Mideast Democracy

Salam Al-Marayati’s Nov. 22 response to my commentary (Nov. 7) on the quest for democracy in the Middle East demonstrates how genuine discussions may, if allowed, be subverted by purposeful distortion and artless invective.

Instead of engaging in a discussion of whether a government of limited powers is the indispensable element of a democracy and how Arabs might choose their own way of creating such limitations, Al-Marayati tries to divert attention through the standard techniques of the propagandist. First, he tries to place the fault that there are no Arab democracies on Western colonialists--as if countries like India, Mexico and the Philippines had never found their own democratic voice. And he can then equate these colonialists with any commentator like myself who dares address the issue. Furthermore, he tries to control who may enter the discussion by saying that it is hypocritical for supporters of Israel to speak about human rights and brands my references to ways in which Arabs might revitalize some of their own indigenous limitations on power as “condescending” and having “a racist tone.”

Those, like myself, who believe that politics and culture are not the exclusive preserve of their adherents but the common concern of all who approach difference with respect, will not be diverted by such prejudice. I believe that democracy is a universal value and that it is integral, not antithetical, to the articulation of a culture’s distinctive identify. I believe that the Palestinians have a rare opportunity, by articulating the vision of their own state, to lead Arab nations in creating governments of limited powers.

LAWRENCE ROSEN

Princeton, N.J.