After the disputed polls in Iran and the aftermath, characterized by ugly scenes of violence, anger, frustrations and hatred, there is need to examine the relationship, if any, between the western and Arab democracies. Indeed the government has accused the West of trying to interfere while the opposition is too defiant to give in to calls of cease fire. This article is motivated by the close association the results of Iranian election results have with Kenya’s 2007 disputed polls. The difference only being that president Ahmadinejad ‘won’ massively, the man who visited Kenya two months ago to meet the president before Kenya’s PM flew to Tehran two weeks later. What an irony? But will president Ahmadinejad and Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi share the loaf-half bin half? Back to the topic, different scholars give diverse description of democracy based on the understanding and specific point of reference. Democracy therefore can be defined as ‘a belief in freedom and equality between people, or a system of government based on this belief, in which power is ether held by elected representative or directly by the people themselves’ (Ahmar, pp.1).
Democracy, from the western countries’ point of view is a “government of the people, by the people, for the people" (Anderson, pp.1). As such, the concept has had different applications and interpretations which have seen the movement change in form and system. Consequently there has been emergence of what is called Western Democracy as practiced in the western world and attempts by the west to woo other countries to adopt this system. Ahmar strongly criticizes the Western form of democracy especially in its relationship with the Muslim world stating that the system is not only different from the ancient one but can also be very manipulative as the elected representatives can interfere with the voting process and outcomes as well as the public opinion and debate (Ahmar, pp.2).
The Muslim perspective of democracy on the other hand can be described as a conservative principle in which the sovereignty of the rulers and the people lies with God. This system views democracy as one which incorporates religion into the political system. This is what Anderson refers to as Islamic democracy, ‘a mixture of the rule of people and the supremacy of God’ (Anderson, pp.1). The definition of Muslim democracy therefore is one that support the concept that all are equal before God though the rulers must relate their actions to the teachings of Koran through adoption of a mutual consultative process called Shura as found in Koran 42:38 (Esposito & Voll, pp.1 and Louws, pp.1).
This form of democracy therefore only prevails on a limited scale and it must not be against the Islamic religious teachings. Therefore, the rule of democracy can only be allowed up to a give point as long as it does not go against the Islamic doctrines, a system which according to Anderson has both a democratic and an authoritarian face (Anderson, pp.1). Likewise, Madelbaum asserts that the Islamic faith which dominates the Arab region is not wholly incompatible with democracy since certain countries like Mali, Turkey, and Indonesia have managed to form stable and productive democratic governments, though some imperfections, by carefully balancing religion and politics (Mandelbaum, pp.1).
In contrast the West has attempted to use various means including force (aggressive democracy promotion) against the weak to entrench their democratic systems as the case with Iraq and Afghanistan and currently Iran hence hardening their desire for nuclear weapons (Perkovich, pp.5). Research by United States Institute of Peace earnestly reveals that Arab world has the lowest level of political freedom in comparison to other regions in the world, a trend that ought to be reversed (United States Institute of Peace, pp.1). Controversy therefore arises as scholars’ debate whether or not and to what extent should the Arab world adopt democracy especially with the rise of Muslim radicalisms, violent insurgencies and terrorisms. Regrettably, the major player in Middle East democratization process, the U.S especially during the reign of President George W. Bush, owing to its strong policy stand which associated war on terror with the war against Islam portrayed the religion as non peaceful and undemocratic (Hayajneh, pp.4). Despite the major benefits of democracy, however, research shows that most countries have not fully embraced the idea. According to Cooter, research findings clearly demonstrate that only a small fraction of states in Africa and the Middle East are democratic with most being tentative, fragile and highly against any form of competition and fair play (Cooter, pp.5). the worrying statistical trend analysis indicate that out of 14 middle east countries, only 2 (14 % ) are democratic with the 12 (86 % ) others being non democracies (Cooter, pp.5). Citing Iran as an example, Moin states that such radical groups are responsible for the adoption of 1979 Iranian constitution which refers to the country as ‘Islamic republic’( Moin, pp.1). There has also been use of religious clerics who are taken to be the spiritual leaders though they are above the powers of the constitution. Such leaders in theory can be sacked but they are not accountable to anybody and are viewed as God’s representatives who are above every branch of power and any political arrangement including the formal courts systems, the presidency and the parliament (Moin, pp.1).
Promotion of popular competition and accountability are also reasons why the Middle East needs to adopt democracy. According to Cooter, democracy is a very viable form of governance as it not only promote accountability but also ensure fair competition through open and free elections that makes the elected representatives be responsive to the needs of the electorates just like the case with competitive market structures where the players have to obey the consumers wants to remain in the market (Cooter, pp.6). Further, direct democracy should be promoted in the Middle East as a vehicle through which voters’ preferences can be effectively satisfied. At the same time, the proponents of democracy have resorted to civil pressure to push their leaders to accept certain critical elements of democracy.
A strong relationship between Islam as a religion with democracy has been provided by Sulami who emphasizes that religion and politics can be separable in Islam since democracy is not against religion per see hence attempts to separate the two is ‘not a precondition of democracy’ (Sulami, pp.1). This stipulation gives an indication that even in mature democracies; religion is a power force in the political system since ‘democracy is areligious’ (Sulami, pp.1). It is also true that a democratic and politically stable Middle East would be critical if the peace of the world is to be realized as the region hosts numerous terrorist cells and militant groups.
Such reforms therefore need not to necessarily follow the Western process in instituting democracy but need to be owned by the very citizens of the Arab world who are to be served by the political arrangement. A careful balance must also be created between politics and Islamic religion so as to avoid any problem that may occur like misuse of the democratic space by the Islamic militias and terrorists to take over power through the ballot. The approach could take a model which attempts to bridge the gap between Islamic values and Muslim practices and marry the two into institutionalized democracy as the model used in Mali, Turkey and Indonesia (Smock, pp.1 and Mandelbaum, pp.1). The people also need to be educated on the benefits of such systems as they would have their voices heard and hold their representatives accountable in running of state affairs. Unfortunately if you ask whether internet application especially of face book and twitter as well phones and other multimedia to reach ( voter education)the Iranian youths is responsible for the ‘awakening’ I will neither reply nor talk but remind you to trace Arab politics to Islamic conquests and oil money.

