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Sharjah: Ahmed Ragheb
The second session of the 16th Annual Conference of the Gulf Research Center, entitled “Relations between the State and Society in the Arab World”, discussed the nature and reality of relations between the state and civil society in the Arab world, with Dr. Ali Fakhro, former Minister of Education of Bahrain, speaking on this crucial aspect, moderated by Dr. Fatima Al Shamsi.
Dr. Fakhro pointed out in the discussion at the conference that the issue of the relationship between the state and civil society in the Arab world is a complex one, which includes history, the diversity of legal interpretations of this relationship in the Islamic religion, and the differences in the relationship between the state and civil society in the Arab world. The political systems that have prevailed in various Arab countries since independence and the beginning of the establishment of nation-states, as well as the degree of openness to the European concept of modernity and its influence, suggest that the authorities must be reformed vigorously. The state and society exist at the same time.
He pointed out that there are more than 150 definitions of state and civil society, all of which are based on specific ideological principles, but civil society includes forms, culture, ethics, customs and traditions, as well as the relationship between the state and society. It is the relationship between the parts and themselves.
State organs
He added: When we talk about the state, we are referring to the state authority, as well as the social relations that are considered part of the state. The relationship between the Arab state authority and society is a vague one for many reasons, including: the history of the Arab political heritage, which leads to this confusion, because in our heritage there is no interest in thinking about the components of the state and the functions of the state and its institutions, so thinking is focused on the ruler, the type of ruler, which creates a problem because it does not help to build the heritage we rely on. Some believe that the words of Omar Ibn Khattab summarize the concept of heritage about the state. “O Arabs, there is no Islam without the community, and there is no sheikh without the sheikh. There are also those who see another view of the contribution to the heritage in this hadith. “These writings describe to a large extent what is happening in many societies in the Arab world, about the craze for the establishment and continuation of the state, about the social formation of these states, about the surplus wealth and its wrongful spending and disappearance, and about the demise of the state due to entering the world of luxury and laziness.
‘Who rules’
Dr. Ali Fakhro said: Another reason for the disorder in the relationship between the state and society is the current history, which has a great impact on the present time we live in, the struggle over “who rules”. This phenomenon has been raging since the time of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, which in itself leads to the weakening of society, and when it weakens society, it leads to society becoming weak in the face of authority.
In addition to the sanctity of Islamic jurisprudence, such as the position on women or obedience to the ruler, the obligations of the Shura, the role of women in society, the acceptance of democratic principles, and relations with other religions and other societies.
In the issue of the confusion between state and society, political regimes in Arab countries since independence have been characterized as authoritarian regimes, whether republican or monarchical, military or tribal, religious or secular. They are characterized by a lack of trust in civil society institutions, especially political parties, trade unions and human rights associations, and therefore these regimes either try to buy the loyalty of these civil institutions, infiltrate their organizations from within, or use security means and, if necessary, violence against them.
The reluctance of citizens to participate in civil society institutions is another problem, which is considered one of the reasons for the ambiguity of this relationship, because people are unwilling to integrate into institutions that balance society and the state, and this reluctance has its reasons, such as the marginalization of the roles of members and the dominance of a few people over the government and the survival of leadership positions over the years, the fact that democratic principles are not rooted in the culture of Arab society and its basic institutions, such as the family and the school, and the attention of ordinary citizens to the basic issues of daily life.
Organizational issues
He pointed out that the problem of violence by Islamic Takfiri jihadist groups is one of the reasons for the disorder in relations between society and the state. The problems were not enough before, and only the recent surge in violence has increased them. , barbaric Islamic movements, recognize only the validity of their ideas, methods and understanding of the Islamic religion, or what the new leaders who proclaimed themselves as caliphs say, and they should blindly obey their words and orders. The division of the country and the motherland belongs to the reasons for the disorder in relations, Dr. Ali Fakhro stressed that there is no need for people to show the many difficulties faced by the efforts to unify the institutions of civil society. The efforts of the countries of the Arab world to balance and unify the efforts of Arab governments, security and political authorities prevent the rise of Arab civil society forces and their real presence in the Arab reality.
Dr. Ali Fakhro stressed that weakness prevents society from reforming the state and the state from reforming society. The weakness of civil society leads to the authorities not being interested in reform itself. The question is, we must vigorously reform the authority of the state and society, and we need a strong state authority and the authority of civil society institutions at the same time.
Meeting discussions enriched the meeting with useful information
The general discussion after the conference enriched the conference by asking the audience many questions about the relationship between the state and civil society. One of the participants pointed out that the relationship between the state and civil society. The emotional connection between society is lost, so private interests must be put aside and work for the public good, and what we see in the Arab world is the manifestation of a deviation in political thinking, so loyalty must be instilled. If it exists, a strong state and a strong society will be built. Dr. Ali Fakhro answered all questions and discussions: What have the parties done? Emphasizing that political parties are part of society, it makes us know that society is responsible for what the parties do in the Arab world. Those parties that were built on a certain basis when they came to power could not accept the demands they had made for a long time. For many years, they wasted the great historical opportunity to benefit the Arab world because they represented the interests of … its leadership, which is exactly why it destroyed Arab society. He added: The country cannot be a civic state, and the person without the protection of the state turns to the family or the sect to protect him, and the Arab ruling authorities will not accept the Arab society to violate their promises and orders, let alone procrastinate. Democracy in Arab countries has a foundation, but no ceiling, and it must be promoted and practiced, but Arab countries do not think they are ready for democracy.
Disapproval of the Sykes-Picot Agreement
Many participants openly attacked the Sykes-Bacon Agreement, repeating their regrets about the agreement. Dr. Youssef Hassan commented on these comments and interventions in an interesting way, saying: What is happening on the Arab stage is something we all need. Thanks to the maps drawn by Sykes and Picott for almost 100 years, we as citizens are desperately defending these maps in the face of brutal attacks and proxy wars to tear them up and divide the nation-states that Sykes and Picott respected. All thanks must go to Sykes and Picott by creating them, instead of cursing them.
He added, “Tell me what we have done over the past century as Arabs, as intellectuals, political elites, and social forces. What better map of Arabia is there than Pexels and Picot?”
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