Special Dispatch - Iraq/Reform Project
December 1, 2004
No. 821
Arab Columnists: Arab Countries are Hypocritical on Iraq
Several Arab columnists have recently published articles in the Arab press
refuting the argument that the Iraqi government is illegitimate, in response
to an argument voiced by representatives of several Arab countries at the
November 2004 Sharm Al-Sheikh summit. The following are excerpts from three
of these pieces:
Free Elections in the Arab World Occur Only in Occupied Iraq and Palestine
In an article titled 'Democratic Occupation?' columnist Salama Ni'mat, the
Washington, D.C. bureau chief for the London Arabic-language daily Al-Hayat,
wrote:
"The Arab concern for ... the legitimacy of Iraq's upcoming elections, and
for the representation of [Iraq's] entire political, ethnic, and religious
spectrum is outrageous. Anyone who watches what is going on could, if he did
not know the truth, almost believe that the Arab countries - which
throughout their history have never known what elections are - have become
the [countries] most keen that Iraq's upcoming elections will reflect the
will of the Iraqi people, with all its elements - and will particularly
[reflect the will of] the Sunni minority that in Saddam Hussein's day was,
for well-known reasons no one even questioned, [considered] a 'majority.'
"It is outrageous, and amazing, that the first free and general elections in
the history of the Arab nation are to take place in January: in Iraq, under
the auspices of American occupation, and in Palestine, under the auspices of
the Israeli occupation.
"[It is just as] outrageous that the Arab League, which represents the will
of the regimes of 20 [Arab] countries from the Atlantic to the Persian Gulf,
wanted the Iraqi opposition to be invited to the Sharm Al-Sheikh conference,
so as to ensure that all Iraq, with its entire political spectrum, would be
in attendance to represent the Iraqi people. It matters not at all that
other Arab oppositions have not been invited to any Arab League meeting or
to its many summit conferences, throughout the history of the Arab peoples."
'What Prevents Arab Regimes from Holding Free Elections is Fear of the Will
of the Peoples'
"It is well and good for the Arabs to demand the right of political
representation for the Sunni Arabs out of concern for them in the face of
the tyranny of the other Iraqi groups and out of concern for national unity
and the ideal relative representation. But we do not understand why this
concern does not apply to the many Arab countries that do not permit their
minorities to announce their existence, let alone their right to [political]
representation.
"Have the ministers of the countries that participated in the Sharm
Al-Sheikh [conference] noticed that some of the participating countries are
still controlled by minorities that do not permit the majority to express
its opinion? Why haven't we heard of any Arab concern like that for the
Sunni Arabs in Iraq? Were other Arab oppositions invited to the conference,
such that the Arab League could insist on the Iraqi opposition's presence?
"It is sad and pathetic that the eyes of the entire world are upon the
Palestinian and Iraqi elections that will be held under the lances of
foreign occupation, while the peoples of the 'independent, free, and
sovereign' Arab countries have no way of expressing their will. It is sad
and pathetic that certain countries today are treating the Iraqis with the
cheapest kind of political hypocrisy, even though no one heard any
particular Arab protest during the time of the regime of the mass graves
[i.e. during Saddam's rule].
"What prevents some of the Arab regimes from holding free and genuine
elections is their fear of the results, and nothing more - that is, their
fear of the will of their peoples."
'Ask the Arab League Why the Media in Occupied Iraq and Palestine Enjoy Free
dom Under the Occupation, While the Media in the Other Arab Countries Do
Not'
"Although the Taliban's regime of darkness has become history, and Saddam
Hussein sits in his cell awaiting trial on charges of war crimes and crimes
against humanity, the Arab regimes still act as if nothing has happened.
Further, [they act] as if history is not happening as long as they do not
acknowledge its existence and do not announce it in the papers and on the
television channels, [all of] which they control. Can anybody ask the Arab
League why the media in occupied Iraq and Palestine enjoy freedom under the
occupation, while the media in the other Arab countries do not?
