Dr Faisal Al Qassem
It is not possible for a regime that is founded on narrow fanaticism, whether sectarian, denominational, tribal, national, zonal, military or security-based to build a country no matter how much it tries.
There is no place for the State of the clan, community, tribe or army in modern politics. These models are not meant for states, but for gangs. It does not matter how powerful the gang is, it must one day crumble.
However, the biggest disaster is that the gang does not collapse on its own, but it breaks down the entity that it created and its rule of gang mentality. Look at the situation in Syria, Libya, Yemen and Iraq to see for yourselves that the gangs’ rule is just a recipe for disaster to destroy homelands and displace people.
Our countries are now reaping what they planted from regimes that are founded on denomination, sect, minorities, gangs, clans, tribes, or racist and militia-based parties.
Thus, our affected countries cannot rise again unless they adopt a modern government system with an exclusive State mentality.
Let us not forget that the most important human discovery over the past centuries is the “state”; it is the best invention to manage the affairs of men, and especially when they come from various communal, ethnic, sectarian, racial and tribal backgrounds.
Some believe that the solution in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and other countries lies in the division of the country, or divorce between its sectarian and nationalist components. This is not a solution, but is closer to fragmentation and insularity, which serves the strategy of those who ruled us with gang mentality.
Modern entities are not narrow and minute, they are rather huge conglomerates. There is no place for small entities in the world of giants and major associations.
Even real countries are no longer able to withstand the world of giants, so how could the countries of sects, tribes, clans and gangs do so.
Notice that even real Western countries have brought themselves under the banner of the European Union, although they possess all the elements of genuine countries. However, they preferred to gather under the banner of a bigger and larger association.
How come some people in our countries are still calling for fragmented, minute states founded along sectarian, denominational and nationalistic lines, or on the basis of eradicating the opposition, it being a tribe or
religious sect?
The solution in all countries affected by internal conflicts does not lie in the eradication of one party to keep another, or in the divorce between sects, creeds and races, but to achieve real citizenship, so everyone becomes an equal citizen, not sectarian, denominational, tribal or racist rival.
If citizenship is achieved, no one will stand behind his sect, doctrine or race. Those differences will melt under the principle of citizenship. However, this process may seem difficult and slow, but if the ruling elite is determined, citizenship will be quickly achieved after revolutions.
However, as long as the countries’ systems behave as private farms and prefer their tribe, sect or creeds over others in their communities, know that people will act in the same way; they will be to themselves and remain behind their narrow affiliations, in the same way the sectarian, tribal, clan, racial or security regime does.
In other words, the cause of the catastrophe in our countries is the rulers, because they are role models. When a governor acts on a national basis, everyone would follow suit. When he only cares about his clan or sect by giving the highest government positions to his people and throw crumbs to the rest of the population, it becomes everyone’s working principle: “Each one for himself.” Then the problem is
with the regime.
America, for example, is a joint-stock company and not a nation, because it is a strange mixture of different races and various ethnic groups and nationalities, but no one stands behind his race or sect in America, because the narrow affiliation melts in the citizenship.
Everyone looks at himself in America and the developed West as a citizen, not as a Christian, Muslim, Jew, or Buddhist or a Protestant, Catholic, Anglican, Shia, Sunni or Druze. Why? Because he gets his rights just like any other member of society.
The first thing we should do in our divided countries is to immediately implement the principle of citizenship. We know that it is a dream at the moment, but believe me, the developed nations have gone through infighting before us, and lost millions of lives because of strife and civil wars, but they recovered to build the state of citizenship to become advanced politically, industrially, culturally
and socially.
When our rulers are patriotic and they start thinking about our homeland, not sect, gang or security entity, our conflicts and revolutions will disappear. Note that countries that built a citizenship state have not witnessed revolutions or internal conflicts for a long time. On the contrary, their internal cohesions have increased after the Second World War.
After today, there should be no place for a state that is founded on gang, community, tribe, religion, race, military or security basis. Anyone who tries to rehabilitate it establishes new civil wars and conflicts.
It is true that Yugoslavia dissolved its internal conflicts through division and separation. However, what is the status of these new mini-states, which replaced the Yugoslav Union on the world map? Have you heard of the Republic of Montenegro? There is no doubt that you will quickly open “Wikipedia” to get to know these fragmented mini-states of the former Yugoslavia.
Have a good state!
The writer is a columnist and presenter at Al Jazeera TV channel.
