Looking at the material resources today in all fields, we realise that mankind reached this level of abundance by making use of past experiences to expand people’s options. Indeed, we have come a long way in the fields of education, health care, freedom, human rights, our relationship with the environment and our keenness to preserve it for the coming generations through sustainable development.
We have drawn most of our experiences from a past that witnessed countless ethnic, sectarian, religious or tribal wars. Very few people benefited from these wars, while the majority just served as cannon fodder in these battles, both on the side of the victors and the losers.
Talking about our present, which is strongly linked to the past, is not pleasant. But it can’t be avoided, given the prevailing situation in the Middle East today. There is a strong presence of the past in our present. This phenomenon requires us to stop and consider its affects for many reasons. One, it is draining our abilities and is occupying more areas of our physical and mental being; it is wasting our countries’ fortunes and shutting down the minds of our youth, thereby blocking the path towards progress and development.
I am not referring here to heritage; rather the forces that try to employ this heritage in an irresponsible manner with great force in the daily political life to gain access to power. These forces do not make use of the good features of this heritage. History is being used to inflict deep wounds on the community structure; there are countless struggles taking place in a number of countries as a result of this history.
As we reflect on the circumstances surrounding Middle Eastern societies, it is inevitable that we talk openly about the negative aspects of the call to return to the past and its values. The past belongs to the old world of the dead; however it still has the power to take over the lives of the living. Furthermore, it is still able to halt the wheels at certain junctions, mocking development and insisting on addressing its advocates arrogantly and raising the banners of atonement and using all methods to impose itself, including through the use of violence and destruction. Rituals that hark back to the past are practised in many of the region’s societies using a variety of methods, considered by some to be forms of performing arts. However, it most certainly is not an attractive enterprise.
Feelings and concerns in these rituals, where the living are submerged with the dead, are not dedicated to bringing joy to life, nor do they convey an artistic message. These rituals are there to extract the remaining joy from the hearts of people who are deperately seeking joyful life and future. Sadly, this phenomenon of the past taking over the future has affected learned, educated people and ordinary people as well. Some were taken in by this past history wave, motivated by opportunistic desires for personal gain while others were busy analysing its inputs and outputs and the morbid stances it adds to daily life
Old and current disputes
Most communities in the world are mixed in terms of religion, ethnicity, sect or tribe, and each of these components have a cultural legacy and heritage they are keen to sustain, even though some of these rituals may offend the feelings of others. Although, theoretically, diversity enriches culture and civilisation, on the other hand it has created a lot of problems regarding how to settle old and current disputes. These problems relate to what we choose from our heritage and tradition and work towards developing, because that enhances the community’s unity and removes tensions. We may also choose other heritage points to deepen differences affecting unity and the social fabric.
What we are witnessing today in the Middle East is violence and fighting due to a strong focus on parts of heritage that emphasise differences and divisions and reject all civic values of civilisation. Resisting and fighting this phenomenon does not warrant political and reform procedures as much as it demands to be dealt with through a cultural resurrection, wherein intellectuals play a vanguard role. This renaissance is achieved by laying the foundations of a frank and open dialogue, while approaching the past and its heritage in a bold way. We must not allow the past to destroy our present in any way.
Credit: Mohammad Akef Jamal is an Iraqi writer based in Dubai.
