If what is practised in its place of origin is what is to be followed to the letter, then islam could. Must fundamentalism win out in the middle east, or will democracy ever be possible. Through some authors we have tried to understand if there can be compatibility and by virtue of this compatibility to establish a possible. Shadi hamid, author of islamic exceptionalism, argues many muslims support a religiousdominated government, but that doesnt equal.
It is a theocratic system with allah alone at its head. The issue came into focus again after the recent phenomena of war on terrorism. The third issue is the source of law, it incongruently being fully secular in ideal democracy but. Great blood and treasure have been spent in iraq to bring democracy to islam. As a result, some individuals have come to the conclusion that islam and democracy are.
But a look at the big picture a world where much of. Islam is compatible with western ideals of freedom and democracy. Muslims dont like democracy or islam isnt compatible with democracy thats what is often spewed by some of islam s biggest critics. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Is islam compatible with democracy institute for cultural diplomacy. Presented is an extensive look into islam and democracy from ibn warraqs book, why i am not a muslim. Pdf for more than a century a question discussion has been whether democracy is compatible with islam or not. Democracy, as it exists today is not compatible with islam for the very reasons stated in the article. He presents the concept of fusion state in which religion and state are fused. This article is half of a debate in which geneive abdo of the economist argued the question in the title with yes and i with no.
An abundance of information about terrifying terrorist attacks committed by muslims can be found across the media. Many prominent islamic intellectuals and groups, however, argue that islam and democracy are compatible. Ali khan argues that islam is fully compatible with democracy. Islam and democracy united states institute of peace. Furthermore, the democratic ideals of freedom of speech and. Some extend the argument to affirm that under the conditions of the contemporary world, democracy can be considered a requirement of. The observation that science and democracy are not found in contemporary islamic countries is fair, he says, but the. For more than a century a question discussion has been whether democracy is compatible with islam or not. What isnt compatible with democracy is a fundamentalist interpretation of a particular religion, because it promotes a provincial way of thinking by frowning upon innovation and has natural abhorrence towards compromise. February 12, 2016 admin article, law and social policy, middle east. Reformminded muslims who prefer to ignore all of this instead point to quran 42. Secular islam was created by the center for inquiry to collect the writings, thoughts, and speeches of secular muslims, exmuslims, believers, doubters, and unbelievers. Continue reading, is political islam compatible with democracy.
A critical reexamination of existing theory to establish renewed potential by. The foreign policy research institute is dedicated to producing the highest quality scholarship and nonpartisan policy analysis focused on crucial foreign policy and national security challenges facing the united states. In terms of modernization which is the component of the democracy the islamic world has a poor record. According to encyclopedia britannica, democracy literally. Islam and democracy sage journals sage publications. In focusing on the compatibility between islam and democracy, we first need to define what islam is.
Is islam compatible with democracy and does it have to be. Having laid out the range of different opinions and stances on the compatibility of islam and democracy, it is important to note that this chapter will not deal with every single argument present in the ongoing debate of the relationship between islam and democracy but rather focus on the main substantial points. To escape from the predefined conclusions, it is necessary to recognize that islam and democracy are. Bringing things full circle, islam is in fact compatible with democracy, as is any other religion. Franklin graham has condemned the entire faith of islam as wicked, violent and not the same as god. First, islam is compatible to democracy because it allows for election in the election of leaders. The western world, used to its democratic frame of mind, is constantly telling muslims in general and arabs in particular, to build democratic governments. If we consider democracy as a system inspired by the universalism of values typical of the west, can this be compatible with the values professed by islam. It may have finally begun to dawn on the people that swedish sweden will soon be lost forever, and in many areas replaced by a. What is the interest of the west in democracy in the muslim world. It is in the interest of the world, capitalists and the poor to invest. The islamic political order is based on the concept of tawhid and seeks it flowering in the form of popular vicegerency khilafa operating through a mechanism of shura, supported by the principles of equality of humankind, rule of law, protection of human rights including those of minorities, accountability of rulers, transparency of political processes and an overriding. Ddeemmooccrraaccyy iinn iissllaamm by hassan taha the aware center is a nonprofit ngo that offers facilities and services related to kuwaiti, gulf, arab and islamic culture. It is election season in america and time to look at one the of the dhimmis favorite mythsthe democratization of islam.
