A spring of hopes... An autumn of despair

                                             
Arab Spring has been replaced by dark and cold winter... It may be too early to start penning down obituaries for the Arab spring, but the representative movement that enthused  the masses from Tunisia to Bahrain is definitely breathing its last. Political Islam has thwarted the growth of truly representative democracies that the masses in many Arab countries were yearning for. All that is left in its wake is the Civil War in Syria, the mass repression in Bahrain and the usurpation of power by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Dissent has once again been stifled and the reactionary forces have triumphed in crushing the will of the people.

Iran offers an interesting lesson in history on how political Islam hijacks the voice of the masses. The late 70s was a turbulent period in Iran. The Shah's hold on the nation was weakening. Universally despised for his un-Islamic lifestyle, his autocratic rule and his inability to connect with the impoverished masses, the sun was setting on the Shah's rule in Iran. And so, when protests broke out in Teheran and Esfahan and other cities in Iran, no observer of Iranian affairs was truly surprised. Those protests were mass protests as well, guided by a plethora of organizations whose loyalities lay with Communists, Socialists, Liberals, Democrats and even Islamists. The Shah's rule, everyone expected, would be replaced by a liberal democratic structure with Islam at its heart. But then, Ayatollah Khomeini arrived and with a series of steps that created a Shia version of political Islam, succeeded in excluding all except the Islamists from the political scene. Thus was born the world's first Islamic Republic. And this Islamic republic endures still.

Bangladesh today offers another end of the spectrum. The Arab spring, so to speak has finally washed ashore in Bangladesh. The masses are out on the street, protesting against the betrayal of ideals that had led to the formation of Bangladesh. They are demanding that the ideals that had created Bangladesh- Secularism and Nationalism be reinstated and that the traitors of the Mukti Juddho be brought to trial and justice be done to the millions who lost their lives at the hands of the Pakistan military supported Razkars. They demand true democracy, one that is driven by the masses, not by the fringe Islamist elements in the society. Once again, the reactionary forces, represented by the Jamaat ul Islami are vehemently opposing this mass movement, with the oft-repeated cry of Islam in danger. The government finds itself, precariously placed. It released the forces that protest at Shahbag, but it is weak-kneed when it comes to taking the Islamist forces head on. It is yet to be seen whether the will of the protestors will trump the might of the Islamists.

Political Islam has yet to yield any positive results for the masses. From Afghanistan to Libya, the fields are littered with the bodies of those who were devoured by the so-called Islamic regimes. The attempts of reactionary Mullahs to create a society centered on 7th century Arabia is anachronistic and designed for failure. The time has come for the leaders of the Muslim world to open their eyes to an inclusive and representative structure which guarantees the liberty of the masses. Till such time, every spring will wane into an autumn and disappear into a dark and cold winter.