Here's how Israel should respond to the rise of Asia

:: The Straits Times 7 My 2005 ::
Israel can benefit politically and economically from Asia's rise if it positions itself correctly, Singaporean Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeoh wrote

THREE years ago, the Israeli ambassador in Singapore sent me an article written by an Israeli scholar.

In it, the scholar saw Muslims in the Middle East viewing Israel as a Western crusader state implanted by force in their land. Like earlier crusader states, Muslims would not rest until they have recaptured it.

I found the analysis profound but depressing. It meant endless conflict until total victory or total defeat.


Perhaps it is difficult for Westerners and Muslims to see each other outside the prism of their own historical experiences. For Westerners, the eruption of Islam out of the Arabian peninsula in the 7th century began a series of threatening encounters starting with the fall of the Holy Land and leading to the loss of the Middle East, northern Africa and large parts of Europe. Important victories are celebrated like Poitiers in 732, the capture of Jerusalem in the First Crusade, the Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula and the defeat of the Turks at the gates of Vienna in 1683.

Muslims see the same events from the opposite perspective. The fall of Constantinople in 1453 was a crushing loss for Christendom but a great triumph for Islam. Although Muslims today often put Jews and Christians in the same camp, this has not always been so. In Muslim Spain, Jews flourished and, when Jews were expelled from Catholic Spain in 1492, they were welcomed in Ottoman lands by the Sultan. Years later, a branch of the Sephardim found its way to Singapore and an Iraqi Jew became its first chief minister.

From the perspective of Asia, however,historical Islam looks quite different. Islam's encounters with Hinduism, South-east Asia and the Chinese world were very different from its encounter with the West.

Islam entered north India by successive invasions. Its greatest triumph was the establishment of the Great Mughal Empire which the British Raj took over and enlarged in the 18th and 19th centuries. Having to coexist with Hindus who made up the vast majority, Islamic society as it evolved in Mughal and British India was less intolerant of other religions than in the Middle East where Muslims were in the overwhelming majority.

In south India, where Islam arrived more by trade than by conquest, Muslim-Hindu relations have always been less troubled. While India today has the second biggest Muslim population in the world, they make up only 12 per cent of the population. It is in Pakistan and Bangladesh that the problem of Islamic extremism has become more serious in recent years.

For China, Muslims are a relatively small minority. There was only one great battle between Arab and Chinese armies in Central Asia (Talas) and that took place in the 8th century. The Chinese lost and Chinese armies never crossed the Tianshan Mountains separating China from Central Asia again.

Muslims make up 1 to 2 per cent of China's population today. They belong to different minority groups like the Uighurs and the Huis. Generally speaking, they enjoy many freedoms so long as they do not challenge the political authority of Beijing. If they do, they get put down brutally. Young Chinese grow up with a very different view of historical Islam from young Americans or young Europeans. When Sept 11 happened, many young Chinese cheered that America had its comeuppance until the central government intervened to stop it.

From the global Muslim perspective, the Chinese world is not viewed negatively at all. The Prophet himself encouraged Muslims to seek knowledge, even from China. Some members of China's Muslim minority might have a more jaundiced view of Han Chinese but that is a local perspective, not that of the global Muslim community.

In contrast to India and China, Islam was brought into South-east Asia by Muslim traders from the Middle East, India and China from the 13th century onwards. It was a civilising influence and helped create networks of trust which facilitated trade. In the same way as Buddhism was the religion of the overland silk road, Islam was for many centuries the religion of the maritime silk road between Europe and China.

Muslims make up half the population of South-east Asia today. Indonesia has the world's biggest Muslim population but many practise a more tolerant form of Islam influenced by Buddhism, Hinduism and other religions. While there have always been local conflicts between Muslims and non-Muslims, they do not have the same sharpness as the conflicts between Islam and the West. Indonesia's Constitution specifically disavows Islam as a state religion.

Rise of Asia

AS ASIA'S relative weight in the global economy grows, it is important to understand these different perspectives of Islam. Developments in China, India and South-east Asia will all exert a growing influence on the development of the global Islamic community, including developments in the Middle East.