Change Required; the western countries must critically analyze with a view to understand the nature of the problem in each specific country and also include all the influential people and institutions in the Middle East in the reform policies for the region. This change of attitude and tactical approach is needed now more than ever since US policy makers have been noted to ignore moderate Islamic voices for reform despite the fact that such groupings have strong and massive political and religious following in the region (United States Institute of Peace, pp.1).



References:
Ahmar, F. Muslim Political Thought; Secularism and Democracy: Meanings and Views.
(2006). Retrieved June 22, 2009, from http://www.hoggar.org/index2.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=132&Itemid=28
Anderson, J.W. Islamic Democracy's Power Politics (2001). Retrieved June 22, 2009,
from http://www.britannica.com/news/washingtonpost/article?article_id=224338
Moin, B. Theocracy vs. Democracy. (2001). Retrieved June 22, 2009, from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1373693.stm.
Cooter, R. Median V. Bargain Democracy. (2002). University of California; Berkeley.
Retrieved June 22, 2009, from http://repositories.cdlib.org/berkeley law econ/fall2002/7
from http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/2001-11/islam.html
Mandelbaum, M. Arab Democracy and American Policy. (2009). Retrieved June 22, 2009,
Mier, B. A. Promoting Democracy in The Arab And Muslim World. (2007). Foreign
Service Journal. Washington DC.
Sulami, M. Democracy in the Arab World: The Islamic Foundation. (2005). Retrieved
June 22, 2009, from http://www.opendemocracy.net/democracy-opening/islam_2990.jsp
United States Institute of Peace. Promoting Middle East Democracy II: Arab Initiatives.
(2005). Retrieved June 22, 2009, from http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/sr

