The Arab Spring was doubtlessly the most striking news item in 2011. Many countries in Northern Africa and the Middle East have experienced regime changes. Compared to most developed Western and Asian nations, freedom and equality had been equally sparse in these areas. Now, these countries have broken away from years of dictatorship and begun to walk a difficult but hopeful path towards freedom and democracy, to the great joy and excitement of the international community.

Riding the wave of the Arab Spring, in September, people began to protest on Wall Street in New York, demanding equality. “Occupy Wall Street!” the anti-consumerist website “Adbusters” told people, stating: “We are a people powered movement for democracy” moving towards a “global revolution” “inspired by the Egyptian Tahrir Square uprising”. In Germany and other countries, the related movements arose, demanding measures against inequality, and the realization of true equality.

The countries experiencing the Arab Spring are now entering the real phase of democratization, and the movements such as the “Occupy Wall Street” movement representing the Western world are pushing for equality. These movements are also likely to continue in one form or the other through 2012. Looking at these movements in the context of world history, and trying to find out in what direction we should be heading in the future, we need to take a fresh look at the basic values of “freedom” and “equality” brought to the fore by the French Revolution.

In a 2009 lecture, Master Ryuho Okawa of Happy Science used equality in jail as an example and stated: “If you had to choose between freedom and equality, you would choose freedom. Human beings need to be free in order to be happy.” He also explained that “Equality under God” was a central pillar of Islam and offered the theory that Islam could replace 20th century communism as the main movement towards equality. The quotes below are taken from his book “The Laws of Salvation”. (beginning of quote)