Arabs and Secularism

Salam al Rabadi : researcher and author in international relations \spain.

Universidade de Santiago de Compostela \ spain

National independence,must remain geographically division only,not civilized division Contains basic differences.and If there are lessons can be learned from historical developments, in terms of the problematic relationship between religion and the state, in the forefront of these lessons include:

1 - 

Linking religion in the hands of the rulers: inevitably leads to the exploitation of religion for political purposes. This is our current reality.

2 -  

If religion to overcome another religion: this means converting the second religion's followers to second-class population. And equality in this case become possible in such a framework.

3 - 

Inside every religion there is a difference: especially if it were combined religious and secular power, in the hands of the Governor of a particular religious group. And therefore are talking here, for a system of government: Wahhabi, Alawite, Shia, Sunni, Maronite....

4 - 

A political system that combines state and religion: does not prevent all cases stop the conflict between greedy governance, whether family or a party or even the closest relatives.

5 - 

The reality of religious interference in government: freezes society and to prevent and stop the development.

6 - 

any country Constitution did not provide for To determine the religious identity of the state: religion turns to a bombing of a community and political failure. because it is impossible to satisfy the followers of all religions and sects and creeds. Lebanon good example of this.

All those facts and lessons:Cross-cutting and Conflicting Need to evaluate.
There has been a lot of discussion and debate around, and under different headings: Islam and modernity, Islam between the self and the achievements of the era, Islam between the past and the future, Islam between comfort intellectual familiar and among other ideas different: Christian, liberal, Marxist, technological.

 

To the present day, Arabs and Muslims have not been able the answer clearly and critically about them.On the contrary, there is a confusion of thought prevalent and dominant in all the prints, as well as there is in the mixing of concepts and facts in everything published, and believed in the cultural field. 

These trends are today in the most difficult crises. One of the main manifestations:This ideological conflict and security, cultural and even the military,whether this conflict Visible or invisible,Silent or noisy.A good example of this,what ails the Islamic sects Currently of the differences among them or within the Muslim community in general between: moderate and fundamentalist, radical, liberal, Parties, the Muslim ikhwan, religious fundamentalism parties,Civil society organizations,Establishments religious.

It also can not be ignored, one of the most important intellectual turmoil prevailing in the present, Based on the problem: how to deal with the different other? unfortunately more specific, The other is not only foreign non-Arab, it is also, Arab Christian citizen, as is the current reality: in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon.

We are facing an era, the barriers fell and contacted people together,no separation of connection, which overlap, and visual media and audio, visual and written. Where cultures mixed and overlapping and continuous. We are in the era of the birth of human culture,common,not only is the Christian,not only are Islamic,not only is Marxism,not only liberal,not only is spirituality,not only is the material,not only abstract,not only is the technological. It's a culture of human rights and all the culture of humanity and all humanity,and every attempt to secede from this global trend Algarve is a desperate attempt and loss of time and a waste of effort.   

It seems that all those lessons that teach them history or the present reality, do not leave us only one way. Namely  way the secular or civil,system of religious freedom and human dignity. Which is based on the religious neutrality of powe and give religious freedom of the individual. Thus, the separation of religion and state. As the separation of religion and politics should be learned them experiments, including the Arab history, secularism is one of the most important prerequisites for keep rode civilization.

The need to Science of what over ethics

Salam al Rabadi \ researcher and author in international relations

  spain\ Universidade de Santiago de Compostela 

 

Today we find it difficult to imagine a better future radically than we are. And within this framework it can not of course to imagine a world for ourselves is fundamentally different from the present where we are . and be the best at the same time? In the face of contemporary global issues.Example: the environment , terrorism, poverty, and the issue of minorities, biotech revolution ... The world is divided into two halves :

1-    The first half : the killer .

2-    The second half : the dead.

But it is who decides that with the first half or the second half? As long as the genes of the dead man's brother is with the idea of ​​a killer? So how are rectifying the compass to understand that this gene is generated from a single stretch and studied in one book and crept into the brain of one? And how if we give our shortcomings and our mistakes for our children for they are the best value of life ???