by Amit Srivastava

The sectarian politics is known as communal politics in south Asia, particularly in India. The division of colonial India and two nation theory was the greatest outcome of such politics. After independence, there have been many divisive political moves to consolidate votes by political parties. In early nineties, a political ideology became a major political power using such tactics. Divide and rule on the basis of caste was the formula used by the several caste leaders. The new equations were established and these also instigated the tendency of forming regional parties based on regional and caste chauvinism. The number of such regional and caste based parties grew substantially during last decade hence there was a need of new caste combination. Beside this, the larger and sharper segregation was based on religion. The study attempts to assess the new elevations in communal politics in India. The finer nuances of public opinion and indirect methods of thought control are being used to dope the sectarian policies pertaining social development measures. Study found that the congress party has largest stake in this communal architect and the party is also the largest beneficiary of this design. These measures would keep it in power until the existence of an equal wise opposition.

by Amit JNU, New Delhi http://beingtherebel.blogspot.com http://amitsrivastava.tumblr.com

Some birds sing in the morning.The favour of this song rejuvenates life.My morning birds are doel,bulbul,sparrows and crows.I become very happy to listen to the rhythmic song of doel.They come very close to my windows and sing for long times.The other birds are also very helpful to remind me of the morning activities.They help us plan for the days works.
Some friendly crows sit in pairs and share their views for long hours.We may be a little careful to save the habitat and trees for the living and safety of the birds,the wonderful gifts of nature.

Hail Democracy! Long live the democratic rights!!... Down with suppression and dictatorship of fundamentalists! It was largest gathering in last 30 years... to defend the democracy and to oppose the fraud of fundamentalist govt.













In time of liberty and globalization, such blots on humanity still exists. Let us join hands for our rights to choose the government we want. Let us pay tribute to those who lost their lives for our democratic rights. Let us remember their sacrifice now and forever ! Uphold our struggle against dictatorship, fundamentalism and suppressive regime.

Hail Democracy! Long live the democratic rights!!... Down with suppression and dictatorship of fundamentalists! It was largest gathering in last 30 years... to defend the democracy and to oppose the fraud of fundamentalist govt.













In time of liberty and globalization, such blots on humanity still exists. Let us join hands for our rights to choose the government we want. Let us pay tribute to those who lost their lives for our democratic rights. Let us remember their sacrifice now and forever ! Uphold our struggle against dictatorship, fundamentalism and suppressive regime.

"MOMENTUM: Mission, Passion, Expression" is a youth-led magazine and a website dedicated to helping youth become more informed and engaged in society. The co-founders of this project are Yassir and Ilyes El Ouarzadi, two young laureates of the Millenium Excellence Scholarships. These young leaders both participated in the leadership program Shad Valley as well as in the 2008 World Youth Congress and in the Dictée des Amériques and they wish, through this project, to give the opportunity to hundreds, even thousands of young people from Canada and abroad, to live such live-changing experiences. Therefore, MOMENTUM is a by-youth, for-youth network dedicated to social change.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MOMENTUM MAGAZINE ?

We welcome your submissions (on current events (economic crisis) or on any topic related to youth engagement, global issues, and leadership) in the form of articles, interviews, poetry, personal reflections, short stories, photography, etc.

Your written submissions should be no longer than 1000 words in length.
Please email all submissions by July 31st to info.momentum@yahoo.com in Word format.

NEW DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS:
July 31st, 2009

Thanks !

------------------------------------------------------------

«MOMENTUM : Mission, Passion, Expression» est un magazine jeunesse accompagné d'un site web qui a pour but d'aider les jeunes à être bien informés et bien impliqués dans la société. Les cofondateurs de ce projet sont Yassir et Ilyes El Ouarzadi, deux jeunes lauréats de la Bourse d'excellence du millénaire. Ces jeunes leaders ont tous les deux participé au programme de leadership Shad Valley ainsi qu'au Congrès Mondial des jeunes 2008 et à la Dictée des Amériques et qui désirent, grâce à ce projet, donner l'opportunité à des centaines, voire des milliers de jeunes du Canada et d'ailleurs, de vivre de telles expériences qui pourront changer leurs vies. MOMENTUM est donc un réseau de changement social, par les jeunes et pour les jeunes.


