U.S. Congressman Has High Hopes for Iraqi Government
by Chad Groening and Jenni Parker
April 6, 2004
(AgapePress) - A Mississippi congressman who recently returned from a fact-finding trip to Iraq says he believes that country can become a viable democracy, even though it has declared itself an Islamic state.U.S. Congressman Roger Wicker is a member of the House Appropriations and Budget Committees, and serves on three Appropriations subcommittees, including Labor, Health and Human Services and Education; the Defense subcommittee; and Foreign Operations. The Foreign Operations subcommittee has jurisdiction over several programs related to rebuilding activities in Iraq.
Wicker, who has served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force and is currently a Lt. Colonel in the Air Force Reserve, was among six members of Congress in a bipartisan delegation to Iraq. The group traveled there for a six-day tour to visit with U.S. troops and assess the progress being made in the effort to help the Iraqi people begin the self-governance process.
Wicker believes that despite the dominance of Islam, Iraq can develop into a democracy with rights for people of all religious faiths. However, Wicker says America cannot impose such a system on the Iraqi people.
The representative from Mississippi says the way the Iraqis have set up their post-Saddam government is not what he would call the ideal choice. "If I had my druthers, I would not have had them establish an Islamic republic," he says, "but that's what the people over there want for the time being, and we can only impose our concepts on them to a certain extent."
Still, Wicker believes democracy in Iraq will ultimately depend on what happens with the Middle East nation's middle-class citizens. "I have every reason to believe that this strong middle class, which Iraq has had in the past, will reemerge, he says, "and that there's a good chance of putting forth a democracy there."
And the Congressman notes that there have been other Islamic-ruled nations that moved toward a more democratic form of government over time. For an example, he says, the Iraqis need only look to the North.
"Turkey is an Islamic country, and they have moved toward representative government," Wicker says. "They're not everything that I wish they were, but they do have a stable elective system, where you have regular elections and the government that is defeated hands it over in an orderly manner to the winner."
Nevertheless, Wicker says Islamic government leaders are going to have to develop more of a tolerance for other viewpoints if a stable government and a peaceful society are to be achieved.
