During a December 20, 2008 visit to the Omani capital Muscat, European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering stated that democracy in the Middle Eastmust evolve from within, that it must reflect local traditions and values, and that the West should not pressure the region to adopt a European-style democratic system. This statement sparked criticism among Arab intellectuals; the next day, 'Omran Salman, editor of the reformist website Aafaq.org, posted an article harshly critical of Poettering's statements.
Following are excerpts from Salman's article:
Western Officials Would Rather Keep the Middle East Under Dictatorships
"…What is the meaning of statements [such as Poettering's]... that the democratic system followed in Europe is appropriate for countries all over the world except in the Arab region?
"Naturally, such statements are not innocuous, nor are they for the benefit of these alleged exceptions [i.e. the Arab countries]; rather, they are manifestations of racist tendencies as well as self-serving objectives.
"These people [like Poettering] believe that Arabs deserve nothing better than their present governments - [that is,] they do not deserve the democracy enjoyed by civilized nations. It follows that it is better not to pressure dictatorial regimes but instead to grant their wishes, [and receive] in exchange agreements, money, and profits - while the people there can go to hell. Read more ...
Following are excerpts from Salman's article:
Western Officials Would Rather Keep the Middle East Under Dictatorships
"…What is the meaning of statements [such as Poettering's]... that the democratic system followed in Europe is appropriate for countries all over the world except in the Arab region?
"Naturally, such statements are not innocuous, nor are they for the benefit of these alleged exceptions [i.e. the Arab countries]; rather, they are manifestations of racist tendencies as well as self-serving objectives.
"These people [like Poettering] believe that Arabs deserve nothing better than their present governments - [that is,] they do not deserve the democracy enjoyed by civilized nations. It follows that it is better not to pressure dictatorial regimes but instead to grant their wishes, [and receive] in exchange agreements, money, and profits - while the people there can go to hell. Read more ...
Source: MEMRI
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