The promotion of a political dialogue between members of civil societies in Europe and the Arab world is an important objective of the project work of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty (FNF) in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Together with liberal political parties NGOs pushing a liberal agenda are the main partners of the Foundation in this part of the world.

In cooperation with the Foundation these groups are striving for more freedom of expression, the rule of law and the freedom of assembly and association – to name but the most important political rights.

"The Freedom of Association is a precondition for non-violent political participation and thus also political reforms", argues Dr. Ronald Meinardus, FNF’s Regional Director in Cairo. For several years, the Foundation has sponsored a regional project aimed at promoting the freedom of association in selected Arab states. Members of the recently established Arab Council for the Freedom of Association have now participated in a visiting program to Germany sponsored by FNF: In Berlin, the delegation got a first-hand and in depth overview of the constitutional, legal and also political handling of this basic political right in Germany. The Arab NGO leaders spoke with government officials, police officers, legal experts, party politicians and civil society members.

"If you look at the texts, our constitutions are very similar", said Dr. Arous Zoubeir from Algeria. "The main difference between Germany and our part of the world is that in Germany the constitution is applied. This is not the case in our countries."

Not a One-Time Event

Following the program in Berlin, the group joined an international conference at the Foundation’s headquarters titled "Civil Society in Europe and the Arab World – Towards a Sustainable Dialogue".

That this dialogue should not be a one-time-event was highlighted by Manfred Richter, Member of FNF’s Board of Directors. Speaking at the opening of the conference, Richter suggested that the European-Arabic Dialogue would be held annually at different locations. Promoting civil society – the FNF official added – is not a "temporary mood, but a central component of liberal philosophy".

Speakers from Europe and the Arab world stressed that civil society entails a normative - value-based – component. The German historian Arnd Bauerkämper mentioned tolerance, plurality and liberty as such norms. In order to prosper, the scholar added, civil society needs the support and also the protection of the state.

The European participants, among them several NGO leaders from Eastern Europe, acknowledged that these favourable conditions for civil society exist in their part of the world. However, the situation was very different in the Arab world, the Arab delegates stated. There, the liberally minded civil society finds itself sandwiched in between authoritarian governments on the one side and radical Islamist groups on the other side, whose democratic credentials are far from established: "The Islamists need to clarify their positions regarding human rights, democracy and pluralism, before we would recognize them as joint civil society partners", said Dr. Azmi Shaubi, a former minister from Palestine and now a senior member of a non governmental organization.

Joint Experiences - and Differences

"There exist a number of joint experiences between Eastern Europe and the Arab world", said Dr. Igor Ostrowski from Poland. As one important example, the Polish activist mentioned the dominant role of religion comparing the influence of the Catholic church in his country with that of Islam in the Arab world.

The relationship between politics and religion and the role of the church (or the mosque) in politics was just one of the many topics the delegates discussed in the plenary and in working groups during the conference.

The Arab-European sessions wrapped up with a public event on the relationship between civil society and the state in downtown Berlin attended by well over one hundred participants. Well known experts joined the panel which – once more – highlighted the big differences existing between Europe and the Arab world today. Markus Löning, the recently appointed Commissioner for Human Rights of the German Government stressed that the state has an obligation to support civil society for the sake of democracy. He also said that cooperating with civil society actors should be an important component of the external relations of a democratic government. Well known Egyptian human rights activist Hafez Abou Seada painted a very different picture of the situation back home: "In our countries, governments don’t see us as partners, they consider as a danger."