The world waits for a Muslim voice

This time "the revolution will be televised", to turn Gil Scott-Heron's verse on its head. We've witnessed revolutionary change on our television sets and the expectations are that much more accountability and transparency will be expected of all. As we move beyond our misty-eyed "moment of history" and down to the heady business of sorting out the brash circumstances that confront us, we analyse what this all really means.

As I set about honing in on the thrust of my column this week, I found my own sentiments succinctly laid out by a notable cultural icon. Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, better known to my generation as Chuck D, said this week: "Obama challenges us all." In an amazing introspective shift, he told a BBC forum that if Barack Obama was able to put some of his own "blackness" aside to effect change, "you know he will be putting a number of other affiliations aside for the sake of progress". He went on to identify the inaugural speech as being a "citizens of the world address", going beyond national boundaries to challenge all people to be accountable and responsible.

This will be an administration of firsts as it has been a campaign of firsts. This is the first time that the Muslim world has been addressed so robustly and directly in an inaugural speech. "To the Muslim world," he said, "we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect." Mr Obama has shown a readiness to move beyond the old ways of American business. The question is - whether or not he follows through - is the Muslim world ready to step up with a new way forward? Can we let go of the hollow diatribes, blaming others for the messy bed we sit in or spineless political manoeuvres? Can we show a face of Islam that is refined, elegant and meaningful, ready to be a part of the 21st century, yet principled and grounded in a rich tradition?

Transparency and clarity are going to be the order of the day. Our postmodern condition, to quote the French philosopher Lyotard, and its egalitarian sensibilities do not permit hidden agendas. It didn't let Cheneyism get away with it and it's certainly not going to let anyone else get by, hedging around a position that they don't want to be forthright about. Just see Mike Huckabee confronted by Jon Stewart on gay marriage. As well-spoken as he is, he couldn't sustain an argument.

Muslims will have to develop positions on issues of relevance that can stand up to scrutiny from every angle. The challenge will be to do that while ensuring substance at the heart of the policy position. It is disingenuous and frankly cowardly to just go with the easy flow. It is how you end up with market meltdowns, Jim Crow, societal obesity and global warming. Allah says: "You may dislike a thing yet it is good for you; and you may desire something that in reality is harmful."

Clarity of message; what do you stand for? What on God's good Earth do you want? Can you say it in five words or less? Do the Muslims have anything significant to contribute to the global conversation? Or are they more like the Maasai people, seeking no more than to hold on to what remains of their land preserves with some semblance of indigenous culture intact; not having much more relevance to anyone other than themselves, the tourist industry and a handful of anthropologists?

Jihad Hashim Brown is director of research at the Tabah Foundation. He delivers the Friday sermon at the Maryam bint Sultan Mosque in Abu Dhabi.