Islam, Democracy., and Freedom in North Africa London School of Economics, London, U.K. Sha'ban 26,102/February 29,1992

Abstract

The Islamic Society of the London School of Economics (London
University) recently orgamed a one-day conference on “Islam, Democracy and
Freedom in North Africa.” In attendance were scholars from several universities
as well as religious leaders and former statesmen. The audience was composed
mainly of university students.
The first session featured S. Salaam of the Sorbonne (Paris), who discussed
the recent situation in Algeria after touching on late nineteenth- and early
twentiethcentury social, political, and religious developments. He talked about
the ulama’s role as a source of mobilization against French colonial rule as well
as their attempts to motivate the masses, through their dynamic Islamic teachings,
to struggle for the emancipation of Algeria. According to him, the moral and
spiritual support of the learned segment of Algerian society enabled the nationalist
leaders to unite the people behind a national cause, one which is also conceived
of as the religious obligation of jihad. On a more recent note, Salaam noted that
the media has attributed the Islamic Salvation Party’s (FIS) success in the last
elections to Algeria’s economic backwardness. While there may be some truth
to this argument, the success of Islamic ideology lies in its emphasis on social
justice and equality, the strengthening of morality, and the uplifting of Qur’anic
teachings. This is in stark contrast to the widespread corruption prevalent among
the ruling elite. Salaam argued that the FIS has provided people with an authentic
sense of identity which can be used to fill the gaps caused by modernization.
The second paper was presented by Julian C. Hollick, a radio joumalist with
America’s National Public Radio organization. Addressing the topic of Islam
and the media, Hollick laid out the Western media’s misconceptions and
distortions of Islam, which he attributed to either poor journalism or ignorance
of (or prejudice towards) Islam. He noted that journalists are not as objective
as is commonly believed, for they are products of a given society and share in
its stereotypical images and prejudices. These factors can prevent a journalist
from penetrating beneath the surface of a foreign culture and society. Hollick
proposed that ignorance of different interpretations of events and a superficial
study of the phenomenon being investigated results in both poor journalism and
a distorted coverage of events. He stated that many Western journalists tend to
cover the ”pathologic aspects of development“ in the Muslim world (i.e., militant
Islam and women’s rights) since such stories have a greater chance of being ...