Although Islamist terrorism is a threat to China, China does not view it with the same degree of seriousness as the United States and Europe. Up to now, it is mostly a problem of Uighur separatism. Looking ahead, however, as the inland regions become better connected to the coastal cities by road, rail, air and electronic means, the problem of Islamist terrorism in China may become worse.

With increasing urbanisation, more Chinese Muslims will live in China's urban centres. However, the Chinese government will manage this problem in a robust, practical way. Abstract Western notions of all citizens being equal before the law will matter much less in China. When China introduced a one-child policy, that policy did not apply to minorities who were free to have as many children as they wished.

Singapore is three-quarters ethnic Chinese. In Singapore, male Muslim citizens can legally marry up to four wives according to the syariah. This is not a political issue at all. For matters relating to Muslim marriage, divorce and inheritance, syariah laws apply.

In Malaysia, where Islam is the official religion, non-Muslims who comprise 40 per cent of the population enjoy freedoms which Muslims do not. For example, there is a casino which is open to anyone so long as he is not a Muslim. Such discriminatory practices, whether positive or negative, would not be allowed in Western democracies.

Both Malaysia and Indonesia are functioning democracies. Malaysia is a middle-income country enjoying a high growth rate. Its Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi promotes a progressive form of Islam called Islam Hadhari or Civilisational Islam.

Indonesia has only recently restored its democracy after a few difficult years of transition from the authoritarian rule of Suharto. For the first time last year, the president and vice-president were elected by universal franchise in nationwide elections that were internationally considered to be free and fair.

When the Indonesian Constitution was promulgated in August 1945, it put all major religions on an equal footing even under a state philosophy called Pancasila even though 85 per cent of the population was Muslim. That founding principle remains the bedrock of Indonesian society.

But it is still a fledgling democracy. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has committed himself to reducing corruption which remains widespread. The Indonesian army still plays a major role in the political arena.

It is in the interest of the US to help Indonesia strengthen its institutions and professionalise its army. We must also remember that some of the world's most important sea lanes pass through Indonesian waters. A stable, secular Indonesia is good for all of us.

In Thailand and the Philippines where there are significant Muslim minorities, in both countries in the south, there is now general acceptance that policies of assimilation would not work. Both governments are prepared to accommodate Muslim minorities in a special way. The alternative is Muslim insurrection and the danger that Muslim communities can become hosts to al Qaeda-type global Islamist terrorist groups of which Jemaah Islamiah is one.

Like other parts of the world, fighting Islamist terrorism in South-east Asia is a difficult, long-term challenge. Cracking down hard on the terrorists and their networks is a necessary but an insufficient condition. We need, at the same time, to accommodate legitimate religious aspirations and practices within multi-religious frameworks. Without such provisions, democracy in South-east Asia cannot deliver stability and growth.

India provides yet another model for the future. It is the world's largest democracy with a well-entrenched legal system. From time to time, terrible religious conflicts break out. In December 1992, Hindus demolished a mosque in Ayodhya which the Mughals had built in the 16th century on the site of an older Hindu temple. This led to religious riots in many cities.

Three years ago, a train carrying Hindu devotees from Ayodhya to Ahmedabad caught fire killing many of them. It was alleged that the train had been set on fire by Muslims. The result was a ferocious Hindu reaction in the state of Gujarat which the police were slow to put down. Thousands of Muslims were killed. However, these flare-ups never last very long. There is a resilience in Indian society which enables it to overcome such problems.

The success or failure of the Indian model will influence neighbouring Muslim Pakistan and Bangladesh. If India's economy continues to grow and enables it to become a major power, Pakistan and Bangladesh will come under pressure to keep up with India.

In the last 10 years, India's growth rate averaged about 6 per cent a year. In the coming years, India is expected to achieve 6 to 7 per cent. For the economies of Pakistan and Bangladesh to grow as fast as India's economy, they will have to adopt policies which are also development-oriented and secular.

