Governments in the Muslim World
The Search for Peace, Justice, and Fifty Million New Jobs
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In most Muslim governments, the track record of the politicians is a disaster. They seem only to know how to engage in sterile internal and external conflicts and feuds, and do not seem to understand the need for, and the skills of negotiation and compromise. Everything for them is negative, in situations begging for intelligent initiatives. These Muslim leaders have never forgiven the creation of Israel by Western powers. Even worse, they have never forgiven each other for the schism that eternally exists between Sunni and Shia, which has poisoned the Muslim world for 1400 years. Most Muslim regimes have endless yearnings for power, yet keep their people powerless. Even in religion, Muslims are experiencing significant conflict. Islam is usually interpreted to mean a religion of peace and it prohibits the killing of innocents, and of suicide, and it calls for universal peace. But many Imams invent their own form of Islam and especially in the Shia community they are usually obeyed. Just as people distrust their political leadership, they are increasingly coming to believe they must beware of their own religious leadership. Radical religious elements are at war with the very idea of governments, or even individual nations. Instead, they envision the image of the umma – a united all-encompassing international community of Muslim believers that would be guided (and controlled) by one set of religious beliefs as centrally defined by religious leaders and thus cannot be questioned. Yet in the name of Islam, they sponsor terrorists who slaughter innocent civilians, and induce young men and women to blow themselves up. But in fact, it seems that the general Muslim population rejects both the current set of political leaders and the more fundamentalist religious leadership. They are beginning to believe that there is a middle ground.
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About the Book
Never in modern times has there been a greater need for understanding of the Muslim world. Nothing in that world is more important than the relationship between Muslims and their Faith, yet now that Faith has become far more confusing and challenging. The emergence of religious fundamentalism, often linked to terrorism, seems wholly inconsistent with the teaching of the Quran and the other holy documents of the Faith, which defines itself as a religion of peace and forgiveness. Muslims everywhere have found themselves facing two dilemmas: first, a failure of the governments that demand to rule them; and then a major concern over what kind of Faith true Muslims should believe in. But while religion tends to control people's lives, it is not the primary source of conflict in the Muslim world. That source is the yearning for power which has produced leadership unwilling to negotiate and unable to compromise, along with the sins of personal greed and a culture of corruption.
What do most Muslims really want? To live in peace, to live a devout life, and to achieve a successful life for themselves and their children. "Governments in the Muslim World" describes in many ways how far they are from these desires.
About the Author
Charles F. Bingman had a 30 year career as a U. S. Federal government manager and executive. After retirement, he taught public management at the George Washington University and the Johns Hopkins University Washington Center. Bingman has done consulting assignments with various organizations in the Muslim countries of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. He has also consulted in China, Japan, the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Romania, Estonia, Botswana, and other countries. He is the author of: "Japanese Government Leadership and Management"(1989); "Why Governments Go Wrong" (2006); "Reforming China's Government"(2010); and "Changing Governments in India and China"(2011). Bingman is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, and of the Cosmos Club in Washington D. C.