Abir al-Sahlani, in her mid-thirties, is unique, not the kind of woman you meet everyday. She is an Arab woman who is also a Swedish MP, despite the huge differences between the two cultures and the stereotypes that some people in the West have about the Arab world. Abir, originally from Iraq, represents the Centre Party in the Swedish Parliament. With its close ties to rural Sweden, it describes itself as ‘a green social liberal party'. The Centre Party can perhaps best be characterised as social-liberal, focusing on agricultural, environmental and rural questions. On the long-term key issues include opposition to nuclear power and proposals to decentralise governmental authority. During a meeting of some young Arabs, who had come to Sweden by dint of the ‘Voices for Democracy and Justice' programme, Abir talked openly with them about the Arab Spring and the role she thinks the West should play towards the Arab countries. Abir travelled in the MENA region earlier this year, visiting Damascus, Beirut, Alexandria and Cairo, where she chatted with people in Tahrir Square. “One Egyptian guy I met in Tahrir earlier this year told me: ‘Don't give us any loans, come here and invest'. "What he said indicated two things. Egyptians and other Arabs have the resources and the potential, but they can't do it by themselves. “However, they don't want charity. They want to earn their own money, they don't want to live on benefits. This hopeful sign of awareness impressed me," she said. Abir believes that there are many reasons for the Arab Spring. “It didn't just start with Tunisia, as the people in the Arab countries had been crying for help for quite sometime. But the West chose stability before democracy, putting good relations with the Arab dictators before the interests of the people. "Europeans must ask themselves how long they really want to do this. Arab people tell us 'Europeans' that we are hypocrites, coming to Egypt as tourists and not seeing the poverty and oppression. Now, we are going to say freedom, liberty and democracy, and everything is fine," she added. Being an observer during the Tunisian elections, Abir had the chance to talk to the Tunisians directly. She often wondered about the young Tunisian guy who burnt himself to death, wondering what drove him to do something so drastic. “But when I talked to the Tunisians, they said, 'You come from Europe. Do you know how it is to live without dignity, never having the chance to prove what you can do or to achieve your dreams, always being treated like a thing, not a valued human being?' "I may have forgotten, because I've been living in Sweden for so long, but the picture of that guy, who felt that he would always be discriminated against and violated for being a human being, shows that, in Arab countries, human beings are valueless, which is a tragedy. "I think that the people in the Arab countries are saying enough is enough. They're not going to accept that they are not living the life that we are living. “They don't enjoy the freedom we enjoy. We have Internet, TV and radio. When they travel to the West, they see a better life and wonder why they can't have it," she added. Abir stressed that European countries investing in the region should respect the people's will, adding that whoever is chosen by the people must be respected. "The fact that the Islamists are now taking over worries some people, even some of my Arab colleagues. This has made me realise that maybe our fellow liberals in the Arab world are not doing what they are supposed to be doing. “I mean before the Centre Party, my own party, became a party in the Government, we had to do a lot of legwork. We had to go to the people and convince them to join the party. We had to work very hard to keep our voters. "The Islamists have the holy book on their side, making it much easier than if they pushed for human rights or the promise of freedom. “They also have a network of mosques. In every small village, there is a mosque that they use for spreading their message. They are doing all the legwork – maybe our liberal colleagues need a little push." During the meeting, the young Arabs asked Abir what she thinks is the best thing the West can do for the region. She stressed the importance of trade and investments, while it is very important for the West to be honest and not talk with a forked tongue. "When it comes to investments and trade, dictatorships are run by only one party. That party swallows the state structure, so the companies, the banks, the streets and the infrastructure are all state-owned. “What we need to do is to support the private sector and encourage the creation of social insurance systems for the entrepreneurs and company owners, so people will work for them, instead of the state. "The West cannot trade with Morocco while it occupies the Western Desert; not can it tell the Palestinians to hold elections, then boycott the people's choice. “I'm not pro-Islamist, but the West has to be honest, doing what it means and meaning what it does."