COMMENT PARTICIPER AU MAGAZINE MOMENTUM ?

Envoyez-nous vos articles, poèmes et textes d'opinion sur le thème: comment les jeunes changent le monde ? et comment vous faites en tant que jeunes la différence dans vos communautés ? Vous pouvez aussi partager votre expérience personnelle pour inspirer d'autres jeunes à s'engager et à réaliser des projets dans leurs communautés. Vous pouvez également traiter de sujets d'actualité (crise économique), de problèmes qui affectent les jeunes ou encore des problématiques mondiales comme les changements climatiques.

Les articles ne devraient pas contenir plus de 1000 mots.
Faites-nous parvenir vos écrits en format Word à info.momentum@yahoo.com

DATE LIMITE D'ENVOI: la date a été prolongée
Le 31 juillet 2009

MERCI !

Yassir et ilyes
Co-Founders of MOMENTUM: Mission, Passion, Expression
Join us at: http://momentumweb.ning.com/

"MOMENTUM: Mission, Passion, Expression" is a youth-led magazine and a website dedicated to helping youth become more informed and engaged in society. The co-founders of this project are Yassir and Ilyes El Ouarzadi, two young laureates of the Millenium Excellence Scholarships. These young leaders both participated in the leadership program Shad Valley as well as in the 2008 World Youth Congress and in the Dictée des Amériques and they wish, through this project, to give the opportunity to hundreds, even thousands of young people from Canada and abroad, to live such live-changing experiences. Therefore, MOMENTUM is a by-youth, for-youth network dedicated to social change.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MOMENTUM MAGAZINE ?

We welcome your submissions (on current events (economic crisis) or on any topic related to youth engagement, global issues, and leadership) in the form of articles, interviews, poetry, personal reflections, short stories, photography, etc.

Your written submissions should be no longer than 1000 words in length.
Please email all submissions by July 31st to info.momentum@yahoo.com in Word format.

NEW DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS:
July 31st, 2009

Thanks !

------------------------------------------------------------
«MOMENTUM : Mission, Passion, Expression» est un magazine jeunesse accompagné d'un site web qui a pour but d'aider les jeunes à être bien informés et bien impliqués dans la société. Les cofondateurs de ce projet sont Yassir et Ilyes El Ouarzadi, deux jeunes lauréats de la Bourse d'excellence du millénaire. Ces jeunes leaders ont tous les deux participé au programme de leadership Shad Valley ainsi qu'au Congrès Mondial des jeunes 2008 et à la Dictée des Amériques et qui désirent, grâce à ce projet, donner l'opportunité à des centaines, voire des milliers de jeunes du Canada et d'ailleurs, de vivre de telles expériences qui pourront changer leurs vies. MOMENTUM est donc un réseau de changement social, par les jeunes et pour les jeunes.

COMMENT PARTICIPER AU MAGAZINE MOMENTUM ?

Envoyez-nous vos articles, poèmes et textes d'opinion sur le thème: comment les jeunes changent le monde ? et comment vous faites en tant que jeunes la différence dans vos communautés ? Vous pouvez aussi partager votre expérience personnelle pour inspirer d'autres jeunes à s'engager et à réaliser des projets dans leurs communautés. Vous pouvez également traiter de sujets d'actualité (crise économique), de problèmes qui affectent les jeunes ou encore des problématiques mondiales comme les changements climatiques.

Les articles ne devraient pas contenir plus de 1000 mots.
Faites-nous parvenir vos écrits en format Word à info.momentum@yahoo.com

DATE LIMITE D'ENVOI: la date a été prolongée
Le 31 juillet 2009

MERCI !

The females members are frequently annoyed by large number of fraudulent mails.The language and gestures of those mails are
very objectionable.If the computer experts can introduce any system to track the loafers and stop their undesirable activities.I request the tig management to think over this important issue.

TakingITGlobal is a worldwide social network.It has many virtues to be respected.But there are many social networks which promote nasty and unacceptable messages.Let us find them and inform the innocent peoples to remain alert about their ill-motifs.