Bush is not the force behind the recent democratic moves in the region, according to Arab commentators, as Rasha Saad finds out Are we witnessing the real birth of democracy in the Middle East at the hands of US President George Bush -- as he likes to suggest? The question was asked by veteran columnist Jihad Al- Khazen in the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper. Al-Khazen doesn't think so. He says the Iraqi elections were held at the insistence of Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, not Bush. While Al-Khazen believes democracy in Egypt is incomplete "Egypt was always freer than all the Arab countries surrounding it." As for Lebanon, it has always been a democratic country and has always had a somewhat free press and a very active parliament even with the presence of the Syrians. And the Palestinian territories had democratic elections even before Bush came to office. Al-Khazen does not rule out that Bush is seeking democracy in the Middle East but warns him that his brand of democracy will bring a power much stronger in its opposition to the US and Israel. "While Bush was speaking of the future of democracy, or the democracy of the future, more than one million Lebanese were demonstrating in support of Syria." He added that in Lebanon 70 to 80 per cent of Shias (the biggest religious sect in Lebanon) and 20 to 30 per cent of Sunnis, Maronites and Druze -- meaning the vast majority of the Lebanese people -- support Syria. Bush would do well to remember this fact when talking about democracy. Arab writers were particularly impressed by the political developments in Beirut and Cairo, seeing a new spirit emerging in the Arab world. Pointing to the demonstrations in both capitals Adel Al- Sanhouri wrote in the Kuwaiti Al-Watan about what he called "street democracy". Al-Sanhouri argues that demonstrations calling for change and political reform have moved from Georgia and the Ukraine to the squares of Beirut and Cairo and predicted they will keep moving to other Arab arenas. He referred to the demonstrations of both the Lebanese opposition and pro-Syrian powers following the assassination of Rafiq Al-Hariri. "Mobilising people and taking to the streets has become a very influential instrument in the hands of reformers with their differing agendas." Al-Sanhouri encourages acknowledging the people's will "as a way of escaping the dark tunnel", however he warns that this democracy of the street should draw a red line, which is preserving the unity of the nation. He explains there are calls from abroad pushing for reform in the region but with goals that contradict local ambitions. Labelling the US the emperor of the world, Al- Sanhouri accused Washington of seeking to pull out of the Iraqi quagmire and thus is seeking another Arab capital to implant its fake democracy. Lebanon is the new venue and Damascus and Cairo will follow. He thus advises that dialogue among various powers is the only way to preserve national unity and identity. "The Lebanese flag should fly high over the heads of demonstrators, the same way the Egyptian flag was raised in front of the People's Assembly." Kuwaiti women have also been engaged in a democratic battle of their own. Hundreds took to the streets last week demanding their full political rights as the Kuwaiti parliament was debating a bill to grant women the right to vote and to stand for elections. The country's male-dominated parliament rejected a previous attempt in 1999. For the past several weeks Kuwaiti newspapers have been a platform for the ongoing debate between supporters and opponents of the measure. The question is whether the measures are in line with Islamic law (Sharia). Kuwaiti newspapers published varying views, ranging from total opposition to those who see this being in line with Sharia to those who believe there are more important issues that deserve attention than ranting Kuwaiti women. Kuwaiti women however were able to get some support from male sympathisers. Saged Al-Abdeli, a Kuwaiti human rights activist, wrote in Al-Rai Al-Aam that women should be granted an active part in political life by virtue of their legal rights, not their skills or physiological ability. Al-Abdeli, who is also a physician, said that if all-male MPs were subjected to tests to check their skills and measure their IQs, only a few would pass. "In this sense they will not be different from women." Al-Abdeli also believes these rights are supported by religion as well as "by the norms of humanity which gives man and woman equal rights". His message to Kuwaiti women is that it is a long journey and they are just at the beginning so they must prepare themselves and know how to deal with the challenge. Ali Al-Gaber from Al-Watan newspaper also believes Islam is not against granting women political rights. He believes nomadic doctrines are the stumbling block. He said nomadic beliefs always look at women as inferior to men "possibly because of the rough life of the desert and how it relies on muscles. "Kuwait has changed; not one of us is living in the desert so the need now is for mental abilities which the genders share." Citing examples, Al- Gaber said MPs from nomadic areas, despite their different political affiliations, were all against granting women the right to vote and allowing them to stand for elections "because their only concern is the demands of their voters rather than respecting their own values." Al-Qabas published the results of a survey conducted by unspecified government agencies in cooperation with state-owned Kuwait University in which about half of all Kuwaitis support granting women their rights. The survey of 2,000 Kuwaiti men and women from around the country found that 51 per cent of Kuwaitis support women's right to vote and run as candidates for parliament, while 29 per cent oppose. Seventy-one per cent of Kuwaitis support granting women only the right to vote, indicating that granting women the right to represent themselves as candidates in elections is more controversial for most Kuwaitis than giving them the right to vote. Amna Al-Mossawi, in Al-Rai Al-Aam, denounced what she perceived as "cheap manipulation of women's political rights", arguing that Islam grants women the right to self-determination just like men. Al-Mossawi accused Kuwaiti men of double standards and seeking their personal interests. "The Kuwaiti man does not object to his wife studying, working or shopping. She looks after the kids, takes care of the mundane household chores and helps with the expenses, and that suits him fine. However, when she meddles into politics, he goes totally berserk." Al-Mossawi also accused the government, which has announced it was throwing its weight behind greater rights for women, of not taking the issue seriously enough. She also criticised the attitude of some women "who are living in an odd state of surrender" and cannot see other than what men see and who have become indifferent about taking part in decisions that concern their welfare. "These women refuse to see political rights as the key to achieving a whole set of their rights that have been manipulated throughout the years."
