Muscat, Oman. Israel's
Bibi Netanyahu delights in assuring Americans that Israel is the only
democracy in the Middle East. That, however, is not altogether true.
If Bibi knew that democracy means rule by the people, he would favor
self-determination for the Palestinians. Bibi, moreover, routinely ignores
the fact that the seventeen Arab countries vary widely in their forms
of governance. There is a world of difference, for example, between
Saddam Hussein's despotic police state in Iraq and the developing democracy
in Yemen with its institutionalized political parties and free elections.
In the monarchies of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman, forms of popular
political participation are taking root to varying degrees. Kuwait (pop.
2.1 million) has an elected parliament, but only males who have been
citizens for at least thirty years are eligible to vote. In 1999 the
Emir decreed that women should have the right to vote. Kuwait's parliament,
however, has yet to ratify what the reform-minded monarch proposed.
For both economic and political reasons, the island state of Bahrain
(pop. 660,000) has seen more popular ferment for liberalization than
its neighbors. Bahrain is poorer because its oil reserves are nearly
depleted. It is also deeply divided because the 75 percent Shiite majority
has been ruled by a Sunni dynasty since 1783. In 1999, a more progressive
king came to power, granted an amnesty for political prisoners, abolished
the state security courts, and lifted the prohibition on free assembly.
By decree, he instituted a bicameral legislature. The powers of the
appointed upper house equal those of the elected lower house. The opposition
groups that objected to the king's appointing powers boycotted last
year's elections. Nevertheless, Bahrain's 50 percent voter turnout was
no worse than voting participation in the United States. Bahrain became
the first Gulf country where women could vote and run for office.
Qatar (pop. 800,000), the United Arab Emirates (UAE, pop. 2.5 million),
Oman (pop. 2.7 mill.), and Saudi Arabia (pop. 23.5 mill.) continue to
adhere to the traditional Arab form of citizens' input: the Majlis al-Shura,
a unicameral advisory council appointed by the monarch. While a sheikh
and shura members may occasionally get into a heated discussion, two
key elements of representative democracy are missing in government by
consultative council: political parties and universal suffrage. Qatar
now holds municipal elections, and an appointed committee is drafting
a constitution. The UAE, which is composed of seven sheikdoms, has a
federal council. Each sheikhdom may choose its representatives in its
own manner.
Since 1996, Oman has a bicameral consultative council, consisting of
an elected lower house and an upper house appointed by the Sultan. In
2000, 175,000 Omanis chosen by the government served as electors. Last
week, the Sultan decreed that from now on both male and female citizens
aged 21 and over will be entitled to vote and run for office. Hence,
in October over 800,000 Omanis will choose the 83 Majlis members.
A decade ago, Saudi Arabia's King Fahd inaugurated the country's consultative
council "in adherence to the Qur'an and the tradition of God's
messenger." More than any other Muslim society, the Saudi dynasty
insists on governing in accordance with its interpretation of the "Book
of God." The king reserves to himself the right to appoint and
dismiss Council members, to restructure the Council, or to dissolve
it. Rather than political competition among opposing views, Saudi governance
is designed to achieve consensus and stability.
Historically in Muslim countries, the mosques have been the only arenas
for political activity. The emerging opposition to the monarch, however,
has been largely of the more radical Islamist variety and often anti-Western.
Increasingly, however, the politically moderate and the Western-educated
elites interpret the Qur'an as justifying rather than barring popularly
elected institutions.