"No one expects an occupation to respond to the will of the people suffering
beneath its yoke. But nothing is more repugnant than a national regime that
is worse than occupation.
"The remaining challenge is this: Can independent and sovereign Arab
countries give their peoples something better than what the occupation is
giving today to Iraq and Palestine?"(1)
The Iraqi Regime Is More Legitimate than Most Arab Regimes
In a similar vein, Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rashed, former editor of the London
Arabic-language daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat and now director-general of
Al-Arabiyya TV, wrote in Al-Sharq Al-Awsat:
"Some of the members sitting at the conference table [at Sharm Al-Sheikh,
and some] of the commentators and conferees in the halls maintain that the
Baghdad government is not legitimate. Why? They argue that it is not elected
and was appointed by the American occupation.
"This widespread view has some basis... However, the talk of the
illegitimacy of the [Iraqi] government ... allows us to raise questions
regarding [the legitimacy] of most of the regimes in the region.
"The current regime in Baghdad was given legitimacy by a unanimous vote of
the members of the U.N. Security Council, and became legal according to
international law. On the regional level, the legitimacy of the new Iraqi
regime was emanated from a unanimous Arab League vote. Locally, this regime
made huge strides when it established the National Council - a parliament
that represents all the different populations in Iraq, including the
opposition - and the [regime] will reach its goal when it holds the upcoming
elections.
"If we view these three levels [i.e. the U.N. Security Council, the Arab
League, and the Iraqi National Council] as a criterion, the Iraqi regime is
more legitimate than most [regimes] in the countries of the region - some of
which emerged as a result of coups or internal conspiracies, when no one
asked the people what it thought.
"If the doubt regarding the Iraqi regime stems from its ties with
Washington - do you know of any [Arab] government that does not have any
special ties with Washington or other [Western] countries? If the
justification for the doubt in the Iraqi regime is the presence of American
forces [in Iraq], we must remember that Iraq is not the only country hosting
American forces. Moreover, most of the voices criticizing the [present]
regime in Iraq come from countries with even more American forces on their
land..."(2)
'This Country Will be a Platform for Liberties in the Whole Region'
Egyptian journalist Nabil Sharaf Al-Din also spoke on Al-Jazeera TV about
the future of Iraq. The following are excerpts from the program:
Nabil Sharaf Al-Din: "We are not being fair to the current Iraqi government.
Not me, nor you, nor the other guest on this program, not even the viewers,
but history will do justice to them. These people are establishing the first
democracy in the Middle East. This country will be a platform for liberties
in the whole region. In Iraq, the days of a leader who remains on his throne
until he dies are gone. This is over. For the first time the Iraqi leader
will be elected by Iraqi ballots."
Interviewer: "We've heard that [head of the Sunni Clerics Council in Iraq]
Sheik Al-Dhari says the purpose of [Sharm Al-Sheikh] summit aims to assist
the occupation..."
Nabil Sharaf Al-Din: "This Al-Dhari is a mufti of terrorism and slaughter.
This Al-Dhari is the military branch of the murderers, the military branch
of terrorism and televised slaughtering This Al-Dhari ... and his group...
Sir, please...
"First and foremost, the claim that this summit was meant to save America...
When have the Arabs succeeded in resolving their own crises and
conflicts?"(3)
Endnotes:
(1) Al-Hayat (London), November 25, 2004.
(2) Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), November 24, 2004.
(3) Al-Jazeera TV (Qatar), November 23, 2004, MEMRI TV Clip No. 386
"Egyptian Journalist Nabil Sharaf Al-Din: Iraqi Sunni Leader, Sheik
Al-Dhari, 'Mufti of Terrorism and Televised Slaughter'"
http://www.memritv.org/Search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=386 .
*********************
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent,
non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle
East. Copies of articles
and documents cited, as well as background information, are available on
request.
MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with
proper attribution.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
E-Mail: memri@memri.org
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