Next European Spring – Dr. Abdullah bin Musa Al -Tayer
Dr. Abdullah bin Musa Al -Tayer
The speech of the US Vice President at the Munich Peace Conference reminded me of the pilgrims’ sermon between Youssef Al -Thaqafi in the people of Kufa; The European leaders have sensed the attendees, after the guest surpassed them addressing the street, and unprecedented support for the extremist right parties, that is similar to the Arab Spring project that the Western democratic liberalism led to the name of change, and decided to jump on the official systems to the Arab street directly, to enrich it on the systems Are we in front of a European spring coming?
It is early to speculate on the fall of democratic liberalism, not even likening it to the sick man, not to mention the state The project driven by tremendous popularity.
The extreme right shares the two banks of the ocean fear of foreigners and immigrants, opposing globalization because it undermines the national identity, and use a simple and direct popular speech that responds to general concerns and anxiety.
The positions of this current are characterized by suspicion and hostility towards other religions and cultures, and its followers devote national directions and narrow identity. You see that Islam is not compatible with Western culture, and they call for restrictions on immigration from Islamic countries, and to prohibit some religious practices. Anti -Islam or Islamophobia is one of the most prominent features of the European extremist right who take advantage of security and immigration concerns to consolidate a negative stereotype of Muslims.
In general, the positions of the far western right towards religions and other cultures swing between intolerance and openness, although the dominant tendency is intolerance, and preserving the “purity” of race or culture, which results in the rejection of diversity and the suppression of minorities. Although the far right of Israel is supported, some extremist right -wing groups adopt anti -Semitic beliefs, considering the Jews part of a “global elite” that threatens the national identity.
It may be unlikely to be unlikely to memorize the complex relationship between extremist Christians and Israel, as it is based on theological and political interpretations, and despite the contradictions, this alliance remains strong and influential in politics. One of the strange paradoxes is that some groups that support Israel are themselves accused of anti -Semitism.
The far right around Christianity as an essential component of identity, and embraces, especially in America, wraps an extremist interpretation of the Gospel that sees in Christianity a superior religion that must dominate society, opposing religious pluralism crowding out of it, and strengthening policies that enhance Christian symbols in public life as part of the Western heritage, They see that Islam and other cultures threaten the purity of this heritage. Just as they become Islam and the cultural multiplicity, they consider secularism threatening traditional Christian values, albeit to a lesser degree than the threat represented by Islam.
The extreme Christian right in the West sends ideas similar to those Huntington to justify the apprehension of cultural pluralism, as they consider it, especially with the presence of large numbers of immigrants, a threat to the Christian identity, and they cite the idea of ”clash of civilizations” to enhance their discourse that Islam and other cultures are incompatible with Western values , Which justifies their opposition to immigration. They believe that the preservation of Western Christian identity is inconsistent with cultural pluralism, which they see as a gateway to internal conflicts, erosion of traditional values, and a source of future conflicts.
We are living in the stage of deep reviews in Western political and ideological structures, as it challenges the extreme right of liberal democracy through its opposition to cultural pluralism and globalization, and its exploitation of democracy tools to undermine it. This challenge weakens the idea that democratic liberalism is the “end of history”, but it does not necessarily mean the fall of theory completely, instead, it shows that democratic liberalism faces great difficulties that need treatment, especially in light of the growing populism and nationalism.
And the states of the third world monitor the transformations taking place, they wonder whether the extremist right will seek to impose his vision in judging those who disagree with it, as the democratic liberalism did in carrying states on democracies, freedoms and human rights by coercion? To answer this question, it is unlikely that the extreme right imposes democracies in the way that was practiced within the framework of liberal democratic endeavors. This current focuses on nationalism and protecting cultural identity, and hostile globalization and international institutions. In addition, the extreme right tends to undermine democracy internally instead of strengthening it externally, so it can be said: The rise of the extreme right is a major challenge to the idea of spreading democracy that was central to the liberal project.
However, other concerns may emerge with time. The right -wing political project that opposes nationalism can lead to an armed clash or violence with other religions and nationalities, especially if he continues to escalate its hostile speech and find political or popular support. History shows that national or religious fanaticism often leads to violent conflicts, and the extreme right today has tools (such as social media) to escalate this violence quickly.
