Islamic Awakening and new mechanisms of power

Developing Just Leadership

Crescent International

Safar 15, 1434 2012-12-28

Daily News Analysis

by Crescent International

Foreign meddling in the uprisings in Arab countries will force Muslim socio-political organizations to come up with Islamic based designs of governance that are less vulnerable to one-sided Western manipulation.

Toronto,

December 28, 2012, 20:10 EST

The Islamic Awakening in the Arab countries will inevitably challenge Western imposed notions of state sovereignty that date back to the days of the Westphalia treaty.

Western regimes have never respected sovereignty of other states when it came to their imperialist interests. In light of the ongoing uprisings in the Middle East this is even more evident than before. Syria, Libya, Bahrain and Yemen are current examples of overt imperialist interference, while in other locations of the Islamic Awakening there are covert methods of intervention. Foreign meddling in the uprisings in Arab countries will force Muslim socio-political organizations to come up with Islamic based designs of governance that are less vulnerable to one-sided Western manipulation.

An article published on PressTV website proposing the creation of a parallel financial system as an alternative to the current western imposed system is a sign that the Muslim Ummah is beginning to realize that the Westphalia framework of sovereignty must be and can be restructured. Analysis by S.S. Salim states that “BRICS structure is a good first attempt, but very limited, and mostly made up of parties which seem very unlikely to EVER come to an agreement on who should lead; China is arrogant, Russia is arrogant, India is arrogant and defensive, Brazil is defensive, South Africa is defensive. BRICS will need to expand by opening up membership to others; also there will be a need to work from within existing ''western-created international system and institutions'' in order to control these from within.”

When it comes to implementing alternative mechanisms of governance, Islamic socio-political organizations have successfully applied their own notions of defense and security mechanisms. In Lebanon Hizbullah has successfully implemented the strategy of resistance independent of the Western imposed notions of state power and sovereignty.

In Iran the institution of Basij managed to implement an alternative model of grass roots socio-political activism.

Most mosques in Iranian cities have their own Basij group operating on full time and freelance bases. Members of the group once admitted into Basij present their skills with which they can contribute to society. If certain Basij members are proficient in IT services, they assist the local community in developing its IT infrastructure and skills. The Basij members are regularly sent to rural areas to aid in the improvement of canal systems, agriculture and healthcare. Therefore, the Basij today is primarily a grass root social-welfare organization that also assists in upholding law and order. However, its law enforcement duties are not its primary function even though the western media portrays the Basij only in light of its law enforcement functions.

The evolving situation in the Middle East is clearly showing signs that the Muslim Ummah is beginning to actively seek alternative mechanisms of governance. The empowerment of traditional Islamic intellectual and scholarly centers will undoubtedly speed up this process.

END

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