THE THIRD WAY
On September, 20th, 1998, a symposium on the subject “The third way” was held at New York University. The participants speculated the opinions and conceptions about such international project. The call to such a symposium had come from an initiative from the American President Bill Clinton of the USA and the British Prime Minister Tony Blaire. A number of European political leaders participated in the symposium such as the Italian Prime Minister Romano brodi and his Dutch peer Wim Kock.
The German chancellor Gerhardt Schroeder the leader of the social democratic party who was engaged at that time with the German elections, was absent from the symposium. Also, the French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin was absent from the symposium; refusing the invitation that had been addressed to him. Jospin’s absence was interpreted as a preservation for such initiative that prepares to further American ideological superintendence, on the expenses of the other international forces. The concept of “the third way” is established on finding out the alternative to the socialism and communism that the history rejected, its statues fell down, its empire dissociated, after it ruled group of peoples with fire and iron over about 80 years. And also, to be an alternate to Capitalism, that some think that, to-day, it became like a wall about to be demolished, due to the deterioration in the principles and the politics, economical smotherings, financial crises which are suffered in different places all over the world.
Some see that the concept of “the third way” comes as an American attempt with the leadership of the democratic party to mobilize the so-called “mid-left” parties to form a universal current under the leadership of America, to introduce an international idoelogical philosophy called “the third way”. Through it, it’s offered opinions and conceptions of a modified philosophy from the capitalist philosophy represented by the arbitrary domination and control of the market economy politics. Some see that it achieved tremendous failure to verify equality. Nevertheless, it led to further expansion of wealth in few hands of the wealthy people of the world, and increase in famine areas in the world. To put right such negatories, that resulted from the capitalist philosophy and its colleague the communism, the people of the notion “the third way” propose seven principles, considering them as a basis for their new international project, being:
Contemplating such principles or the seven pillars one glance in their folds the philosophy or ideology of the social democracy, or the ideology of the “mid left” parties, that its people and who call for, consider it the middle syllabus or the amended philosophy and ideology, from the ideology of State arbitrary superintendence in the “communist philosophy” and the individual greediness and tyranny in the “capitalist philosophy”. On the other hand, the contemplator, easily finds the positions of trouble and contradiction in the inclusions of such seven pillars and others that were said in the symposium papers and negotiations. Before indicating the opinion about the symposium discussions, it is worthy to point out that the concept of ‘the third way”, as an attempt to find a project or a form of a universal system being midway between “the communist system” and “the capitalist system”. It is an old idea, was expressed about it in 1951 by the movement of ‘the non-alignment states”, that officially announced about itself in the famous conference in the city of “Pandung” in the Republic of Indonesia, refusing by that the superintendence of the communist system and the capitalist system upon the potencies of the peoples in the world, and refusing the hostage of the international societies to the discharges of the cold war running between them. Such states came back to express themselves with a new nomination, that is “positive neutrality”, confessing that both system “communist and capitalist”, do have from the positivities with which can be treated within the frame of interest of international societies, security and international peace. Nevertheless, the states of such group or the movement of non-alignment or later “positive neutrality”, didn’t introduce a project for an alternate international system. Also, they didn’t declare even about general principles of the concept of their combination and targets. They were satisfied at being an international political combination “mid” between two combinations or if correct expression, two empires: “the communist empire” and “the capitalist empire”.
Before that, and about the end of the 19th century the Pope Perse 12th raised the problem and called for “the third way” between “the socialism and capitalism”. Then in 1974, it was expressed about the notion of “the third way” at the meeting of the General Assembly of UN, where a sort of confession and avowal took place “that the two dominating systems became incapable to respond to aspiration of the international societies for peaceful co-living and combined development for all”. In that session, it was appealed from “Washington” representative of the allied “capitalism” and from “Moscow” representative of the allied “communism”, each of them to put a draft for a project of the mid international system, in which avoiding negatories that beset with the two dominating systems “communism and capitalism’. And to find out characters, principles and automations appropriate with the aspiration and hopes of peoples in development and peaceful co-living. In the following session of the General Assembly of UN, i.e. in 1975, the two parts introduced their projects. Nevertheless both projects came within the ideology of the part who put it. That caused the American and Russian projects to be disappointing the hopes held on them.
