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. Available formats pdf please select a format to send. Is islam compatible with democracy and human rights. There exist a number of perspectives on the relationship of islam and democracy among islamic political theorists, the general muslim public, and western authors some modern islamic thinkers, whose ideas were particularly popular in the 1970s and 1980s, rejected the notion of democracy as a foreign idea incompatible with islam. Jan 11, 20 islam can easily assimilate democracy some would insist on the word shoura within the large variable component as a tool to enhance accountability, taming power, resolving conflicting views. Allahs law is interpreted by a ruling body of clerics.
They often argue that the concept of popular sovereignty denies the fundamental islamic affirmation of the sovereignty of. Jul 15, 2003 an islamic democracy in iraq will signal to the muslim world that the u. This diversity points both to the many aspects believed to characterise political islam, as well as to the problem of finding an appropriate term. The principal questions addressed were why the majority of muslim countries are not democratic and whether there is an inherent contradiction or incompatibility between islam and democratic principles. If the entire world became muslim overnight, it is highly doubtful that democracy would last, since it would be applicable only to the most mundane of matters not already decided by islamic law. Y et, in 2003 with the us iraqi invasion, the turkish government refused to deploy us soldiers on its soils and. From the social perspective, it is the communal islam, which is prescribed to be practiced at all levels and thus democracy in islam is a social concept more so than in any other theoretical. Also please note that this pdf file is not suitable for high quality printing at a printing press. It focuses on his work about islam and the fundamentals of power, published in 1925. Iran has a long tradition of clerical involvement in. This paper proposes a short apprehension of the reflections of one of the most important progressive islamic scholars, the egyptian theologian ali abderraziq. But there are practical political rather than philosophical reasons for the lack of democracy in muslim societies. It presents a broad spectrum of perspectives ranging from the extremes of those who deny a connection between islam and democracy to those who argue that islam requires a democratic system.
There is no room for a secular political system in which all people are treated as equals. The relationship between islam and democracy in the contemporary world is complex. Islam and democracy eliane ursula ettmueller abstract. Islam, democracy, and cosmopolitanism by ali mirsepassi. However, this is where the similarity between the islamic system and. According to muslim doctrine, there was no legislative function in the islamic state, and therefore no need for legislative institutions. Jun 20, 2017 shadi hamid, author of islamic exceptionalism, argues many muslims support a religiousdominated government, but that doesnt equal violence. Democracy is forbidden in islam gatestone institute.
The explanation of why so many muslim countries are not democratic has more to do with historical, political, cultural, and economic factors than with religious ones. In this study, we have employed the content analysis of secondary sources and qualitative interviews with five islamic scholars and philosophers. Throughout the middle east and north africa, rulers took fright at the scenes of revolution from romania and east germany, and proceeded to initiate tightly controlled. Pdf downloads showing all 27 results default sorting sort by popularity sort by average rating sort by latest sort by price. Secular islam was created by the center for inquiry to collect the writings, thoughts, and speeches of secular muslims, exmuslims, believers, doubters, and unbelievers, brought together by a great struggle, not between the west and islam, but between the free and the unfree. As a religion, islam contains democratic concepts such as shura, and ijtihad, while muslims tend to strongly favor democracy over any other system. If you consider that nothing can be placed higher than the shura and the quran then you would have to say theocracy as any earthly law including secular law can only be second to the words of the prophet as record in then quran and to the body of. It is worth noting democratic and islamic systems emphasize on the rule of law within their areas of governance. Democracy is a system that is contrary to islam, because it gives the power of legislation to the people or to those who represent them such as members of parliament. Islam, democracy, and social movements the prevailing media and intellectual circles in the west perceive islam at the root of the authoritarian polity in the muslim middle east. Muslim jurists argued that law made by a sovereign monarch is illegitimate because it substitutes human authority for gods sovereignty. The islamic state was in principle a theocracynot in the western sense of a state ruled by the church and the clergy, since neither existed in the islamic world. Islam and democracy muslim world residents see no conflict between religious principles and democratic values by dalia mogahed, executive director, the gallup center for muslim studies islam in politics has been asserted in many countries in the muslim world through democratic elections. Islams contribution to the construction of a pluralistic world, convened by the embassy of switzerland in jakarta, 18 march 2004.
