Newsgroup: it.arti.cinema
Titolo: [OT] Islam e democrazia

Today's News Quiz
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
NEW DELHI -- So, class, time for a news quiz: Name the second-largest
Muslim community in the world. Iran? Wrong. Pakistan? Wrong. Saudi Arabia?
Wrong. Time's up ? you lose.
Answer: India. That's right: India, with nearly 150 million Muslims, is
believed to have more Muslim citizens than Pakistan or Bangladesh, and is
second only to Indonesia. Which brings up another question that I've been
asking here in New Delhi: Why is it you don't hear about Indian Muslims ?
who are a minority in this vast Hindu-dominated land ? blaming America for
all their problems or wanting to fly suicide planes into the Indian
Parliament?
Answer: Multi-ethnic, pluralistic, free-market democracy. To be sure,
Indian Muslims have their frustrations, and have squared off over the
years in violent clashes with Hindus, as has every other minority in
India. But they live in a noisy, messy democracy, where opportunities and
a political voice are open to them, and that makes a huge difference.
"I'll give you a quiz question: Which is the only large Muslim community
to enjoy sustained democracy for the last 50 years? The Muslims of India,"
remarked M. J. Akbar, the Muslim editor of Asian Age, a national Indian
English-language daily funded by non-Muslim Indians. "I am not going to
exaggerate Muslim good fortune in India. There are tensions, economic
discrimination and provocations, like the destruction of the mosque at
Ayodhya. But the fact is, the Indian Constitution is secular and provides
a real opportunity for the economic advancement of any community that can
offer talent. That's why a growing Muslim middle class here is moving up
and, generally, doesn't manifest the strands of deep anger you find in
many non-democratic Muslim states."
In other words, for all the talk about Islam and Islamic rage, the real
issue is: Islam in what context? Where Islam is imbedded in authoritarian
societies it tends to become the vehicle of angry protest, because
religion and the mosque are the only places people can organize against
autocratic leaders. And when those leaders are seen as being propped up by
America, America also becomes the target of Muslim rage.
But where Islam is imbedded in a pluralistic, democratic society, it
thrives like any other religion. Two of India's presidents have been
Muslims; a Muslim woman sits on India's supreme court. The architect of
India's missile program, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, is a Muslim. Indian
Muslims, including women, have been governors of many Indian states, and
the wealthiest man in India, the info-tech whiz Azim Premji, is a Muslim.
The other day the Indian Muslim film star and parliamentarian Shabana Azmi
lashed out at the imam of New Delhi's biggest mosque. She criticized him
for putting Islam in a bad light and suggested he go join the Taliban in
Kandahar. In a democracy, liberal Muslims, particularly women, are not
afraid to take on rigid mullahs.
Followed Bangladesh lately? It has almost as many Muslims as Pakistan.
Over the last 10 years, though, without the world noticing, Bangladesh has
had three democratic transfers of power, in two of which ? are you ready?
? Muslim women were elected prime ministers. Result: All the economic and
social indicators in Bangladesh have been pointing upward lately, and
Bangladeshis are not preoccupied hating America. Meanwhile in Pakistan,
trapped in the circle of bin Ladenism ? military dictatorship, poverty and
anti-modernist Islamic schools, all reinforcing each other ? the social
indicators are all pointing down and hostility to America is rife.
Hello? Hello? There's a message here: It's democracy, stupid! Those who
argue that we needn't press for democracy in Arab-Muslim states, and can
rely on repressive regimes, have it all wrong. If we cut off every other
avenue for non-revolutionary social change, pressure for change will burst
out anyway ? as Muslim rage and anti-Americanism.
If America wants to break the bin Laden circles across the Arab-Muslim
world, then, "it needs to find role models that are succeeding as
pluralistic, democratic, modernizing societies, like India ? which is
constantly being challenged by religious extremists of all hues ? and
support them," argues Raja Mohan, strategic affairs editor of The Hindu
newspaper.
So true. For Muslim societies to achieve their full potential today,
democracy may not be sufficient, but it sure is necessary. And we, and
they, fool ourselves to think otherwise.
-- 
ste

sembrerebbe che i musulmani accettano la democrazia solo se sono in
minoranza
N.


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oh beh, questo vale per qualunque religione
persino Woytila e' contrario all'imposizione dei simboli di una sola
religione negli uffici pubblici e nelle scuole di quelle nazioni in
cui il cattolicesimo e' largamente minoritario.
-- 
Non e' importante il cammino, ma il camminare.


"Cin?" "Eh?" "Mah."
http://www.nidodelcuculo.it


Ma se e' "democrazia" l'India non vedo perche' non lo dovrebbero essere
l'Israele e le Filippine, per restare dove l'Islam e minoritario, o la
Turchia, dove l'Islam e' maggioritario.
--
ArAmesh
"Per quanto sia alto un muro, il cielo sara' sempre piu' alto."

 minoranza
Si può benissimo affermare la stessa cosa dei comunisti o di qualsiasi
sinistra 'alternativa'.
Non appena sfortunatamente riescono ad ottenere democraticamente la
maggioranza, provvedono ad abolire la liberaldemocrazia, sostituendola con
le loro 'democrazie popolari' alla Ceausescu.
Ciao
R.

 sinistra 'alternativa'.
Se ti riferisci alla "dittatura del proletariato" hai solo fatto della
tautologia.

 ha scritto nel messaggio
news:9tld55$fp7$1...@fe1.cs.interbusiness.it...
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Sarebbe molto bello se qualcuno mi indicasse un governo di sinistra non
socialdemocratico (ossia davvero alternativo al capitalismo) che non sia
sfociato subito o dopo breve tempo nella dittatura.
Spesso si fa l'esempio del governo spagnolo che fu soppresso dalla guerra
civile, senza ricordare gli eccidi (ad esempio migliaia e migliaia di preti
e suore uccisi) o le follie (gli espropri proletari, ecc.) che tale governo
commise prima e durante la guerra civile, fino ai tristi giorni di
Barcellona con stalinisti e anarchici che si scannavano a vicenda...
Con tutta probabilità anche il governo di Allende avrebbe seguito un iter
simile, ma non possiamo saperlo.
Resta dunque il dubbio: qualcuno ce l'ha fatta?
Ciao
R.
P.S. Non tirate fuori Cuba o la Comune di Parigi, per carità!  ;-)