From liberty to slavery
Op-ed: As the Arab world battles jihadism, the free world - with Europe at its forefront - has found itself paralyzed in the face of Islamic extremism on its soil.
In the Arab and Muslim world, the battle is being fought against jihad in all its forms. The Islamic State, Boko Haram, Hamas, Taliban, al-Shabab, Al-Qaeda and Jabhat al-Nusra are all fighting to establish a mighty empire.
Elsewhere, countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who in recent decades have financed Wahhabism and Islamic extremism, bear the main responsibility for the murderous festival of blood that is seeping across the Muslim world, from Nigeria to Yemen, Afghanistan to Syria, Libya to Iraq.
This fight is not just confined to the Arab and Muslim world. It has also reached the free world, which flies the flag of freedom, liberty and human rights. There is a unified front against Boko Haram, al-Qaeda and Islamic State, but the problem is much broader.
Take, for example, Saudi Arabia's most brutal ongoing interpretation of Sharia law, and with it the oppression of women and subjugation of the freedom of expression. Only recently, a Saudi court handed down a sentence of one thousand lashes and 10 years in jail to Raif Badawi, a blogger who dared to criticize the police.
How should the free world respond? The sentence did receive extensive coverage in the international media, but more interesting was the response from leaders of the free world.
Actually, only Sweden's foreign minister, Margot Wallstrom, dared to voice criticism, and Sweden also abolished its military agreements with Saudi Arabia. This was definitely a far-reaching step.
Wallstrom had been invited to give a speech at a meeting of the Arab League and intended to speak primarily about the rights of women. But the speech was canceled; the leaders of the Arab world did not like her criticism of Saudi Arabia.
Wallstrom is a member of a left-wing party and moves in leftist circles. She was at the vanguard of Europe in automatically accepting the Palestinian demand for recognition of statehood. But it should be noted that, unlike the feeble and conciliatory stance of the European left when it comes to the repression of women and abuse of human rights in the Muslim world - Wallstrom did not make do with vague and general criticism, but directed her criticism specifically at Saudi Arabia.
The Saudis responded immediately. They stopped issuing visas to Swedish businessmen, and recalled their ambassador from Stockholm. The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Gulf States Association condemned the "unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia", citing a difference in values and culture.
It sounds like the canonical text of the post-colonial thought that controls Western academia. OIC Secretary-General Iyad Amin Madani stressed that the "Saudi governing system is based on Islam, which fosters values of justice, compassion, equality, and tolerance." How did we not know this?
The Muslim response seemed to begin with a boycott of Sweden, and the Nordic country has much to lose. In 2014, it exported more than one billion dollars worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia alone. It is 11th on the list of arms exporters in the world, one below Israel, and one above the Netherlands. A boycott by the Arab world is a serious blow to Sweden.
The Swedes were reeling. Its business people were demanding that it ease the tensions. In other words, a Swedish walk to Canossa. Even the King of Sweden was drafted in to deal with the crisis, and ultimately, it wasn't Saudi Arabia that was called to order, it was Wallstrom. The Swedes were afraid of a collapse in their relations with the Arab world. This time it was not a conservative or right-wing source accused of Islamophobia; this time it was the most left-wing government in Europe.
But something else happened. While the Arab and Muslim world closed ranks against Sweden, the European Union and European countries maintained their right to silence. Not one government agency or official appeared to support Stockholm.
In a world where everything is relative, Saudi Arabia is now the sane side.
For decades it was the largest exporter of Wahhabism, itself responsible for the extremism that led to the greatest cycle of bloodshed of the last generation. But in recent years, it has realized that even a golem can turn on its creator. And compared to Islamic State, Saudi Arabia is indeed moderate.
But that does not make it an enlightened state. Repression inside the country continues. And it's not just Raif Badawi, it is is also the systematic oppression of women and the suppression of any critical voice.
The problem is that the West is unable to protect its own values. Its submission is also characterized by its attitudes to the Muslim radicals in Europe. Saudi-style Islamism has taken over the mosques and educational institutions, but that's okay. After all, it is all about a "variety of cultures and understanding the other."
Only months ago, thousands marched in Europe under the banner "Je suis Charlie." It was a protest by the free world against terror and tyranny and for human rights and freedom of expression. Wallstrom's story shows clearly that the aroma of freedom and liberty itself was short-lived. The darkness is winning.
The people of Israel are about to celebrate the exodus from slavery to liberation. The free world is now experiencing the opposite - from liberation to slavery.
