Discussing the issue of reform in the Arab and Muslim world in his pre-press-conference speech last Wednesday night, President Bush stated, “A free Iraq will stand as an example to reformers across the Middle East. A free Iraq will show that America is on the side of Muslims who wish to live in peace, as we have already shown in Kuwait and Kosovo, Bosnia, and Afghanistan.”

He explained that those working against reform are supporting “a fanatical, political ideology. The servants of this ideology seek tyranny in the Middle East and beyond. They seek to oppress and persecute women. They seek the death of Jews and Christians, and every Muslim who desires peace over theocratic terror….”

The tiny Gulf state of Qatar, best known for being the headquarters of al-Jazeera TV, has emerged as the most supportive Arab nation of American reform initiatives in the Middle East and opposing of the “fanatical” ideology President Bush alluded to in his speech.

As the Egyptian scholar Osama Al-Ghazali Harb wrote last week: “Reform on the regional level requires countries of a certain region to derive support, and receive inspiration from each other. In this respect, one ‘model’ country can play an important role in stimulating the region as a whole.” The political and religious leadership in Qatar are, in fact, emerging as a progressive force in the Arab world that can serve as such a model. Qatar is setting the standard for other nations to follow with regard to democracy, reform in Islam, education, economics, and the rights of women.

In early 2004, Qatar announced it would host a series of conferences on the topic of reform in the Middle East. The first focused on educating Arabs about elections and the participation of women in politics. Another conference dealt with human rights in educational curricula. This was followed by another conference organized by the Qatari foreign ministry that focused on issues relating to development, strengthening economic growth, and fostering peace in the region.

Following up from a March 3 meeting of Arab foreign ministers in which Qatar defended American reform initiatives, Qatar’s outspoken foreign minister, Hamad Bin Jassim Aal-Thani, explained two weeks later that Arab countries are not ready to carry out reform from within and would be better off following American reform initiatives. Speaking later at the Doha Cultural Festival, he added, “development will not be achieved…without enhancing democracy, human rights, equality and giving women their rights.”

Aal-Thani referred to the Bush administration’s democratization initiative for the Middle East, explaining, “We support reform, development, and promotion of human rights in the region.” He added, “Each country [in the Arab world] can select its own model, but the basic principles of democracy, in our view, remain the freedom to choose, equality, prevalence of law, and respect for human rights.”

Presenting the inaugural address at the Fourth Conference on Democracy and Free Trade in Doha on April 5, Aal-Thani said that the Arab world has been foolish to dismiss American reform initiatives. Countries in the region, he added, “can demonstrate that their efforts are not less than those countries like Malaysia, India, and Singapore, which suffered pains of the past but rose above them, and hence developed economically and politically.”

He then went on to blast the Arab world for using the Palestinian issue as an excuse not to move forward. “Honesty obliges us to stress that the wrath in our region does not spring only from the Palestinian cause but goes deeper and is due to problems of our own creation that have nothing to do with the outside world–problems we have allowed to grow unremedied and unchecked…”

Discussing the importance of bringing together those involved with reform, he explained, “We placed emphasis on opening the door for dialogue between all religions and civilizations, as well as on the role of education and the rights of women. The development of free trade and advanced technologies provide support for the development of democratic principles.”

The Doha conference also brought together others supportive of reform, including former Pakistani information minister, Mushahad Hussein Sayed, who said: “Realization has dawned on the leadership of the region that its future lies in democracy…. Democracy can’t be piecemeal or selective; it means respect for public opinion, the rule of law…. It also means protecting the human rights of all people, irrespective of age, sex, culture, or religion.”

Another speaker, the Organization of the Islamic Conference Secretary General, Abdelouahed Belkaziz, said Islam is fully compatible with the concepts of democracy but that, in some countries, the law has diverged from the principles of faith.

He added, “Some reform is needed, and a lack of democracy also adversely affects economic performance. In order to attract ‘economic actors’ to the region, there must be justice, accountability, transparency, and the encouragement of investment.”

–Steven Stalinsky is executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute.