Young NIMD

In the West it is widely held that Islam and democracy are incompatible or at least a problem. Speaking at a NIMD co-sponsored conference on Islam and Democracy at the Free University of Amsterdam on 18 June, the former deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia conveys a different view. ‘Just look at Indonesia, the biggest Muslim country, and India or Turkey’, he says: ‘all countries with long democratic traditions and a large Muslim population’.

Of course there are concerns about the rising popularity of Islamic fundamentalism – also in these countries. However, according to Mr Ibrahim, this has more to do with poverty and lack of education than with the alleged anti-democratic radical nature of Islam. "With education, people will become more tolerant.’ Also corruption and the exclusion of groups from access to power and information may lead people to turn their back against society: ‘We have a battle for democracy, not with Islam.’'

He is not afraid that democratic institutions will be undermined once radical Muslims come to power through democratic elections. In a strong democracy with freedom of speech and independent media excesses will be corrected by the people, he argues. "This fear of Islam hijacking democracy is hypocrite and merely shows a lack of belief in the strength of our democratic institutions."

As for work of democracy assistance by organisations such as NIMD, Mr Ibrahim believes they ought to focus their support on democratization processes in Indonesia and Turkey. For the success of democracy in the Islamic world these countries are much more important than Afghanistan and Iraq, he says, adding that the international community should also reconsider its focus on the minority of (secular, liberal or non-Muslim) democrats in these countries. ‘You cannot disregard the Muslim majority. You have to engage them.’

Moral consistency

Mr Ibrahim has been actively involved in the dialogue between religions and within the Muslim community itself. Ibrahim stressed the need for continuous debate and engagement of all Muslim groups. ‘Muslims should talk together. The moderate voices must have the courage to confront the radical Muslim brothers. And in the global debate we should speak with a consistent moral voice. We should not just point at the atrocities of the Americans in the Abu Greib prison camps, but also confront our leaders with situation in our own prisons.’

Opposition leader

In his home country, Anwar Ibrahim is one of the most critical voices of the government. In 1997, he was fired as deputy Prime Minister and jailed for 6 years for charges of corruption and sodomy. The trial was highly controversial and seen as politically motivated, because of Ibrahim’s strong stand against corruption by government authorities and the suppression of democratic rights in the country. In 2004 he was released after the High Court repealed the verdict.

Today, he is not allowed to be politically active till 2008 and cannot speak in public in his country. Therefore it needs to be seen how his People´s Justice Party will perform in the next elections in December 2007. But his political agenda for democracy and transparency is clear. ‘Malaysia is no democracy. Europe should speak out and use its influence to push for democratic elections with access to the media for all political parties.’
 
 
More information

On 18 and 19 June 2007 Anwar Ibrahim visited The Netherlands for three public lectures. The SID Lecture at the Free University was co-sponsored by NIMD. On 19 June Mr Ibrahim was the key note speaker at the NIMD co-hosted lecture on Islam in the public domain at the Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations. Also, Mr Ibrahim met with NIMD staff and representatives of political parties at the NIMD office in The Hague.
 
 
Profile Anwar Ibrahim

Anwar Ibrahim is former deputy prime minister and finance minister of Malaysia. Early in his career, he became a protege of the former prime minister of Malaysia, Mahathir, but subsequently emerged as the most prominent critic of Mahathir's administration, which led to Anwar's dismissal, prosecution - many would say outright persecution - and imprisonment. In 2004, he was released and since that time he has held lecturing positions at St. Anthony's College at Oxford, the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University and at the School of Foreign Service in Georgetown University. He has advised the World Bank on questions of governance and accountability. Anwar was recently appointed as Honorary President of AccountAbility, a London-based organization that advocates socially responsible business practices, as well as Chairman of the Beirut-based Foundation for the Future.

Anwar Ibrahim is both a controversial and charismatic figure in Malaysian politics. Upon regaining his freedom, Anwar took up his current role as an opposition voice. He is also currently advisor to the People's Justice Party (Keadilan).Active on the national front, Anwar has also been highly engaged in the international arena. He has been a strong advocate for civilizational dialogue and has worked tirelessly towards the ideals of Convivencia, the mutual coexistence of civilizations and the interplay of different social, cultural, and spiritual ideas. He is an internationally renowned speaker on the subjects of democracy, freedom, governance, Islam and democracy and the need for accountability.