Dag Herbjørnsrud has written a new column for al Jazeerah, a plea to the Arabs to demand democratic change in their own countries. He draws a paralell between the view that Islam is incompatible with democracy and the same fear about communist Europe in the 80's.

There are many lessons to be learned from these Cold War dilemmas.

First, people in the Arab-Muslim world cannot count on a better understanding from Western Europe than we showed towards our own neighbours.

You have to take the first step yourselves.

Second, Western Europeans in general are interested in giving a hand - we just need to be better informed about the will of the people.

And the moderate voices from your region need to be supported - if possible more than Havel - so they can also be heard in northern Europe.

Third, Western European countries in several respects are doing better at supporting democracy in the Middle East now than we did with Eastern Europe before.

Sure, oil-companies such as Statoil deal with Tehran without guarantees of human rights - against the will of the Iranian people.

But at the same time the Norwegian Nobel committee last year boldly awarded the Peace Prize to female lawyer Shirin Ebadi, an important symbolic support for the freedom-loving Iranian people.

Fourth, that it does not help to blame others for not unlocking the gates, when it is oneself who holds the key to change.

We cannot help more effectively until you have tried harder yourselves.

In 1989 we witnessed the Velvet Revolution in Eastern Europe, in 1999 the Red Revolution in Indonesia and in 2004 the unfolding of the Orange Revolution in Ukraine.

Our next hope is a democratic and colourful revolution in the Arab-Muslim world.

Easy? No, but that's no reason not to try. Believe what you like about Islam's incompatibility with democracy, but it's important not to become so focused on the brilliance of your theory that you forget the power of self-fulfilling prophecies.

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