If so, then i will submit to that because he is our creator and our lord. The question whether democracy is compatible with islam has a direct impact on almost one fourth of the worlds populace. All you have to do is look at the islamic sources or call any imam and pretend to be impressed that islam does not. The past 10 to 15 years have been characterized by the rise of islamic radicalism and extremism. This means leaders are not supposed to be imposed on citizens, but should be chosen according to the wish. Read is islam and democracy compatible essay sample for. This question asked whether islam can be compatible with democracy.
There is no room for a secular political system in which all people are treated as equals. When one asks whether islam is compatible with democracy, one needs to analyze the definition of democracy. Thus the plurality of voices, the freedoms of the individual, are represented not just within the society but also within the exercise of the ruling powers. Are todays islamic movements compatible with democracy. So thinkers who consider democracy as kufr should then tell us who, in their opinion, has the authority to decide. The protests in tunisia and egypt that led to the removal of the leaders of both countries have now spread to yemen, bahrain, libya, and iran. Much of the western world is currently in a state of fear over islam. For such people, no positive relation could ever be found between islam and democracy or civilization. A democracy is a system in which all people are equal before the law, regardless of race, religion or gender. This paper proposes a short apprehension of the reflections of one of the most important progressive islamic scholars, the egyptian theologian ali abderraziq. It should not be a mystery whether islam is compatible with democracy or not. Islam and democracy eliane ursula ettmueller abstract. But he has stopped sending the revelations and is not going to send any more prophets.
In this article one wonders if the union between democracy and islam is possible and in what form. Pdf is democracy compatible with islam drfarhat rahman. If by democracy one means an occasional election, with a limited choice of candidates who cannot speak freely, and no voting for the most. Could the commercial model of a political system such as liberal democracy be implemented as consequence of a westerncentric foreign policy strategies or as a postconflict statebuilding strategy. Is islam compatible with democracy and human rights. Islam and the challenge of democracy can individual rights and popular sovereignty take root in faith. In this nowclassic book, islamic sociologist fatima mernissi explores the ways in which progressive muslimsdefenders of democracy, feminists, and others trying to resist fundamentalismmust use the same sacred texts as muslims who use them for. Islam is compatible to democracy in various significant ways hence making it an effective form of governing people in countries such as iran. In his book, a theory of universal democracy, khan provides a critique of liberal democracy and secularism. The main purpose is to allow a more sophisticated view of islamic political thought and to show that there are roots and possibilities for an endogen democratic. Understanding and researching the islamic tradition and roots is very important so as to examine which islamic tenets are clearly compatible with and support democracy. It is not a secret that democracy can be used to abolish democracy. Analysing the compatibility of islam and democracy. This argument is based on one theoretical assumption that democracy and shura islam are not compatible and one empirical assumption that muslims strongly adhere to islamic principles.
Allahs law is interpreted by a ruling body of clerics. It focuses on his work about islam and the fundamentals of power, published in 1925. A recent indepth gallup survey in 10 predominantly muslim countries, representing more than 80% of the global muslim population, shows that when asked what they admire most about the west, muslims frequently mention political freedom, liberty, fair judicial systems, and freedom. Islam and democracy the lack of democracy in many muslim nations around the world gained greater public attention in the west following the 911 terrorist attacks. These works have a tendency to concentrate on secondary issues, historical developments among the muslims themselvesor deviations from the original islam, leaving the reader ignorant of the essential spirit and teachings of. Nicholas provencher university of arkansas at monticello. Also recruited to this end is an oftrepeated hadith that has muhammad saying, my community will never agree on an.
The compatibility of islam and democracy has become one of the main questions of concern in contemporary islamic political and social. But in order to argue that democracy is missing from the islamic world because of islam, it must be demonstrated that muslims indeed practice islam. Islam is compatible with western ideals of freedom and. Islamic law is absolutely incompatible with true democracy.
This essay will first challenge the opinion that islam and democracy are not compatible and then consider the extent to which islam and democracy are compatible. The main question to be asked is whether liberal democracy is compatible with the islamic arab world. Claims that islam is incompatible with democracy and modernity are terribly offbase, says asghar ali engineer, a scholar and author at the institute of islamic studies in mumbai. The hypothesis is that in the wake of the terrorist act is a.
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