The General Assembly intended to refer the problem to the “UNESCO” organization, considering it the specialized cultural side and hoped to be neutral and objective, to propose a project mid-way between the American and Russian projects.
In 1976 session, “the UNESCO” introduced its project that it established on three principles:
Nevertheless, the UN found itself incapable to deal firmly with such principles; because of the prevailing cold war in between the two struggling barracks, the communist and the capitalist. From its means, was the direct talk about a project of co-living. It attained some seriousness when President Garbatshov came as a leader of the Soviet Union, where positive steps were accomplished in this respect. However, the internal crisis aggravated in the Soviet Union and the failure of its empire as the known form, turned the weights of international forces and caused vast changes in the international structure and its regional and universal computations. The Gulf War came after the Iraqi occupation to the State of Kuwait to support views of evidences in the international relations. This produced a general climate that revealed to several international media, that the USA endeavors to be the most powerful in adopting international decisions. And that the conditions became available for monopole in the world. The American ex-President Bush announced his declarations about the new international system. However, any elucidation or interpretation had not been issued, identifying the dimensions, notions and conceptions of the form and inclusion of the universal system at that time. So, it left a big chance for individual effort to define the conceptions and bases on which the new universal system can be established. Also, it led to huge amount of studies and suggestions at all cultural and knowledgement media in the world, about such subject and what ought to be for it. As an example, we mention the book of the American Marksian thoughtful Ronald Aronson “After Marksism”, which was issued in New York in 1995.
Then the book of the American thoughtful Lister Turo “After Capitalism” which was issued in 1996.
Such two books came as a vast revision for the characters and views of the socialist and capitalist ideology to try to find out the most preferable and the most appropriate alternate for the hopes of the human societies. In the Islamic medium, several books and theses-papers were issued about the concepts of the new international system.
In this text, I find no shame to refer to the trial done by the writer of these lines, where I issued a book under the title: “Islam ..... and the New the new world order ”. Its third edition, increased and rectified, was issued in 1998. I tried through it to introduce the Islamic character and principles worthy to accomplish the hopes of the human societies, by establishing a justified universal system.
Furthermore, in the frame of such continuous interaction regarding a mid-project for a universal system, nowadays, the notion and the project of “the third way” overlook upon us with an initiative from the combination of the “mid-left” parties, under the leadership of the governing democratic party in USA today.
Some considers that such democratic project to the universal system ‘the third way”, is (mere) a refutation to the public project to ‘the new universal system” which the American President Bush proposed. And before, the late-American President Nixon announced good tidings in his famous book ‘The Occurring Opportunity. The concept of these books was established on that the capitalist philosophy represented by the American model, had proved worthy and became the best fair and appropriate model to the charity of the human societies. The international societies are invited to adopt such civil model and its characters and automations, being regarded representing the crux of human adultness at its highest grade.
As “Francis fukvyama” expressed that in his famous book “The End of the History”, considering the American civil model represents the conclusion to what the human civil adultness attained. The others have nothing but to follow and obey such civil rescuing model. American should start and tolerate its historical responsibilities to lead the world and adjust the treatment automations between its societies and interests. From here, it came out and grew up, the views of monopoly under the leadership of American to motivate and dispose the international relations and interests. That generated a feeling of gumball and refusal at many international parts, even in the medium of the western barracks itself. As the case in Europe and its negative position against the American superintendence and the philosophy of the “international monopoly”.
From here, some think that the notion or project “the third way”, came as an American democratic refutation to the American republic project to save the face of America from the international shame, mainly the European one, which strongly refuses the concept of “the “monopoly” superintendence. And this turn to be a call for superintendence of the Western democratic philosophy, whose parties govern in more than one European and universal country, but newly under the American leadership, to alleviate the violence of the philosophy and superintendence of the monopoly.
Nevertheless, the concept, even with its new farm, so far encounters sort of refusal and restlessness from several universal and European parts.
