUTH AFRICA WORKED IN FAVOR OF U-S
INTERESTS RATHER THAN COUNTER TO THEM. AT THE OPPOSITE
END OF THE EXTREME, YOU HAVE MOVEMENTS LIKE ISLAMIC
JIHAD IN EGYPT WHICH ARE THREATS NOT ONLY TO THE WEST
BUT TO THE MORE REASONABLE AND MODERATE SO-CALLED
FUNDAMENTALIST GROUP LIKE THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD.
// END OPT //
OBSERVERS TEND TO DIVIDE ALONG FAMILIAR LIBERAL AND CONSERVATIVE
LINES WHEN ASKED HOW THE WEST SHOULD RESPOND TO WHAT IS KNOWN AS
ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM. WHILE LIBERALS CALL FOR A DIALOGUE,
CONSERVATIVES ADVOCATE A CONFRONTATIONAL APPROACH. DANIEL PIPES
IS THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL "MIDDLE EAST QUARTERLY" AND AUTHOR
OF A BOOK "IN THE PATH OF GOD: ISLAM AND POLITICAL POWER." HE
SAYS THE WEST SHOULD GET TOUGH WITH THOSE HE DESCRIBED AS MUSLIM
FUNDAMENTALISTS.
// PIPES ACT //
MY VIEW IS THAT WE SHOULD HAVE A CLEAR AND CONSISTENT
POLICY THAT THIS AN IDEOLOGY THAT IS HARMFUL TO ITS OWN
PEOPLE AND HARMFUL TO OUR INTEREST. THE SUCCESS OF
FUNDAMENTALISM IN NORTH AFRICA, IN ALGERIA, MIGHT ALSO
LEAD TO FURTHER SUCCESSES IN OTHER MUSLIM COUNTRIES. WE
WILL DO OUR BEST TO MAKE SURE MOVEMENTS ADVOCATING THIS
IDEOLOGY DO NOT REACH POWER. AND ONCE THEY DO REACH
POWER, WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO ENCOURAGE CHANGES WITHIN
THESE GOVERNMENTS. IF THEY ENGAGE IN VIOLENCE, IN
TERRORISM, WE WILL MAKE IT CLEAR THERE IS A PRICE
ASSOCIATED WITH SUCH ACTIVITIES.
// END ACT //
BUT PROFESSOR EL-KHAWAS FAVORS A PEACEFUL APPROACH.
// EL-KHAWAS ACT //
THE SITUATION IN AFRICA WITH FUNDAMENTALISM SHOULD BE
RESOLVED BY NON-VIOLENT MEANS. IT IS A NO-WIN
SITUATION, ESPECIALLY WHERE AN ARMED STRUGGLE HAS
ALREADY TAKEN PLACE LIKE IN ALGERIA. THE ONLY WAY TO
SOLVE THIS PROBLEM IS NOT BY GIVING MORE MILITARY
ASSISTANCE TO ONE SIDE AND DENYING IT TO THE OTHER, BUT
TO TRY TO INTERVENE BY ACTING AS A BROKER OR AS A
MEDIATOR TO BRING ALL THESE GROUPS TO A CONFERENCE TABLE
WHERE THEY CAN GET TOGETHER AND WORK OUT A COMPROMISE
THAT CAN BE ACCEPTABLE TO EVERY ONE IN ORDER TO END THE
BLOODSHED. NOW, THIS IS REALLY TRUE IF WESTERN
GOVERNMENTS ARE INTERESTED IN UPHOLDING DEMOCRACY.
// END ACT //
MOST SCHOLARS SAY THE GREAT MAJORITY OF MUSLIMS DISAGREE WITH THE
PREMISES OF MUSLIM FUNDAMENTALISM. THEY SAY BY TRYING TO INSTILL
THEIR ORTHODOXY AMID DIVERSITY, THE FUNDAMENTALISTS HAVE
ALIENATED THEMSELVES FROM MANY OF THEIR PEOPLE, NEIGHBORS, AND
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. THE SCHOLARS SAY THIS ISOLATION HAS
PUT THE FUNDAMENTALISTS LONG-TERM SURVIVAL IN DOUBT. (SIGNED)
NEB/HM/RAE
01-Apr-97 2:57 PM EST (1957 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
