To determine whether or not the MENA region is secular or religious,
depends on what lens you are viewing the Middle East. You have to consider more
than just the elections. When Edward Said spoke about the mood of Arab world
being secular, he wasn't viewing the Middle East through an Orientalist
framework or connotation, as it is often viewed from the west. From the outside
looking in it can easily be said the Middle East is religious. The majority of
elected officials are of some religious affiliated group, when the media shows
images of the MENA the woman are often a burka or hijab (a reminder that most
people practice Islam), and every other news articles mention religious groups
taking action. With the West being of a
very Judo-Christian tradition, images and mention of Islam triggers an immediate
response in people, that religion is a part of every part of life including the
political system. From that view-point, yes, the Elections solidify the belief
that the MENA region is religious.
However, if viewing the Elections from a different perspective
or lens, the opposite conclusion can be derived. With the elections of 2011,
more often than not, people voted for the person they were more familiar with.
Civil society in many MENA regions, look to their government for their basic
needs to be met: health care, education, security, etc. When the government
fails in its duties to the people, the people turn to those who can provide,
whether those entities have religious affiliations or not. In turn, when the
groups that have supported the community run for political office, they are the
one who people vote for. It is not necessarily a vote for the Muslim/Religious
candidate, but a vote for a candidate who has shown that they care about the
needs of community. Governments have sometimes used religion as tool to relate
to the people or as a uniting characteristic. However, oft times they are using
it for secular reasons, to further a secular government.
Tifani, I agree that people often vote with the candidate they are familiar with, especially considering the fact that candidates that are really involved in their communities will be more familiar and maybe even viewed as more transparent. I think your comment about candidates' religious affiliation is really interesting. In the West, I think we often think about political candidates as politicians that may happen to be Catholic or Jewish; in the Middle East, politics and religion are so closely tied that we view politicians as Muslims that happen to also be politicians. However, this generalization is what leads to the equalization of the terms secular and atheist, when it's really a mistake to view politicians' opinions and policies through that lens.
ReplyDeleteI like your point that Said wasn't viewing the Middle East through an Orientalist framework. Despite this and other points you make about Western perspectives painting a more religious picture of the Middle East, you also allow yourself to believe it when you write that it appears more religious from the outside looking in, given the religious affiliation of the "majority" of the region's elected officials. Actually, if you examine our own country, you'll be hard pressed to find an elected official who is not affiliated with a religious institution. And the higher the political office, the more one has to prove one is a believer - in this case, a Christian one. So we should keep that same lens in mind when examining our own officials!
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