We are not here, in the exhibition question about the temporal evolution and quantitative not all philosophies and theories produced since the emergence of history nor about human origins and essence . As intended and entrusted us know is a set of standards that govern the relationship between the idea of ​​human (really) and thought. and between the importance of human existence in principle. Most developed countries now interested in forming a committee to evaluate the discoveries of science. That is immoral such as the issue of medical abortion,contraception and tools,and human cloning,and the process of artificial insemination for women... and these higher commissions directly collide the ramifications of scientific knowledge and monetary expansion in the present time .

Consequently, any pattern of rationality as well as the content of any of the contents and status of scientific knowledge can be relied upon in order to determine the principle of moral or human can we abide by it? And how they can justify the vision of certain moral example higher? How can access to that vision?? Is there a code of ethics rational or realistic it can be subject to human behavior , to the standards ? ?Is there a moral facts which we can , identify humanitarian priorities? How can we identify them???

In front of these questions, it is necessary to put the problem: Is it possible Be the value of the human mind in itself??

That everything, around us and within us and with us need to become lessons and new theories looking for the world we inherit to understand clearly what is going on in the world has become . The world is shaking and the scale of values ​​need to become a new vision. We are facing a problem and trends and meanings vary in content but the standards one. And are clinging to in essence nature and movements and knowledge as a guarantor of value basis whether individual or collective .

Is that the start of the conflict vary group with another group?or some of them with all? or with part of another in order? to give birth climates and considerations in violation of the rules and assets?So what is the standard that produces valuable ? What is the basis of our values​​? It is to decide this: Custom,habit,regularity,law, environment,social reality,cultural reality?Can we considered cognitive creativity is an attribute value?Or attribute a difference?What is the energy that will be consumed by the generations and the world?who are caught in it to get to the station full of humanism ?

All of these questions, a spin to explain the essence of knowledge which is apparently the emergence of a set of values which controls the eschatological human mind.Here the criteria that determines the will and understanding?It decides whether the world was shaken to values ​​lower or higher? How do we explain what the difference in the light: knowledge,realism, as well as the future? It says that the cognitive hierarchy of values ​​has been shaken?, and the world has become one idea after it was different ideas? It appeared to the world of modern values​​, which does not explain himself. but he says: is where he is going?

Based on all these data, we have the evolution of modern thought in three directions:

1 - Traditional: It is in the interest of science standard, such as logic, which determines the validity or lack of validity, all rational thinking.

2 - modern: wondering about how much each building a knowledge, as well as all human speech.

3- There is also, Other Sciences raised the issue of existence and being.

So the Humanities and the community, grow toward the light all sorts of behavior, on the basis of established and tuned, the direction of the overall situation analysis. The moral judgment finally it depends on the quality of the knowledge that we get, by scientific research to characterize the results. The use of the concept of "pragmatism", or sense the process of spontaneous and direct, enjoyed by everyone no matter what level of cultural, means liberation of modern social science, and rhetoric from operations chipping and shorthand and abstract theory, that distract us from the reality studied who want to come to him and understand .

Valray moral and historical and philosophical approach, does not allow any ideological position to be determined.It must be activated moral reasoning with strong Hits standard. It seems that the contemporary scientific exploration still too late in this framework. Specialized academic studies which dealt with the subject of ethics are still rare and disappointing, from a scientific point. Because it is descriptive studies, in view of the ancient texts, and recent studies. Therefore, we can distinguish between the patterns of moral discourses, through which can be seen the value system:

1- normative theological narrative: that includes religious currents.

2- secular moral philosophy:that provides material for the analytical streams.

The location of ethics under the law modernist applied Unlike traditional legal systems the principle of:  

           "everything is permitted unless explicitly forbidden"

Thus, the law separated and away from morality. Has become the language of the market seep into all human relations and thus constitute a fundamental challenge to the social and political system. And that do not know the ethics and boundaries . It will be impossible to continue without creating a new concept of philosophy , and a new way of thinking about the nature of truth. Consequently, we urgently need to establish a science above morality. science teaches all moral systems in order to reach universal language laws. It is thought necessary to renew or activate independent thought and critical within the ethical line .

