IBN RUSHD
Fund for
Freedom of Thought
The Ibn Rushd Fund for Freedom of Thought
awards its prize this year to Dr. Azmi Bishara, an Arab member of the Israeli
Knesset. The prize, awarded for special contributions to freedom of speech and democracy
in the Arab World, will be presented on Saturday 14th December 2002 in the German capital Berlin.
The Ibn-Rushd Fund, named
after the philosopher Ibn Rushd (1126-1198, a.k.a. Averroes), supports freedom
of speech and democracy in the Arab World by awarding this prize. The thematic
focus varies annually: so far, people from the fields of journalism, women's
rights and humanities were honoured. This year, the prize will be awarded to an
Arab personality who has shown special commitment to promoting democracy as a
member of parliament.
An independent
jury elected Dr.
Azmi Bishara. The Palestinian intellectual, born in Nazareth in 1956, is an
Israeli citizen. Since 1996, he has been a member of the Knesset. Bishara
started to be engaged in political activities already as a high school student;
as a university student, he co-founded the Union of Arab Students, the first
political organisation of this kind in Israel. From 1980 to 1985, he studied
Philosophy and Political Science at the Humboldt-University in Berlin In
Ramallah, West Bank, he co-founded the Institute for Democracy and was involved
in publishing many important studies in the field of research on democracy.
From 1986 to 1996 held a chair for Cultural Sciences, Philosophy and Political
Theory at Bir Zeit University near Ramallah, West Bank.. Furthermore, he did
research at the Van Leer-Institute in Jerusalem from 1990 to 1996.
As an Arabic member of the Knesset he is committed to the right of the
Arabs in Israel; he also support the fight for independence of the Palestinians
living in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip. 1999 he ran for prime minister
to create a true alternative to the political line of the Labour-party and the
Likud. His aim was to put topics such as the following on the political agenda:
an end to the discrimination of Israel's Arab citizens, a halt to the
expropriation of Arab lands, the recognition of Arab villages.
Western countries like to call Israel the only liberal democracy in the
Middle East. Bishara questions this claim; he criticises Israel as a state for
part of its citizens only and finds the state of occupation in its essence
similar to the system of Apartheid. His main point is that, in the long run,
Israel cannot remain a Jewish state, if it wants to remain a democratic state.
A truly democratic state had to separate state and religion and represent the
interest of all its citizens, instead of amalgamating religion and state and
thus be able to instrumentalise religion for political purposes, says Bishara.
At present, Israel's roughly one million Arab citizens, about 20 percent of its
population, were noticeably discriminated against.
Bishara criticised early on the Israeli conditions to Palestinian
autonomy as a "separation without sovereignty". Only a solution on
the basis of equality and justice could be long-lasting, such as two states for
two peoples, or a democratic, secular, and binational state.
Bishara is aware of the effect he makes as a democratic Arab politician
on other Arab countries. He knows that he is held up as an example when he
holds a speech against Sharon's politics in parliament. "With TV, now the
whole Arab world sees us. The Arab world asks 'How can you shout and say those
things and challenge the Israeli minister, but [...] nobody puts you in jail,
at least not directly?' This, I can say, is having an effect." In this
way, Bishara makes use of the effect that his democratic fight has, thanks to
the media, on the state of political awareness of citizens from other Arab
countries, whose political systems are less democratic.
At present, however, Bishara is threatened by a trial in Israel: his
colleagues in parliament voted for lifting his parliamentary immunity already
by the end of 2001. He is still awaiting his trial. This is a novelty in
Israel's history: never before has a political comment of a member of
parliament had legal repercussions.
The IBN RUSHD PRIZE for Freedom of Thought will be awarded, in the
presence of the prize-winner, on December 14th 2002. The ceremony
will begin at 11.00 hrs at the Werkstatt der Kulturen in the German capital
Berlin.
For further information, please view http://www.ibn-rushd.org. or
call us at Tel. +49 (0)2962-5162. e-mail : info@ibn-rushd.org