As that came through the French situation which came when the Prime Minister refused to respond to the invitation to attend the symposium of “the third way”, as a French expression of the restlessness to the concept and assuring the importance of numerousness in polarity for the nature of the appealed universal system. And assuring that the United Europe with its cultural characters and historical inveteration and economical potencies, is worthy to play an independent role, as it is considered representing a principal pole from the major poles of international politics. However, with all criteria, such interaction, remaining since the end of the 19th century, all over the different political and cultural levels, in the World, seeking for a suitable form to a project of justified universal system responding to the views of the human societies. and their desire in development, opulence and safe co-living. I say, such trials remain forming a positive phenomenon with the evidence they carry about recognition of the failure of the international systems predominating since that time.
And with what they assure from the fast desire to seek for the most preferable alternate that conforms with the nature of fair human instinct, which refuses and hates all that contradict the human instinct and nature of things and impact with the characters of human self-dignity and its supreme high role in this life.
On basis of this, such phenomenon, call here to be treated positively and objectively to amend and guide it towards the serious correct-right direction, which accomplishes the highest grade of human dignity and establishes justice in the world.
And it sanctifies the environment from all means of corruption. Also, it endeavors to resurrect the characters of human safe co-living.
As about the manner–method of treating such phenomenon, and about the automations of activating its positivities and direct to its right conclusions.....? This is displayed for consultation and discussion amongst the concerned people from all nations at all levels. We might be guided to accomplish this noble target.
So' International Islamic Committee For Dialogue Has Taken An Initiative To Fulfill An Islamic Convention To Be In Front Of The Muslim World Scholars And Thinkers May They Enrich It's Subjects, And Also To Be In Front Of The Thinkers, Cultureds And Politicians In The World To Take An Idea On The Islamic Values And Principles , That Came To Achieve A Best Building Of The Earth, Establishing The Justice Among The People, Also To Achieve The Human Dignity And Safety Of The Environment , As Well To Realize The Hopes Of The Human Generations Towards A Safety Coexistence , Thence, to Become This Project A Reference For The International Conventions.
Praise be to Allah, HE IS intended.
HE, the Glorious is Guiding to the right way. Pray of Allah may be upon Mohammad, his family and his companions.
Our last invocation being: Praise he to Allah the Allah of All Universe.
PROPOSAL TO ENRICH INTERNATIONAL OFFICIAL AND PUBLIC CONVENTIONS
Preamble
Having the belief in the fundamental role of religious education in conserving the human self-esteem, securing his rights, and enabling him to properly perform his obligations,
Having considering the significant importance of faith education in reviving incentives of production in the human being, and further more, his role in promoting self-surveillance in order to make him eligible to perform his divine mission in life with devotion and integrity
Having assurance of the close adherence of science and faith in realization of safe technology and constructive progress,
Having positively and attentively participating in the efforts of mankind for the sake of human freedom and security, furthermore realizing the complemntarity between rights and duties,
Having actively participating in the environment protection and the eradication of all causes of its damage and pollution,
Having constructively participating in the family protection and restoring its fundamental role in up bringing responsible productive human generations.
Having keeping due attention to the just integrity between the role of man and woman in various aspects of life in achieving justice in earth, restoring dignity and respect of the woman, as the source of life, origin of passion and mercy,
Having considering her vital role in raising and up bringing of the generations,
Having emphasizing on the obligation of every human being to share in managing the welfare of his society and country,
Having assuring that the constructive cultural diversity is enrichment to the complementarity of civilizations and actualization of safe human existence.
Having considering all that, we submit to the world leaders, public and officials, the following principles:
Article One
Clause (a)
People in general are one family. Their Lord and Creator is one. They are equal in dignity, rights and duties without any discrimination between them in gender, race, color, faith, national or political affiliation or any other. The true belief in God is the only guarantee to establish justice among them.
Clause (b)
All people are obliged by the God to inhabit the earth and to establish justice. There is no advantage of one over the other except by righteous conduct in realizing the wish of Almighty God in this divine objective.
Article Two:
Clause (a)
Human life is a gift from Almighty God. It is a right, which is guaranteed to all. This right should be protected from any aggression. Human life should not be destroyed except in requirement for justice.
Clause (b)
Woman is the source of mankind and its safe domicile. She is the main source of passion, sympathy and affection in the life of all human generations; accordingly, she deserves all respect and honor.
Clause (c)
Continuation of human life and its elements is a right, which shall be preserved in accordance to God’s will.