There exist a number of perspectives on the relationship of islam and democracy among islamic political theorists, the general muslim public, and western authors. Neither is there any tradition of democracy in the 1400 year history of islam in the middle east and persia. Some of these islamists believe that democracy is a foreign concept that has been imposed by westernizers and. Jun 15, 2016 i argue that islam and islamic fundamentalism are not the same, and that while islamic fundamentalism is not compatible with democracy, islam itself most certainly is. Islam to create a bewildering conceptual plurality, which, to name but a few, includes.
To call islam anti democracy by citing a brief verse noncontextually is odd. In islam, god is the only sovereign and ultimate source of legitimate law. Both writers believe that islam is the reason muslim countries are lacking modernity and democracy, and thus, it is important to test their claims by looking at authentic islamic doctrine and whether it truly is incompatible with democracy, and second, by analyzing empirical data to uncover muslim attitudes towards. In islamall principles begin from tawheedwhich presumes that god, who is unique, uncreated.
It argues that islam, as a religion and cultural practice, and democracy, as a nonviolent way to organize political order, are both socially rooted and can be best understood and reconciled within a sociological and institutionally grounded perspective. Democracy is in the best interest of the general populace, but the concept of free and fair election is rare in most parts of the world. The explanation of why so many muslim countries are not democratic has more to do with historical, political, cultural, and economic factors than with religious. Islam as a religion is founded on the quran the text of highest authority followed by the hadeeth the text of second highest authority. Presented is an extensive look into islam and democracy from ibn warraqs book, why i am not a muslim. In an islamic state, the leader caliph is appointed by the muslim ummah through a process of consultation shura, whether it is direct plebiscite of the people or election by a council of representatives e. A common statement or allegation is that majority muslim. Pdf with the expansion of islamism, a wave of islam phobia was launched by western orientalists and intensified subsequent to september.
Some modern islamic thinkers, whose ideas were particularly popular in the 1970s and 1980s, rejected the notion of democracy as a foreign idea incompatible with islam. Shadi hamid, author of islamic exceptionalism, argues many muslims support a religiousdominated government, but that doesnt equal violence. The debate over whether they are compatible is now virtually obsolete. To download the entire book entitled a brief illustrated guide to understanding islam in pdf format, rightclick on the link below, then in explorer choose save target as, and in netscape choose save link as. Islam in politics has been asserted in many countries in the muslim world through democratic elections. Tunisias islamist ennahda party announced last month that it was moving away from socalled political islam. According to websters dictionary, democracy is a form of government in which supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or their elected agents under a free electoral system. A false dichotomy articles insight turkey summer 2008 volume 10, number 3 as the ak party government struggles to keep the eu dream alive, and as kemalist ideocrats work to keep back the akps dominion, lingering turkish disputes about islam and democracy resolve into new forms and disputing parties change their. Islam and modernity some scholars have argued that christianity and judaism have essentially come to terms with modernity, as represented by western pluralistic societies such as the united states, and dont view modernity as a. According to encyclopedia britannica, democracy literally. It is a theocratic system with allah alone at its head. Professor suleiman obser ved that this was a difficult question to answer. Democracy, and that democracy in the united states should mean the same to all americans, regardless of their religion, ethnicity and cultural background.
It discusses calls for democracy across the muslim world both in the lead up to and in the aftermath of the arab spring. 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. Most of the political movements in the world have made it their goal to establish this system in their respective countries. Such a virtuous government, they affirm, can rest only on obedience to the divinelygiven law of islam, the sharia.
