After the Syrian government killed and imprisoned Arab Spring protesters, the country split into factions and sectarian violence broke out. “Arab Spring” was first used by American conservative commentators, but has since been challenged as an inadequate misnomer. Since 2011, the goals of many Arab Spring protesters have been denied as autocratic governments regain power and crack down on civil liberties. The tumult of the Arab Spring also showed autocratic governments—and the rest of the world—that millions of people living in Islamic nations believe in free expression and democratic governance. “The debate about the relationship between Islam and democracy conclusively ended with the coming of the Arab Spring,” said Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in a 2018 speech.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 29, 2019 18:22 UTC