Clause (a)
Family instituted on (legitimate) marriage between a man and a woman is the only basis to construct a healthy society. Marriage is the secured source in preparation of righteous responsible generations.
Clause (b)
Man and woman, both have the right of marriage. This right shall not be offended or banned on basis of any racial, color or social discrimination. Such right shall not be offended or banned by any sexual deviation. The community and the state shall protect this right and facilitate the means of achieving it.
Clause (c)
It shall be mandatory for both the state and the community to protect the family based on marriage between a man and a woman, and should be emphasized that it is the cornerstone in constructing healthy, secured communities and it is the only source for righteous responsible generations.
Clause (d)
Child, (male or female), has a right to fully enjoy mother care and affection from the parents, He has a right to live in a healthy parental environment, has a right to have a pedagogical and religious education. All states and communities shall protect and support this right by educational curricula and media.
Article Four:
Clause (a)
Woman is equal to man in human dignity, both are obliged to inhabit the earth and establish justice. Their rights and duties are fairly complementary to realize their respective divine missions in life.
Clause (b)
Woman has a right to fully enjoy her financial independence and has the right to keep her name and kinship after marriage.
Clause (c)
Woman has a right to care for her father or husband or male sons or brothers or relatives and has a right to respect and spend on them.
Article Five
Woman shall bear the obligation of pregnancy, maternity and feeding of the babies to ensure the continuation of life without any possible threat to her life or health.
Article Six:
Woman has a right that her duties and burdens be reduced in consideration of her heavy obligations in performing maternity burdens and childcare.
Article Seven:
Clause (a)
Children have different right on parents, community and state in nurture, education and complete guardianship. Furthermore, fetus and mother both shall be protected and they shall have all due care to secure their safety and health.
Clause (b)
Children have different rights in healthy parental environment and in religious and general education.
Article Eight:
As parents right, children are obliged to obey them cater for and spend on them.
Article Nine:
Man (male) is obliged to spend on his family, parents, sisters and kin. He is responsible to guard them in accordance with the divine instructions.
Article Ten:
Clause (a)
Protection of reason, self, belief, wealth and honor is a human right, and it should be the responsibility of family, community and state.
Clause (b)
Intoxicants and drugs are dangerous diseases. All states and communities should combat them. They are considered public corruption. Those who manufacture, propagate or use them shall be subjected to maximum punishment.
Clause (c)
A person has a right in his private life to maintain his family, wealth and home with full independence. It is not permissible to spy on him, hurt his name or indulge in any aggressive interference against him.
Clause (d)
Residence has its own immunity, and in all cases it is not permissible to enter a residence illegally without permission from its occupants. It is not permissible to demolish it, confiscate it, disturb its inhabitants or expel them.
Article Eleven:
Clause (a)
A person has a right to live in a clean environment and in a safe community, which enables him to develop positively. Community and state are obliged to protect this right.
Clause (b)
State and community should safeguard the human rights insuring spirituality, safety, good health and nutrition.
Clause (c)
State and community should ensure the right of a person to lead decent and dignified life, with sufficient food, lodging, clothing, education and all other basic needs.
Article Twelve:
Clause (a)
It shall be mandatory for every person to share responsibility in conserving the social and national security. It shall be mandatory for every person to give advice to his country and to the concerned.
***
Clause (b)
Every person is obliged to perform his duties honestly and sincerely in any matter assigned to him by his community and state.
Clause (c)
Every person is obliged to perform his responsibility in improving the production of his country in the field of his specialization.
Clause (d)
Every person is obliged to keep the environment clean and prevent pollution and work for the safety of the community from corruption and moral degradation.
Article Thirteen:
It is a responsibility of each individual to preserve the community wealth and to develop it, each in his field of specialization.
Article Fourteen:
People in a community are partners in the right of benefiting from the basic needs necessary for life such as energy, food, water and medicine without causing any aggression to the right of ownership of others. It is the responsibility of the state to protect such right, regulate it and prohibits monopoly, deceit and exploitation in general.
Article Fifteen:
Clause (a)
Right of ownership through legal means are guaranteed for every person. The community and the state shall respect and protect such right within the framework of public interest and others’ right.