After Sept 11 and under US pressure, President Pervez Musharraf took Pakistan down a different road. For the first time since partition in 1947, there is hope that India and Pakistan will be able to reach some kind of a peace agreement while continuing to disagree on Kashmir.

This drama in South Asia encompasses the lives of 1.3 billion people. If South Asians are able to progress like East and South-east Asians, the impact on the Islamic world would be huge. There are about 250 million Muslims in South-east Asia and about 500 million in South Asia. Together, they make up more than half the Muslim population in the world.

Some economic numbers are worth keeping in mind. The combined GDP of East and South-east Asia - Japan, greater China, South Korea and the 10 South-east Asian countries - last year was about US$10 trillion (S$16.3 trillion) compared to US$12 trillion for the US and US$13 trillion for the European Union (EU). If we add India to East and South-east Asia, we have a combined Asian GDP comparable to that of the US and EU today.

In 10 years' time, that GDP will be much greater than that of either the US or the EU. By the middle of the century, the global picture will look quite different. But nothing is inevitable in history and we must expect ups and downs in Asia's development.

However, the trends are quite clear. The growth of Asia is already being felt throughout the Middle East.

Many Middle Eastern countries are now looking eastwards. After Sept 11, the wealthier classes who used to vacation in the West and kept much of their money in London and New York suddenly felt much less welcome. They are now visiting Asia in increasing numbers and parking their funds there in increasing amounts.

The trade links between the Middle East and Asia are strengthening by the day. Last year, China overtook Japan as the world's second largest oil importer. It is growing Chinese demand for energy that is keeping energy prices high. China has become a beneficiary of the Western embargo on Iran.

India is not going to stand still and would like to pipe into India gas from Iran. The politics in the region now allow a gas pipeline to be built from Iran through Pakistan to India. India is completely unpersuaded by the US call not to build this pipeline, although Pakistan may be prevailed upon by the US to prevent the pipeline from crossing its territory.

At the recent meeting between President Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, they agreed to consider extending this pipeline all the way through Myanmar to south-west China. In this way, India is assured that Pakistan will not cut off its gas supply from Iran because that gas also goes to Pakistan's staunch ally, China.

The growth of Asia gives countries in the Middle East new options which they did not have in the past. But, more significantly, developments in China, India and South-east Asia offer models of social and political organisation different from the West. They carry less emotional baggage from the past. With globalisation, many more diplomats, businessmen, scholars, tourists and religious teachers travel freely between the Middle East and Asia bringing home new ideas and inspiration.

S'pore in Middle East

AS A moderately successful city-state, Singapore in recent years has been studied all over the Middle East as a development model. Dubai consciously models itself on Singapore and in some respects might have surpassed Singapore. Other Gulf states are doing the same in order to compete against Dubai.

When I attended the Dead Sea World Economic Forum in June 2003, I was pleasantly surprised by the many delegates who cited the Singapore model. My Harvard Business School professor told me last year that he would always be asked to include Singapore cases when conducting courses in the Middle East.

This interest in Singapore is but the beginning of a re-discovery of Asia which will open a new chapter in Middle Eastern history. I believe it will tell a more hopeful story of peaceful interaction between the Middle East and Asia, of the riches brought about by a new China trade.

I represent in Singapore a political district named after an Arab merchant family from the Hadhramaut region of Yemen (Aljunied). The Hadhramis were traders who plied the seas from Zanzibar to South China. This year, we celebrate the 600th anniversary of the first voyage of the great Chinese Muslim eunuch, Admiral Cheng Ho, who sailed all the way to Mombasa in his magnificent treasure ships. Today, 30 per cent of the world's trade passes through the Strait of Malacca.

Israel will benefit politically and economically from the rise of Asia if it positions itself for this new configuration. This was the instinct of the early leaders of Israel. Israel's first prime minister David Ben-Gurion was quick to recognise the People's Republic of China in 1950.

