Politics, the root of all evil

Since early 2011, when the so-called Arab Spring came about and the violence that ensued started plaguing the Arab world as in no other time in recent memory, people have been asking one question: What has happened?

Observers point out to a plethora of causes.

I am suggesting three major causes that are mainly political in nature, aware that other people would add causes of another nature to the list.

One major cause is political oppression, coupled with economic hardship and social injustice.

What drove people to the streets in early 2011 to demonstrate against authoritarian regimes in several Arab countries is impatience with dictators who ruled for decades, depriving the population of basic freedoms and rights, and grossly mismanaging the affairs of their countries.

Poverty, unemployment and social injustice, due to bad governance and bad politics, were rampant not only in countries like Tunisia, whose regime was corrupt and neglectful of the people, but even in some oil-rich countries, such as Libya whose billions of dollars were wasted on the whims of a leader that was totally disconnected from his people.

Corruption and mismanagement, on the one hand, and repression and injustice, on the other, are the major culprits to blame for much of the chaos that resulted and that is still plaguing us.

Another cause is the militarisation of protest.

When people demonstrated in several Arab countries in early 2011, they were orderly, responsible and peaceful.

The so-called Arab Spring was then a “spring” in the positive sense of the word.

Repressive regimes fell and there was a real sense of optimism and hope.

A few months later, however, the people’s innocent, disciplined uprisings were hijacked by both a misguided opposition and the so-called “remnants” of the dictatorial regimes who militarised the uprisings, triggering the violence and bloodshed we witness now in many parts of our region.

Here is a clear case of people behaving civilly and wisely, and politicians, from both the “opposition” and the regimes, foolishly miscalculated and misbehaved.

Added to this is the negative intervention in the internal affairs of individual Arab countries by both other Arab countries and by countries in the region and beyond.

Had each Arab country been left to sort out its internal affairs by itself, the situation would most probably have not been as messy as it is now.

It is one thing when the people of a country rise against their regime for the purpose of reforming or changing it and quite another for an external party (Arab or non-Arab) to bluntly interfere in the affairs of another country, “aiding” the opposition against the regime or vice versa.

Intervention, with good or ill intentions, in the internal affairs of other countries always backfires, especially when, as in the case of our region, it contributes to and escalates the militarisation of the conflict.

A third cause is the politicisation of religion.

Like in the case of race, ethnicity and culture in any given society, religious orientation could be a factor in the rise of tension or friction among people. This is quite normal, and it happens in all societies.

What worsens racial, ethnic, cultural and religious relations among peoples in individual countries as well as across-nations is politicisation. And this is what is happening in our region right now.

For decades, Muslims, Christians, Jews and peoples of other faiths have coexisted successfully and often harmoniously in our part of the world.

The same could also be said about relations among members of the different sects of the same religion.

What is causing a lot of friction, tension, conflict and bloodshed in this particular sphere at this point in time are, again, those political or politicised opportunists who use religion for petty political gain.

As matter of fact, many of those who pose as religious figures, including imams in the mosques, and preachers and missionaries, are members of political parties for whom religion is a cover. They, unfortunately, are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

They are turning one religion against another and one sect against another, and using vulnerable, foolish, brainwashed young men and women as tools of destruction, through suicide bombings and other evil means.

What makes these supposed religious leaders particularly dangerous is that people mistake them for men of faith.

There are other factors, I am sure, for the chaos our part of the world has been witnessing for some time now, but especially since early 2011. The most important and immediate factors, however, are political.

Like money, politics is the root of all evil. And when politics is coupled with money, as the case is in the conflict in our region at this point in time, our world becomes doubly evil and doubly cruel.