Clause (b)
State should not seize or confiscate any property without any legal basis. It is not permissible to take any property except in the public interest and with immediate and fair compensation.
Clause (c)
Right of the others shall be respected without any aggression to their wealth or properties. It is not permissible to utilize them without lawful right or without permission from the owners.
Article Sixteen:
Legitimate gain is a right for every person without indulging in monopoly, deceit or damage to oneself or others and without any exploitation of the poor and needy.
Article Seventeen:
Clause (a)
The state should create a job for each competent person and should ensure social security to jobless and disabled people.
Clause (b)
A person has a right to choose a job according to his competence and abilities. He also has a right to fair wages. The state shall protect and ensure this right in a manner that serves, in the best possible, the interests of all, the owner, worker and the community.
Article Eighteen:
Clause (a)
Scientific, technological, technical researches as well as literary, cultural, social, planning, developmental researches are obligatory to every person in his field of specialization and qualifications. The state should protect and coordinate this obligation.
Clause (b)
Every researcher in his field of specialization has a right to benefit from the outcome of his research and creativeness. The state should protect this right and provide suitable incentives to him.
Article Nineteen:
Clause (a)
Man is born free. No one has a right to enslave him, humiliate or oppress him. Servitude is to God alone. He is the only guarantor of human dignity and total freedom.
Clause (b)
Man has a right to express himself, and to enjoin good and to refrain from evil. It is his duty to advise people and state towards realization of the public interest.
Article Twenty:
Clause (a)
Relations between people and international communities should be based on safe coexistence, cooperation justice, and to propagate good deeds. It should also be based on virtues, of combating the cause of corruption, evil and aggression.
Clause (b)
In case of aggression, oppression or corruption, in any part of human society all are obliged to cooperate and stand together to stop the aggression and put an end to the oppression and avoid the causes of all social and environmental corruption.
Clause (c)
In case of war, states and communities in the battlefields are obliged to avoid aggression against peaceful civilians and specially against old people, women and children, houses of worship and sacred places. Furthermore, they should avoid destruction of public utilities such as water, food, medicine and energy sources. They are obliged to avoid mutilation to the dead, to respect them and to bury them. The wounded are not to be killed or tortured. They are to be medically treated and to be ensured decent life.
Clause (d)
Prisoners of war are to be respected and treated decently. They are not to be tortured. They should have assured supply of food, clothes and medicine. Messengers and war delegations are to be respected and shall not be harmed or arrested.
Article Twenty-one:
Human societies have rights in enjoying their own religious, cultural features and social traditions. They have a right of upbringing and educating their children in accordance to their own principles and values.
Article Twenty -two:
Religious belief and cultural affiliation is a right for every person. It is not permissible to compel a person against his free will.
Article Twenty -three:
Diversity is enrichment to social potentials. It widens the options in development and progress. It is a right for all within the established framework of social identity and culture.
Article Twenty -four
Clause (a)
Ruler duty is a major trust. A ruler is prohibited form dictatorship or any misuse of this trust. He should consult the people in order to achieve the best for the community.
Clause (b)
People shall bear the duties of participation and discussion in all matters of community interest.
Clause (c)
The relationship between the duty of the ruler and the people is defined within the rules of social contract and principles of justice authority, honor and equality within each nation.
Article Twenty -five:
Clause (a)
Human societies should cooperate in attainment of security and peace. They should exchange information, strengthen acquaintance and promote mutual understanding to realize the common interests.
Clause (b)
International communities should work together in combating all forms of genocide as well as racial and religious segregation.
Clause (c)
International communities should strengthen ways and means of exchanging scientific and technological benefits in a way to accomplish public welfare.
Article Twenty-six:
Clause (a)
International communities should abandon all form of segregation in the international actions, should eliminate the policy of economical embargo and sanctions without legal right or authorization from one of the United Nations Organizations.
Clause (b)
International communities should work collectively without discrimination to establish international economic system, which sponsors balanced economical security for all countries.
Clause (c)
Efforts should be mobilized to discover more wealth in earth and space to be utilized peacefully to resolve international economic constrains
Clause (d)
Attempts should be made to cut down armament budgets of the international communities in favor of development and treatment of poverty and low income in the poor and underdeveloped countries.