After Singapore separated from Malaysia in 1965, former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir agreed to help Singapore build up its armed forces based on the Israeli system of an armed citizenry. As a young major in the Singapore Air Force, I felt it a privilege to be the bag-carrier for Israeli Air Force commander General David Ivry, who later became Israel's ambassador to the US, when he first visited Singapore in 1980. Two years later, when the Israeli Air Force triumphed spectacularly over the Bekaa Valley, I knew we had the right teacher.

Israel's part in Asia


IN JANUARY 2000, as Singapore's trade minister, I met Israeli trade minister Ran Cohen in Davos. At that time, Israel worked in close cooperation with the Palestinian Authority. Ran Cohen told me that he would like to visit Singapore with his Palestinian counterpart, and together with me, they hoped to travel to a nearby Indonesian island to visit a Singapore industrial estate and meet our Indonesian counterpart there.

The Indonesian president was then Abdurrahman Wahid, a Muslim cleric who viewed Israel sympathetically and counted Shimon Peres among his close friends. Cooperation between Singapore and Indonesia would be an inspiration for Israeli-Palestinian cooperation. I was thrilled and started making preparations the moment I went back to Singapore. Unfortunately, within a few months, Israeli-Palestinian relations went into a downward spiral culminating in the intifada in September. It all seemed such a long time ago. But there is hope again after successful elections in Palestine and Iraq.

Finding the formula for peace in the Middle East is never an easy task. But with Asia making steady progress year by year, the deep trends may turn more favourable. We can't be sure, but we must be alert to new possibilities. For example, I cannot believe that the re-emergence of China and India on the global stage is a negative factor for peace in the Middle East. It is good that Israel is actively engaging both these Asian powers. Last year, in a diplomatic breakthrough, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon became the first Israeli head of government to visit India.

The rise of Asia is also a huge opportunity for the global Jewish community, especially if there is a peace settlement between Israel and Palestine. In non-Muslim Asia, because of a very different history, there is little anti-Semitism.

In China and India, Jews are admired. The Kaifeng Jews, who came to China from Persia in the Song Dynasty a thousand years ago, set the foundation for a long tradition of friendship between China and the Jewish community. During the holocaust, Shanghai was a sanctuary for Jews. Today, the people of Wenzhou, who are among the most enterprising in China, are popularly known as the 'Jews of China'. This is not to say there is no ethnic stereotyping.

There is, of course, all over Asia and it is by no means reserved for Jews alone. But there is little of the anti-Semitism found historically in the Christian world. Even the anti-Semitism of Muslim Asia is more a political reaction to the plight of the Palestinian people than a deeply held racism.

It would be good for the global Jewish community and for Asia generally to have more Jews visit, study, work and live in Asia. As the use of English becomes more widespread in Asia, communication has become much less of a problem. With the encouragement of the Singapore Government, there is a steadily growing Israeli community in Singapore which uses Singapore as a base to operate in Asia.

Singapore's first chief minister was an Iraqi Jew by the name of David Marshall, a man who was a caricature of himself. After he stepped down in 1956 in protest against the refusal of the British to grant immediate independence to Singapore, he went to China to help resolve the problem of citizenship of overseas Chinese in Singapore.

When he was in Shanghai, he was approached by the leader of the Jewish community to appeal to the Chinese government for the release of the Jews who were stranded there after the communists took over in 1949. There were some 500 of them, mostly from Russia whom the Chinese communists detained to placate Stalin. Marshall raised the matter with premier Zhou Enlai himself, arguing that it was as immoral for China to prevent the Jews from leaving as it was for South-east Asia countries to prevent Chinese nationals from returning home. Zhou expressed shock. Not long afterwards, the slow exodus of the Jews out of China began.

There are many, many such stories of Jewish links with Asia, mostly forgotten because of war, revolution and socialist autarky. These stories should now be retold to a younger generation and the old links re-established and built upon. Every change in the tide of civilisation in Europe and the Middle East has had a major impact on the global Jewish community. This new tide flowing from Asia will bring many new opportunities.