Regardless of how one feels about yesterday’s Brexit vote, there is an undeniable reality about how the run-up to the referendum went. The most base elements of British society were out in full force, appealing to the most primary of nationalistic instincts.
When we consider the corresponding reflexes in the Arab world, one wonders – when the region is struggling to uphold basic pluralism, what does it mean when one of the most stable democracies in the world is being so deeply affected by such nationalistic forces?
The Leave camp in the referendum over European Union membership pushed identity politics in the UK. The Leave proponents wanted to have Britons feel their identities were under attack, and they needed to stand up against the anti-British forces in Brussels.
One of the chief ironies of the extreme nationalists in the UK, however, is that they have many bedfellows across the European Union itself. Indeed, the EU will next be led by a Slovakian presidency, with a leader who has declared that “Islam has no place” in his country. The spread of anti-Muslim bigotry, under the rubric of nationalistic sentiment has been incredibly common across the continent – and not simply among the far-right.
Many in the Arab world cast an eye over the rise of extreme nationalism in the UK, which may have played a significant role in the tragic murder of Jo Cox, a British MP in the north of England.
They also see the rise of similar sentiments, even if not necessarily violent in expression, across the EU. From a purely reactionary point of view, those in the Arab world who see anti-Muslim sentiments emanating so strongly from Europe can only view it negatively, because the Arab world is so imbued with Islamic tradition. But there is another aspect to this. As the Arab world struggles itself with issues of pluralism, many within the region look specifically at Europe for support on issues pertaining to civil liberties and fundamental freedoms – much of which have to do with pluralism. As the rise of extremist nationalism continues in Europe, how might that be affected?
One can already see that as Donald Trump becomes the presumptive Republican nominee in the United States, many within the Arab world look askance at the West when it claims a superior respect for fundamental rights. It’s a rather poor argument, but one that sentimentally works: “Who are you to tell us about pluralism, when you’re this close to voting in someone who would exclude an entire religious group, Muslims, from entry into your country?”
One can imagine that as the rise of extremist nationalism in different European countries continues, similar arguments will be used by autocrats and authoritarians in the region who view Western pressure on issues around fundamental freedoms to be an infringement of national sovereignty. Indeed, one can see that cynical tool being used already.
But there remains a keen reality here. Indeed, Europe is going through a rather damaging stage, where for the first time since the Second World War, nationalists are feeling they have a voice they can use to exclude others. It’s not healthy – and it is likely to have harmful consequences.
Yet, despite the forces that pushed so hard against pluralism, there were those who pushed back.
We saw that, for example, when Sadiq Khan became London mayor earlier this year and when the Green candidate won against the far-right right for the Austrian presidency. It will continue to be a struggle within the European Union for a long time to come. It is a struggle, fundamentally, about what the UK is, and what kind of Europe it wants to see.
For those of us in the Arab world, there are entirely different struggles – a different history, a different set of challenges that have already cost so many lives and immense suffering over the last few years. The irony is that within the Arab world, the history of pluralism actually fares a great deal better than in Europe – until fairly recently. It’s why you have a great variety of different ethnic and religious groups, who were able, for the most part, to coexist quite comfortably – a far healthier pluralism, historically, than that which prevailed in Europe.
Nevertheless, the region is going through a dark period, as forces intent on wiping out that respect for pluralism continue to grow, whether in terms of religious pluralism or political pluralism. But rather than learn from those in the Brexit debate who sought to make the UK narrower, perhaps the region ought to learn from those who pushed back against that sentiment. To do so would be far more faithful to the values of the Arab region itself.
Dr HA Hellyer is a non-resident senior fellow at Atlantic Council’s Centre for the Middle East in Washington, DC and at the Royal United Services Institute in London
On Twitter: @hahellyer
