Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Globalizations, Ideological
Democracy and Islamophobia
• 30th July 2003
• Islamic Human Rights
Commission
• Saied Reza Ameli
• ssameli@ut.ac.ir
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Introduction: What are the major
changes in the Socio-Political
structure of today’s world society?
• There are three
interlinked
structural
changes :
• 1. Emergence of
Instantaneous
Communication,
which is major
source for
globalization area
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Globalization era is more
complicated world
• We are the first
generation of
globalization era,
therefore we are
experiencing noninstitutional world,
and it is indeed
transitional world with
constant changes.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
2. Emergence of virtual world,
virtual reality
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
3. Collapse of Soviet Union Turned
Bilateral Power into Unilateral
Power
• the 1990s were a
time of insecurity,
continuous change,
and a quest for
new structures for
an incipient postCold War
international
system.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
On the other hand
politicization of
Art and Cinema
has corrupted
whole public
sphere.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
• Ian Scott
has discussed
the role of
Hollywood on
foreign policy
of the United
States and its
effect on
Public
Opinion
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Why democracy and Why
Islamophobia?
• why is it that America or Western governments are
•
•
continually insulting Muslims for not having democracy in
Muslim lands? Why always are they encouraging us to
establish liberal democracy in our lands because to do
otherwise would mean that we are an uncivilised people
with a barbaric culture.
I feel that there is a connection between the democracy
they want us to practice and the imprisonment of faith
i.e. the terms of democracy that they put forward for us
to follow and the isolation of faith, of religion from
society.
Islamophobia Policy is also part marginalization of faith.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Concept of Democracy
• Democracy should
•
reflect the idea and
interest of the people.
Democracy is about
participation of the
people in political
structure and
accountability of the
rulers to the voters.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Challenges of Democracy
• 1. Place of non-state actors is very significant.
• 2. Equality and Democracy: ‘how much equality is
•
required for a fully developed democratic system is a
fundamental issue for democracy. Dahl (2001)notes
the spread of democracy and equality during the
twentieth century. He believes while the advanced
welfare democracies of the late twentieth century
started to bring about greater equality, these
advances have been reversed in the last twenty years.
3. National democracy in price of trans-national
dictatorship and war is another challenge of
democracy.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Typology of democracy
• In philosophical theory, there are two major
•
•
•
democracies today:
Liberal democracy: Liberal democracy justifies the
vote of majority; its major concern is to get more
participation of the people.
Democratic Liberalism: democratic liberalism do not
care for Majority to be involve in politics, but it
respect the vote and participation of elites and
experts of the society for the benefits of people
(Bellamy, 1999).
In reality, democracy is very ideological.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Ideology and Democracy
• James F. Bohman (1991: 93) identified
four necessary but not sufficient
conditions of communication for
democratic decision making: such
agreements must (1) be formally and
procedurally correct, (2) be cognitively
adequate, (3) concern issues on which
consensus or compromise can be reached,
and (4) be free of ideology.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Ideological Democracy
• Ideological democracy
•
refers to ruling the
society overtly by
democracy and
covertly by an
economical ideology.
Here democracy
considered as a good
language for
domination policy.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Democracy, Ideology and Patriotism
• Democracy depends on vote of people of
the state.
• Democracy was an innovation of nationstate and it is therefore very patriotic.
While democracy may suit national
community, it can be threat for transnational of millions of masses out of the
territory.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
The dominant ideology thesis
• This thesis suggests that there is an
orientation in local and global extend a set
of beliefs which dominates all subordinate
classes tends to inhibit the development of
radical political dissent (Abercrombie and
Turner, 1978:149)
• Abercrombie, N. and Turner, B. S. (1978)The Dominant Ideology Thesis, in
The British Jounnal of Sociology, Vol. 29 (2), pp. 149-170).
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Forcing them to be free
• Mark Peceny (1999:549) examined the
historical relationship between U.S.
military intervention and the
democratization of target states from
1898-1992 using the Policy III data set to
measure democracy. He argues that U.S.
military intervention in and of itself does
not have a positive impact on democracy.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Ideological democracy
• When democracy is used as a tool for
•
•
implementation of an agenda for social, cultural
and political domination, then we are facing
ideological democracy.
Here overt democracy creates legitimated
ground for covert illegitimating agenda.
In contrast to democracy supposedly respecting
people no matter minority or majority,
Ideological democracy excludes all those not
considered as ‘We’; either you are with us or
against us.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Ideological democracy and Violence
• To understand Ideological Democracy in
relation to global violence one needs to
explore this relationship in a global
sphere.
• Global and Ideological violence should also
be examined in relation to hard and soft
power.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Hard Globalization from above and
Hard Violence from below
• Hard globalization can be defined as an orientation for
•
global domination backed and equipped by war
industry.
