Ep.38 Why the Arab Spring is Not Over with Dr Azzam Tamimi
As part of our Arab Spring series, we take a look at the events that shook the region at the beginning of 2011 and ask searching questions about where we are now. The Middle East today remains a cauldron of instability, yet the autocrats and their backers have successfully, for now, subverted a revolution that once filled Arabs and Muslims with hope. Over the coming weeks and months, I hope to interview a range of voices, from differing sides of the political and age divide with the hope that collectively we can find some answers. Has the Arab spring turned into a deep winter? Have the autocrats won? Do we now see a failure of Islamic movements across the world and if so, what will replace it?
Last time I spoke to Dr Osman Bakhach, an activist and commentator with his frank assessment of where we are now. I received a lot of feedback from the interview, mostly positive, some found his conclusions sobering, others criticised it for being too pessimistic. I suspect most people that have an interest in the Muslim world, come to a topic like the Arab spring with preordained assumptions and absolute conclusions.
I hope through these interviews that we can all open up our minds to some level of critical analysis. Because only through this can we move forward and learn the mistakes of this decade.
My guest this week is Dr Azzam Tamimi. Dr Tamimi is a Palestinian academic and activist and has for decades contributed to Islamic and political work. He has authored numerous books, detailing his analysis on events in the Muslim world including his doctoral thesis on Rachid Ghannouchi from An-Nahda Party and a detailed history of Hamas. Dr Tamimi currently hosts a show on Al-Hiwar TV.