"Political Islam: Opportunity or Challenge?", 2nd Berlin Foreign Policy Forum, The Körber Foundation, Berlin, 23rd October 2012

By Oliver McTernanThose of the post Westphalian and Enlightenment secularist school of thought who reject any role for religion in the political life  may well be sceptical of the electoral victories of the Muslim Brotherhood parties in Egypt and Tunisia.  After decades of oppression, new political leaders are emerging through the ballot box who unashamedly acknowledge the influence of their Islamic faith on their politics. The term 'Political Islam' which is often used to describe this phenomenon can be misleading as it risks conveying an image of Muslim political activists using the ballot box to impose a fundamentalist life style on a reluctant nation. The reality of what is happening in the Arab world today is more akin to what happened in post war Europe when Christians formed political parties to ensure their faith values would have a positive influence within European society.The ousting of Mubarak and Ben Ali marked the beginning  of new political era in the Arab world. People are no longer prepared to tolerate regimes that show total disregard for their dignity and right to determine the way in which they are governed.  The new leadership are acutely aware that they are accountable to their electorate. They know, if they fail to deliver on their electoral promises, they too will be ousted from power.If the people's expectations of are to be met, social stability and economic growth must be given  priority. To achieve this, the new political powers in the region need to acknowledge the necessity for political and social pluralism. Secularists and people of other faiths need to feel that their rights are fully respected and their future within their society is secure . The establishment of institutions that guarantee the equality of all citizens before the law is urgent. If the newly elected Islamic inspired parties can meet these challenges it will prove to be a moment of real opportunity for the whole region.  In the past the West was rightly accused of putting stability before principle when we chose to do business with regimes that oppressed their own peoples. Today we can try to redress those misguided policies by providing the essential support that the new leadership will need in meeting the urgent challenges they now face.Oliver McTernan will be speaking on this topic at the 2nd Berlin Foreign Policy Forum on 23rd October 2012.