According to domination theory, hard globalization can
be seen as power for reinforcing the global domination
of the superpower of the World. Hear hard refers to
the global militant enactment of power and political
policy in a transnational extend. Mass destruction
energy is not equipment for supporting human
equality but indeed it is a hard dictation of domination
policy.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Domination War
• The idea of hegemonic war has long been
viewed as a distinctive kind of conflict (Levy,
1985:344) which considered as a great turning
point in world political history; that reordered the
international system and propelled history in new
and uncharted directions. Idea of extensive war,
systemic war, hyper war or global war explain the
question on which state will govern the system,
as well as what ideas and values will
predominate, thereby determining the ethos of
succeeding ages (Gilpin, 1981).
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Theories of global war
• There are many theories which attempted to
formulate global war such as Toynbee’s (1954)
balance of power theory, Gilpin’s (1981) theory
of war and change which explain the integral
role of war in the evolution of a global system
governed by a dominant power by virtue of its
military and economic strength, place of world
war in the capitalist world economy of
Wallerstein (1984), Doran’s (1983) Cycle of
Relative Power.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Long Cycle Theory
• Among global war’s theory, ‘long cycle’ of Modelski
(1978) is highly structured and more influential
theory. This theory sees global political system
originating around 1500. This system has been
characterized by regular cycles of world leadership
and system management over the last five
centuries. A world power emerges from a global war
with monopoly control over military capabilities of
global reach and control over world trade, and
hence with the ability to help structure the new
global political and economic systems and to
maintain order.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
The Mysterious Theory
• All of these theories mainly formulate totality
of relationship between war, society,
economic, power, evolution and peace.
• Non of these theories tackled relationship
between powerful and powerless; violated
reaction from below to the war maker via
dominant power from above.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Global War
• Global war can not
explain war sphere
properly unless one
formulates war in
relation to
Domination policy—
hard power is
routed in soft power.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
War, economy, power and the West
• All major wars in 20th century and
beginning of 21st century either started by
the West or promoted and motivated by
the West.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Arm Market Dominated by the West
• Since the end of the
Cold War, the United
States has dominated
the global arms market.
In 1996, the value of
world arms agreements
was $31.8 billion. The
US had the largest
share, with agreements
worth nearly $11.3
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Developing countries are the victim
of arms market of the West
• Developing world nations continue to
provide the largest customer base for
arms transfer agreements and arms
deliveries. In 1996, 61 percent of all arms
sales were to developing nations.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Symbolic Violence: Soft powerGlobalization from above and
Muted Group Reaction
• Symbolic violence is
about violence
without violence or
one might describe it
as a projective
process of a war
without war.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Structural and Symbolic Violence
• Bourdiew includes the symbolic “censored” and
euphemized but socially recognized violence
embedded in everyday, hegemonic practice in
‘disguised and transfigured form a totalizing
vision partially challenged by Comaroff (1985)
insists that symbolic violence is important in the
structuring and ordering of relations of
domination and subordination, though critics
caution that state regimes everywhere justify
their own violence as a reaction to the (symbolic)
violence implicit in opposition itself.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
International Relations and
Islamophobia
• One can discuss Islamophobic policy as an
International Relations System which
demonizes Muslims all over the world
alongside Muslim Countries as a whole.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
6. Concept of Islamophobia
• Islamophobia defined as ‘unfounded
hostility towards Islam. It refers also to
the practical consequences of such
hostility in unfair discrimination against
Muslim individuals and communities and
to the exclusion of Muslims from
mainstream political and social affairs…’
(The Runnymede Trust, 1997: 4).
