Activist Professor brings peace talks to Midd

Author: Aylie Baker

"Activists by definition have to be optimistic," explained Saad Eddin Ibrahim in a lecture on Thursday, April 20 at the Robert A. Jones '59 House (RAJ). However, Ibrahim's talk , part of the Charles P. Scott Symposium, "Religion, Nation, and State," also conveyed a marked sense of realism. While many lectures that come to the RAJ are tailored to specific, highly topical discussions, the scope of Thursday's lecture was far more encompassing. Speaking as both an activist and a professor, Ibrahim fused his wide breadth of experience in human rights and his academic expertise to bear upon a subject that today is more pertinent than ever - the prospect of democracy in the Arab world. A testament to his activism, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, a professor of Political Sociology at the American University of Cairo, arrived in Middlebury via Israel and Palestine. In addition to being touted as the Arab world's leading sociologist, Professor Ibrahim is also highly regarded as a tireless activist for democratization and human rights.

As music from the Earth Day barbeque outside mixed with the hum of assembling students, Ibrahim began his discussion by drawing a comparison between the buoyant atmosphere of the College's campus and the seemingly "dim and dark reality" of the Middle Eastern world. He set a grim context: though the Middle East comprises only seven percent of the global population, remarked Ibrahim, it has been responsible for roughly "thirty five percent of the world's violence since the end of World War II." Even today, amidst the wave of democratization, developing democracies face many internal challenges. They continue to be undermined by a subtle undercurrent of dissonance derived from lingering vestiges of theocratic and autocratic sentiments.

In light of these rather disparaging statistics, Ibrahim stressed the importance of thinking "beyond himself," and the need to search for the "hopeful signs." His unwavering optimism stems in part from his own experiences as a political prisoner in Egypt. Arrested by Egyptian authorities in 2000, his incarceration was met with wide global criticism which resulted in his eventual release in 2003. Since then, he has resumed his activism with renewed fervor. Speaking metaphorically, he went on to discuss the "candles," or the signs of hope which he sees in the dark, foreboding sky of the Middle East: youth, disintegration of the "fear barrier," newspapers and the empowerment of women.

Take the year 2005, for example: that year, explained Ibrahim, marked the most annual elections (12) that the Middle East has seen in several decades. Refuting notions that religion and democracy are incompatible in the Arab world, Ibrahim also cited that of the 1.3 billion Muslims in the world today, "two thirds of that number are living under democratically-elected governments." In Morocco and Palestine, traditionally religious parties are beginning to reorient themselves with platforms that promote democracy. "Democracy and Islam," said Ibrahim, are becoming "synonymous for participatory politics."

It was the question-and-answer period following his lecture in which Ibrahim's optimism figured most prominently. Barraged by a string of questions on topics ranging from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to democracy in Egypt, Ibrahim responded confidently, impressing many in the crowd with this dedication to human rights and democratization in the Arab world. "His ideas transcended his language," said Rob King '09. "The talk was not a show of professorial articulation, but rather a demonstration of the power of an individual to spur immense and moving change in an entire culture." In an almost portentous comment, Ibrahim eluded to the "backstage popular diplomacy at work" in the Middle East today, in particular the American government's propensity to cloak its narrow economic interests beneath the pretense of spreading democracy. Since 1944, he explained, there have been 10 cases of U.S. intervention in the Arab world. "The government has opted to support democracies which are pro-U.S, but has opposed them when they refuse to toe the American line," reflected International Studies major Zeeshan Hyder '07.

"I trust people in the West," insisted Ibrahim. "But I do not trust the government in the U.S." Such crass U.S. interests are likely to have ramifications reverberating beyond the Arab world, he said. What of the future of relations with China, and what of the Kyoto Protocol? Said Ibrahim in closing, "You must use your freedom and liberty to keep your politicians consistent when dealing with the Middle East and other parts of the world."

Thus, it would seem that while Ibrahim optimistically asserts that the prospect of democracy in the Middle East is a bright one, he cautions against future missteps in U.S. diplomacy.The symposium at which Ibrahim spoke was co-sponsored by the Charles P. Scott Fund, the Department of Religion, Atwater Commons, and the Rohatyn Center for International Affairs. The last lecture will be held on Tuesday, May 2, at 12:15 in the RAJ, when Associate Professor of Sociology David Stoll will speak on "The Moral Economy of Religious Change in Latin America."