GlocalNet

For IFYC - You may read the blog at this link Freedom Isn’t For Sale or you may read it below.

Last week I was in Doha, Qatar for a couple of different gatherings. While there, I had the unique opportunity of meeting some of the young people at the forefront of the revolution taking place all across the Middle East. They were educated, articulate, and incredibly inspiring. The more I listened to them, hung out with them, and asked questions, the more excited I became about the emerging leadership in the Middle East. There are many questions people have about what is happening there – I have many as well – but in the West, we should be incredibly excited about what is taking place. It’s happening without us and it really is about freedom. The young people I spent time with from Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and several from other places not yet being reported about, had several themes.

First, it’s about freedom – pure and simple. They are not Islamist with a global agenda of Islam – I’ve been around people like that a good deal. If anything, they distance themselves from those people. One young lady pointedly told me, “We are Muslims – most of us – but we want freedom in all areas of life, in religion speech, press, all of it. We want what we see in the rest of the world.” I was told by all of them from all countries how the “revolutions” had brought people of all faiths together. What is exciting to me is this is from them, not some western exported version of democracy. They’ll create their own.

Second, there is a major disconnect between the younger and older generation all across the Middle East. At one gathering I was at there was quite a bit of tension between the young and the old. Whereas the old were still giving more what the young people called “slogans” and reasons for “revolution” the young people were in the midst of it and were giving strategies for moving forward. There was even a sense of resentment from some of the older people. It was as if what they had talked about for decades, overnight with a different agenda, the young came in and changed the face of everything. The impact wasn’t just on governments, but on existing parties and movements in the wings waiting.

Third, it’s going to be a long haul. It’s one thing to start a revolution – it’s another to govern once you’re in power. I was amazed at one young lady who stood and spoke and her comment was “the challenge we face as we come into power is the dictator in all of us.” One older person said, “The young need to leave the governing to us.” I doubt that is going to happen – and I’m happy about that.

The last meal I had with a group of young people, a young Libyan gave me his flag that he brought from Libya. I was very very moved. I tried to give him some money – and he pushed back and placed his hand on his heart and said about all he could say in English “no, no, no.” Then he patted my heart and said, “Libya!” I felt like I was with a young George Washington. May the cry in the Middle-East be the same cry that young William Wallace gave before his head was cut off.