The Spring of Hope

by Dr. Zaher Sahloul

For the first time in my adult life, the news coming from the Middle East this spring is unexpectedly very inspiring. Suddenly our media and public are discovering that Muslims and Arabs, from that strategic area in the world, are people like us. Suddenly oil and Israel have to take a backseat, for the idealists among us, to the shared aspirations of people for democracy, freedom and liberty.

Decades of common wisdom promoted by the media, and pundits about those “others” who hate us because of our values are erased by the peaceful revolutions of youth in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and other countries.

Young Arabs, Muslims and Christians, men and women, are reminding us of our own values, ideas that we have forgotten, ideas that we have surrendered to the pundits, corporate media and the corrupt politicians, that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” and that “a government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not parish from this land,” and “give me liberty or give me death.”

They don’t hate us but they love our values. They don’t like violence but are forced to defend their freedom and their humanity. They don’t like death, but are ready to die for freedom and dignity. They don’t love oppression, but like us, want to live with dignity.

More than 14 centuries ago, Prophet Mohammad said, “The best of struggle or jihad is a word of truth spoken in public to a ruthless dictator.” The second Caliph Omar said to the son of the governor of Egypt after he admonished him in public for transgressing against a Coptic Christian, “How on earth did you give yourselves the justification to oppress your citizens who are born free?”

The Quran speaks about the people of the trench who revolted peacefully against their ruthless king in a chapter entitled by their name because of their stance for truth and their refusal to obey their corrupt leader. The Quran also described in many chapters the mentality of the Pharaohs from the time of Mosses until the end of time. The Pharaohs claim that they, and their families, own their countries and their wealth “My people, does the kingdom of Egypt not belong to me? Do not all these rivers flow under my control? Do you not then see?"  The Pharaohs also had amazing difficulty in reading the signs “Such was the case with Pharaoh’s people and those before them. They denied their Lord’s Signs so We destroyed them for their wrong actions. We drowned Pharaoh’s people. All of them were wrongdoers.” (8:54). They do eventually discover the truth, but when it is too late. “We brought the tribe of Israel across the sea and Pharaoh and his troops pursued them out of tyranny and enmity. Then, when he was on the point of drowning, he (Pharaoh) said, “I believe that there is no god but Him in whom the tribe of Israel believe. I am one of the Muslims.” What, now! When previously you rebelled and were one of the corrupters? Today we will preserve your body so you can be a Sign for people who come after you. Surely many people are heedless of Our Signs.” (10:90-92)

The time of the pharaohs has started to crumble and a new dawn of the people of the trench and the true followers of Moses, Jesus and Mohammad have come.

A new dawn is spreading over the Middle East, a dawn that is marked by people yearning for a better future, shedding their fears, and getting rid of their despots and dictators. The people have decided to write their destiny and re-enter the history.

We should do our best to help our brothers in humanity to reach their aspirations, but more importantly we should learn from their determination, their hunger for democracy and their quest for change.

Stay tuned for the rest of the dream to unfold. Spring is still in its early days. The long harsh winter of despair is receding and a new spring of hope and youthful determination is spreading. The rest, as they say, will become history.