I argue that islam and islamic fundamentalism are not the same, and that while islamic fundamentalism is not compatible with democracy, islam itself most certainly is. Islam and democracy united states institute of peace. To call islam antidemocracy by citing a brief verse noncontextually is odd. The relationship between islam and democracy is strongly debated among the people who identify with the islamic resurgence in the late twentieth century and the beginning of the twentyfirst. Islamic law is absolutely incompatible with true democracy.
Democracy building remains an uphill struggle in most muslim countries. The islamic tradition contains a number of key concepts that are presented by muslims as the key to islamic democracy. Democracy puts in place significant principles that ensure the government adheres to the rule of law in the process of governing its citizens. Islam has its own body of laws, known as shariah 1, and these laws sharply oppose free democracy. Some western analysts contend that islam is the reason.
This chapter examines why a democratic tradition failed to develop in islam historically and presents an overview of the ongoing debate about islam and democracy in the muslim world today. Mb i think that against democracy are great because they are so attention. But law made by sovereign citizens faces the same problem of legitimacy. Islam can easily assimilate democracy some would insist on the word shoura within the large variable component as a tool to enhance accountability, taming power, resolving conflicting views. However, today, as in the past, the most common form of democracy, whether for a town of 50,000 or a nation of 50 million, is representative democracy, in which citizens some local jurisdictions in the united states. Most would agree that it is important for muslims not simply to copy what nonmuslims have done in creating democratic systems, emphasizing that there are different forms that legitimate democracy can take. Steve inskeep talks to hamid about islam and democracy. Indeed, when leading fundamentalist thinkers do address the broader question of democracy, it is not to argue its compatibility with islam but to demonstrate democracy s inferiority to islamic government. An islamic democracy in iraq will signal to the muslim world that the u. Interrogating the work of contemporary theorists of islamic modernity such as mohammed arkoun, abdul annaim, fatima mernissi, talal asad, saba mahmood and aziz alazmeh, this book explores the debate on islam, democracy and modernity, contextualized within contemporary muslim lifeworlds. The question raised by the ouster of egypts president morsi is whether islam is compatible with democracy or any form of government that empowers the people and limits the power of leaders to hold merely representative offices with limited terms of public service. In islam, rulers are representatives of god, and, as such, they must stand firmly on divine commandments and for the sake of social welfare. According to encyclopedia britannica, democracy literally means. Eastern, and found in turkey a perfect model that is between islam and democracy.
Islam and free democracy are as opposed to each other as communism and free democracy, or fascism and free democracy. Islam, social justice, and democracy volume 12 issue 4 sabri ciftci. Muslim world residents see no conflict between religious principles and democratic values. Even in democracy, small ruling groups usually make decisions.
Must fundamentalism win out in the middle east, or will democracy ever be possible. Democracy is a commonly known word all over the world. This book offers a sociological perspective on the history of the struggle to achieve modernity and democracy in contemporary iran. Oct 23, 2014 i think the basic difference between islamic governance and secular democracy begins with the presumptions about the concept of equality. In a democracy, government is only one thread in the social fabric of many and varied public and private institutions, legal forums, political parties, organizations, characteristics of democracy an educated citizenry is the best guarantee for a thriving democracy.
I dont believe that islam and democracy are mutually exclusive, just that we are attempting to introduce a form of government that is alien to the nations that it is being imposed on. The longstanding debate about islam and democracy has reached a stunning turning point. Where islam and democracy part ways scholars at harvard. When one asks whether islam is compatible with democracy, one needs to analyze the definition of democracy. Many people refuse to consider the possibility that islam and free democracy are irreconcilably opposed to each other. 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. Whats the difference between an islamic state and secular. Based on that, in democracy legislative authority is given to someone other than allah, may he be exalted. Huntington and fukuyamas claim that islam is incompatible with democracy and modernity is false. The announcement is seen as a move to broaden its following by a party that has.
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