The relationship between Islam and democracy is a possible matter and religious, political and cultural pluralism are the basic principles to ensure the free and democratic existence for peoples of the Arab Spring with all their components. These are the most important issues discussed by important figures in Arab and Western Conference organized by the Saint Tiago Charitable Community in Rome, Wednesday under the address (Arab Spring Towards a New National Covenant).

Minister of International Cooperation and Integration Andre Ricardo considered the Arab Spring as a surprise of this century that changes the idea of conflict between the Arabic and Western Civilizations.  
 
At the opening of the conference, she said "we heard that the dictatorial governments are necessary for dominating Arabic Peoples. On this base the relations between the North and South Mediterranean have been built until the coming of Boazizi with his heroic tragic movement to change our thinking."  

The Minister added that " the world is in need for modesty and intelligence to understand what is happening in the adjacent Arabic countries to overcome "the Western arrogance."

Participants from Tunisia, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq and so Turkey discussed their points of views and suggestions in five issues which are "citizenship and the legal status of the other", " nation and religious pluralism", " a new page in relations between Arab World and the West", " no future without peace", and "the Mediterranean and Italy". 

Leader of Nahdha Movement of Tunisia Rashed al-Ghanooshi said that "the Arab Spring allowed restoration of political and religious values, giving chance for building a model for citizenship based on democracy." 

Some of the participants showed fears from the effects of the Arab Spring towards minorities (al-Jazeera". On the margin of the conference, al-Ghanooshi spoke to reporters about the challenges that face Tunisia, indicating actual Western fears of the collapse of democratic system in Tunisia which will exemplify a danger to Tunisia and Europe as, if the democratic experience falls, the dictatorial regime will not come back to Tunisia but it will become another Somali according to him.
In their turn, Lebanese religious men such as Greek Catholic Archbishop in Beirut Monsignor Cyril Saleem Boutros shed light on citizenship and equality among people before law asserting the acceptance of all individuals as citizens and not as religious affiliates.  
 
He added that " Christians desire to be citizens in a full sense of the word. This can only be achieved via setting a framework of law for guaranteeing the right of citizenship for them, but, with regret we are still far away from this utopian vision."  

On their side, the two Iraqi Anwar Mati Hadaya of " Independent Surrealist Congregation" and Sayid Jawad al-Khoiie of Shiite "Khoiie Foundation" expressed their fears of the negative effects that might result from Arab Spring on minorities based on Iraqi experience.    
 Christians are afraid of fundamental Salafi movements because they are "athirst for power" and the Shiites suspects that most Islamic movements are not m
ature and that the ethnic and religious minorities are the big loser because of Arab Spring. 
On the other hand, Abdurrahman al-Bar of Moslem Brothers Movement in Egypt assured that the intimidating state is exaggerated and it is a tool in hand of some people in the Arab World. He added that "conflicts between Moslems and Christians are from the residual of the former regime which exploited the ignorance of the natives, employing religion."   
He pointed out that the Church protected the regime considering that it was its protector. However, dictatorship employed fundamentalists by instigating towards fear. He called for getting rid of such memories.

"The injustice of Islamists"
In his side, the Syrian opposing man in Coordination Board for Change in Syria Haithum al-Manna'a asserted the importance of accepting the others' culture for achieving peaceful existence. He said " there is a need for rebuilding culture on legal base. Disagreement is an essential right of human rights in which Allah's Sharia is found which considers that the right of a citizen is not different than the right of communities.  

Finally, Italian political personages such as the Leftist former Prime Minister Massimo Dalima and former Foreign Minister Franco Fratini confessed that European countries dealt with Arabs starting from their economic interest on the account of peoples and the "injustice of the Islamists".

For encouraging existence of new typical policy in dealing with Arabic countries based on equality and not superiority, and for this to be achieved, Europe should escort these peoples in their democratic procession, helping them in economic development, rationalizing emigration to it, a sound political management for security of peoples of the two banks of Mediterranean Sea.  
Jazeera Net