Article Twenty-seven:
Clause (a)
Serious attempts should be made in accordance to unified and fair criteria to resolve international and regional disputes.
Clause (b)
It should be ascertained that peoples and communities have the right to choose the principles and suitable means of their stability, development and progress.
Clause (c)
Measures aiming to build confidence among international communities should be taken. Establishment of effective measure against external aggression and sufficient guarantee should be maintained to protect national security and respect of borders.
Article Twenty-eight:
Clause (a)
Nuclear countries should abandon the policy of nuclear armament, and nuclear technology should be directed towards peace and development.
Clause (b)
All nuclear, chemical and biological mass destruction weapons should be prohibited and possession of these weapons should be considered as from international war crimes.
Clause (c)
Active efforts should be made to eradicate all phenomena s of terrorism against human communities, individual, collective or international. Serious standards should be established to define terrorism and specify its causes and motives.
Article Twenty-nine:
Environment is the large habitat for human community. Every person should share the responsibility to conserve its safety, abandon its pollution and avoid any destruction to its peaceful life. Any harm to the environment should be considered as a genocide crime, which deserves maximum penalty.
Article Thirty:
International agreements should consider equilibrium between the principles of human rights and duties in order to evoke in the upbringing generations a balance between the culture of production and the culture of consumption.
Article Thirty -one:
Clause (a)
Education is obligatory to every person. Family, community and state are obliged to ensure ways and means and to establish rules and regulations to implement this obligation.
Clause (b)
Education programs should aim to build human personality on righteous values, sprit of responsibilities and production, noble values, disgrace of evil and corruption, respect of faith and opinion Furthermore, they should aim to develop values of peaceful co-existence and security among peoples and communities.
Clause (c)
Education programs should be made in a way to cater for the upbringing the generations on the basis of belief values and slavery to only God, rejection to disbelief (apostasy) and irresponsibility values. They should be made to firmly establish spiritual values and self-surveillance (control) in the human being to enable him performs his duties in life faithfully and sincerely.
Clause (d)
Family has the priority to choose for its children the type of education and others should respect this right and facilitate its means.
Article Thirty-two:
Clause (a)
Information media and programs should adhere to cultural values, traditions and habits of each community and should not contradict or clash with them.
Clause (b)
International media programs and their means should aim to develop moral values in human generations, to upbringing them to decline evil values, corruption, hatred, violence and terrorism. They should motivate the generations to bear responsibilities, to give and to love good to people.
Clause (c)
Peoples and international communities should initiate international media convention, which make it mandatory for all to adhere to moral values, love of good, and deceit of evil and corruption. A convention, which calls for secured fair international coexistence and rejection of racial, national, religious and social segregation. It should make it mandatory to all to stick to values of faith as basic source to human dignity, freedom and security.
Article Thirty-three:
All individuals, communities, peoples should respect and adhere to all international conventions and treaties and should not violate them.
Article Thirty-four:
Clause (a)
Right of asylum for individual or group from one country to another due to aggression or suppression based on differences in opinion, faith or race, is a right, which is guaranteed to every individual. Communities and states should respect such right and ensure security, protection and decent life for each refugee.
Clause (b)
It is not permissible, under any excuse, to hand over a refugee to the country that he refuges from except with a reason, which proves that he had committed specific crime against specific person or group and there was a fair verdict issued in his case.
Article Thirty-five:
Clause (a)
All people are equal before the regional or international law. They have a right to be protected by law without any discrimination.
Clause (b)
To have a fair judgement for himself on the others, every person has a right to go to any court, local or international.
Clause (c)
It is not permissible to imprison or detain any one without any legal (basis. Any suspected person is innocent unless proved otherwise through fair trial. A suspected person has a right of self-defense, directly by himself or by proxy.
Clause (d)
It is prohibited to torture the suspected person or aggrieve him or despise him or compel him to confess without his desire or his free will. Any confession, which is taken from him under arousal of his interest or scarring him, is null and void.
Article Thirty-six:
Wisdom, argumentation and good words are the basis, which should be adopted and followed in dealing with people and in resolving any conflicts among communities and countries.
Prepared by
Dr. Hamid bin Ahmad Al-Rifaie