But then perhaps fall again in the arena of science and logic Alabstomologia.

These questions are thought to talk because the traditional classical thought depends Unfortunately for various Tewologgiot: Jewish,Christian, Muslim,and others .... and not for the spirit of the new scientific???

Legitimate questions about Chinese investment in Africa

Salam al Rabadi \ researcher and author in international relations

spain \ Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

Chapter of globalization is taking place in Africa writes this chapter Chinese Who's in various African countries.The Chinese investment has expanded its business scope and crept into the daily lives of the African continent. The strategy of Chinese companies does not depart from the strategic objectives adopted by the Chinese state.Where the government is working to encourage companies to secure vital resources for the economy. The Chinese state owns or manages most of the Chinese companies operating in Africa and these investments reflect the foresight of the Chinese state to achieve long-term objectives .The volume of trade between China and Africa increased at a pace too high and the number of Chinese companies on the African land nearly 900 companies, and the number of Chinese in Africa nearly one million people the largest foreign community in Africa. As the work of Chinese companies do not go out and strategy framework for the political choice of the Chinese government which is based on creating transnational corporations can make China a global economic power.

So Chinese influence in Africa raises questions and concerns. Thus, there is a global competition between the U.S.A and China in Africa and there is also a European concern because of the increased Chinese economic power in Africa. The Chinese influence in Africa raises questions and concerns when the Europeans as the Chinese institutions and companies now possess the qualifications and privileges to compete with American and European companies in several areas.The European Union has called on China to tripartite dialogue with Africa to serve their common interests, to bypass the traditional view and avoid confrontation in the areas of development and exploitation of raw resources in the African continent. To this end held in Brussels in the summer of 2007 a conference organized by the European Commission under the heading:"partners and rivals"than not be competition between Chinese and European companies at the expense of Africa.

Chinese investment in Africa within the strategic vision of the Chinese state. These investments can be considered a form of conflict and competition in international relations. Perhaps the influence of Chinese investment in the African continent is a geopolitical earthquake, and the completion of the achievements of globalization tipped the scales global economic and political.

However, it remains a legitimate question about the investments made by Chinese companies ?

Is this investment included in the framework of cooperation and exchange of interests or intervention under control?When Chinese President vows to raise the value of Chinese investments in Latin America to nearly 100 billion dollars over the next ten years how can we classify these investments?Is intervention in the economic framework or take political dimensions ?

How can we look at the reactions of American and European influence on the growth of Chinese investment in Africa? What are its dimensions ? How can we approach ?

One of the main problems that we can talk about :

open doors of many countries in front of Chinese investment on terms easier than going with Western companies: where can tab?Cooperation in the box? Or in the control box?And How can we deal with the dialectic ignore the intellectual and cultural elites and human rights in the countries of the developing world the issue of violations and abuses of Chinese companies principles of human rights in Africa?

Are we in front of an ideological approach? or there must be a scientific approach, and clear criteria based on interest in the human being and sustainable development when evaluating any investment? whether it is the source of this investment company from developing countries or companies from developed countries? And whether the company is owned by the State or owned by the private sector?

In principle,we can not ignore the political and strategic dimension in European and American criticism for investment by Chinese companies in Africa. If the Europeans try to criticize Chinese investment in Africa from the angle of the omission of these investments to the issues of corruption and how to combat it?And how can support sustainable development?

But these questions should not blind our eyes how the concept of sustainable development acquire the "rubber miraculous"? Where can contain all the problems afflicting mankind and the earth?Examples include : threats to the environment from pollution and desertification .Or manifestations of misery that was and still is the human companion poverty and epidemics and malnutrition .....

This fact opens the door to put the problematic concept of sustainable development and exploitation by the advanced industrial countries ????