Islamophobia is
about encoding
the community
of faith—
Muslims and
Islam by
violence and
images of hate,
which will
encoded by
hatred and
marginalization
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
•Islamophbia is a
resocialization process
•Islamophobia is to be
desocialized away from
one’s own culture and to
be resocialized into
another culture.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Dimensions of Islamophobia
• Islamophobia can be discussed in the arena of
politics, culture and economic power in relation
to a particular agenda, which relies on an
‘ideological worldview’. This phobic picture of
faith can be given to all religions and faiths—
today Islam, tomorrow Christianity, Judaism and
Buddhism. Religio-phobic policy potentially can
be a political force for clash of civilizations,
marginalization of ‘other’ civilizations and
domination of a mono-centric culture and
civilization overwhelming ‘others’.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Islamophobia and Globalization
• One can cultivate the concept of Islamophobia and
globalization in two different environments namely
‘monocentrism’ which is based on ‘hegemonic ideology’
and ‘polycentrism’ which respect all ‘cultural boundaries’
and historical heritage of different civilization based on
‘toleration of all ideologies’. Polycentrism as a political
policy or as an ‘ideological world view’ is a ‘pluralistic
discourse’ which believe on the ‘balance of the earth’ not
based on domination of ‘mono-power’ (Albrow, 1996),
but, by giving a position and opportunity to all cultures
and civilization according to their indigenous potential
and cultural capacity.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
• CNN TV
•
•
what's on
show transcripts
CNN Headline News
CNN International
EDITIONS
CNN.com Asia
CNN.com Europe
set your edition
China links
Islamic
separatists to
terrorism
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
What's on
CNN
Islamic terrorists
slaughter Algerian
villagers
Government vows
fierce reprisal
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
• COMPLETE COVERAGE | FRONT LINES
| AMERICA AT HOME | INTERACTIVES
• Philippines seeking
U.S. aid against
Islamic fighters
• November 20, 2001 Posted: 12:57 PM EST
•
(1757 GMT)
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
escorts Philippine President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo into the Pentagon on
Tuesday.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Australia
tightened
its antiterrorism
laws after
the Bali
bombing
Australia outlaws Islamic groups
Australia has added six overseas Islamic groups
to its list of banned terrorist organisations.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Violent
image
of Islam
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Symbolic presentation
of Muslim Women
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Islamophobic picture
of Muslim Women
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Old
Fashion
and
violated
Oriental
Man
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Face of Hate: Even in Prayer
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Associating
9/11 with
Islam
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Agenda for Islamophobia project
• Domination of Americanism or Mono•
•
•
centrism
Demonization of self-confidence among
Muslim to merge in American global camp
Legitimization of war if it became necessary,
which explain as class of Civilizations
Fundamental segregation between
Westerners and Muslims all over the World
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Global Ideology and World
Domination
• Globally speaking, American Exceptionalism
•
•
can be seen as serious ideological
challenge for empowerment of religion in
social, political and even individual values.
American Exceptionalism has effect whole
political system, and cultural society of the
United States as well as world society.
American Exceptionalism taking place in
two different orientations: Exclusion and
Inclusion.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
American Exceptionalism
ended by hegemony and domination
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
American Exceptionality
• The Myth of Uniqueness of American
•
•
•
Ideology: Articulation upon liberal
democracy
Exceptionality of American Political
System
The Vitality of American Culture
This is an ideology which believes power
is might and right, the more power you
have the more right you get.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
World domination relies more
on soft and micro power
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Exclusion: in the form of soft and
hard power
• 1) Recognitional Exclusion: Exclude believers
•
•
from all serious political and social positions or
deny legitimacy to a particular religion.
2) Life exclusion: believers excluded from access
to social and economic life. Results in a low
standard of life. Here people experience
scarcity rather than poverty.
3)Communicational Exclusion: Needs of co-
existence through local and global interactions
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Inclusion: through soft power
• To understand mono-centric imposition of a one
•
way flow of culture, civilization, religion, value
and information, one needs to understand
‘Dominated symbolic cultural dialogue’ in which,
while individuals subjectively feel they are
involved in a ‘democracy circle’, they are
dominated objectively by a mono-centric
discourse which actively misleads them,
and transfers determinative elements of cultural
autonomy from the home culture to the
dominant culture.
Americanization through cultural industry is most
articulated way of implementation of secular
culture to the world society.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Americanization and secular culture
• Americanization working as a soft power to
•
•
penetrate public and masses for turning
world society in to American secular
culture.
This type of culture accepts religion as a
superficial orientation to unit national
society but systematically and
institutionally reject religion from all social
institution.
Such a culture detaches religion form
everyday life, culture, politics, science and
even language.
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Islamophobia and American
Exceptionalism
• Based on what we have said so far,
•
•
Islamophobia is a means for expansion of
mono-cultural orientation and rejection for
legitimization of plurality of cultures, religions
and political orientations.
Monoc-entrism encoded in Islamophbia and
might become latter on ‘Korea-Phobia’,
‘France-phobia’ or even ‘German-phobia’.
Few Examples of Media Islamophobia
Globalizations, Ideological Democracy and Islamophobia, IHRC, 30th of July 2003
Conclusion: New Enlightenment
• A ‘New Enlightenment’ seems to be taking, turning
•
•
human history into a mono-centric production. This
enlightenment characterization is based on the
glorification of American civilization and American liberal
democratic system as a role model for future history.
History, effectively started by first enlightenment, ends
and from now on being civilized requires a second
enlightenment based on American progressive civility.
American Domination is behind ‘New Enlightenment’
policy.
New Enlightenment portrayed as a democratic civilization
which belongs to those who look for creativity, newness,
happiness and American style of politics, culture ad
economy.