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. Essay about islam and democracy 2214 words bartleby. Allahs law is interpreted by a ruling body of clerics. Islam remains a central cultural and sociopolitical force throughout the islamic world. It is very clear that gobineau uses the term islamism only in the sense of islam without any specific political or ideological connation. Institute for democracy and electoral assistance international idea and the swedish international development cooperation agency sida, and held in april 006. Explaining ennahdas democratizing role in tunisias jasmine revolution by shawn patterson introduction. Democracy and the dynamics of secularism 35 3 malaysia. The paper argues that the multiple manifestations of political islam are primarily determined by discrete contexts, that the vast majority of islamist movements operate peacefully within. Some western analysts contend that islam is the reason. Iosr journal of humanities and social science iosrjhss volume 20, issue 1, ver. There exist a number of perspectives on the relationship of islam and democracy among islamic political theorists, the general muslim public, and western authors. For islamic fundamentalists, democracy is obviously an irrelevance, and unlike the communist totalitarians, they rarely use or even misuse the word. They both have rules that are laws or practices that are expected to be followed.
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. In this view, the fatal flaw of democracy is that it rests upon the sovereignty of the people. Where islam and democracy part ways harvard university. Islamist parties have gained varying degrees of political power in turkey, egypt, lebanon, and the occupied palestinian territories, and have widespread influence in morocco and jordan. Islam and democracy it is election season in america and time to look at one the of the dhimmis favorite mythsthe democratization. Islam in politics has been asserted in many countries in the muslim world through democratic elections.
Politicized islam in a debilitated democracy 151 6 mali. Islamic law is absolutely incompatible with true democracy. This paper proposes a short apprehension of the reflections of one of the most important progressive islamic scholars, the egyptian theologian ali abderraziq. The following paper presents the basic concept for the democracy ranking of the quality of democracy and positions this approach in context of academic discourses about democracy and the quality of democracy. Copies of the two documents are at the international. This diversity points both to the many aspects believed to characterise political islam, as well as to the problem of finding an appropriate term. It has provided guidance in every sphere of life, from individual cleanliness, rules of trade, to the structure and politics of the society. Theories of democracy contains three helpful discussion sections that concentrate on the recurrent themes of liberal democracy and capitalism, democracy and representation, and the value of democracy. Pdf the relationship between islam and democracy in turkey. Some of these islamists believe that democracy is a foreign concept that has been imposed by westernizers and. Jacob olidort 5 5 aims is just as relevant beyond the case of ennahda, and for which my own work tries to provide some granularity. However, such an assumption is false due to the fact that the quran and the sunna would only provide general principles and guidelines. It is worth noting democratic and islamic systems emphasize on the rule of law within their areas of governance.
Louay safi, a member of the board of directors of the washington, d. Jul 15, 2003 an islamic democracy in iraq will signal to the muslim world that the u. 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. Thatclunky,crankytitle would have driven too many readers away from the books visibly vital.
Islam to create a bewildering conceptual plurality, which, to name but a few, includes. Islam and democracy are compatible because both of them uphold the rule of law. Pseudodemocracy and the making of a malayislamic state in routledge handbook of southeast asian democratization 2015. Islamists notions of democracy, in joel benin and joe stork eds, political islam. One of the major problems of political islam is that when it arose as a movement and an ideology with the establishment of the muslim brotherhood in 1928 in egypt, it was forced to make exaggerated claims in opposition to western political, economic and cultural colonial dominance. The announcement is seen as a move to broaden its following by a party that has.
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 violent. Religious freedom democracy facing history and ourselves. Is islam compatible with democracy institute for cultural diplomacy. There is no room for a secular political system in which all people are treated as equals. The first trend is a literalist tradition, which considers the sharia laws as expounded in the medieval manuals. 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. American policymakers and western governments would be wiser to promote the strengthening of democratic institutions, rather than forcing new democracies to welcome the toxic islamists.
Contents v list of tables and figures vii preface ix 1 islam and democracy. Islam and political democracy spring 2003 princeton university woodrow wilson school wws 556c professor abdolkarim soroush visiting lecturer, transregional institute, center of international studies week 1. Pdf downloads showing all 27 results default sorting sort by popularity sort by average rating sort by latest sort by price. If it is to be accepted that islam and democracy are incompatible entities, it is not. Key dimensions of democracy are freedom, equality and control. In his famous book the failure of political islam, olivier roy argued more than. In the following section, i address the general argument that islamic political thought and democracy are incompatible. In this format some definition is given of islam and of democracy, and then it is argued how those definitions are either complementar y. A paper for the 5th annual conference of the center for the study of islam and democracy. Depending on the precise rules adopted, referendums and initiatives may give direct voice to ordinary citizens, enabling the citizenry to protect general interests from betrayal by political elites. It also explores the literature on the other side,which posits the asian success as a refutation of the. In brief, the report shows that islam need not be incompatible with democracy and. Many argue that islam is not compatible with democracy, because an islamic democratic system will eventually fail to the strict following of the quran and the sunna.
Clearly, political islam cannot be tamed by democracy, but it can devour and destroy democracies. Most of the political movements in the world have made it their goal to establish this system in their respective countries. Menachem continues by explaining that new political documents in hamas were. The basic concept for the democracy ranking of the quality. The interaction of political islam with democracy arab american. 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. Tunisias jasmine revolution is a counterpoint to decades of literature deriding the compatibility of islam and democracy. Within that framework political islam is perceived to be a tool for this current antithesis, attacking the states for impiety and materialism. Islam and democracy eliane ursula ettmueller abstract. 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. This essay will first analyze the arguments huntington makes about islam and democracy, second, it will discuss debates that oppose his claims, third, it will present empirical data to test his claims, and lastly, the essay will provide alternative explanations for the lack. Islam matters for democracy is predominance, meaning that islam is the countrys main religious tradition. Political islam and democracy stars university of central florida.
Islam and democracy it is election season in america and time to look at one the of the dhimmis favorite mythsthe democratization read more. 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. Jun 20, 2017 shadi hamid, author of islamic exceptionalism, argues many muslims support a religiousdominated government, but that doesnt equal violence. Advocacy of democratic ideas, often accompanied by a belief that they are compatible with islam, which can play a public role within a democratic system, as exemplified by many protestors who took part in the arab spring uprisings. Discuss the argument that characterise the debate about islam and democracy since the rise of the islamic movements around the world especially in the middle east and the current tension between muslim and the western countries in particular after 911, the different debates and arguments has. Forms of direct democracy in this primer, the term direct democracy is used to designate mechanisms that enable the electorate to vote on a specific law, treaty, constitutional amendment, policy or other public decision.
Democracy and islam thou shall never meet, have never met in the past,nor in the present. It is in this context that we have to examine the question of democracy as a. Using these two variables, political islam and democracy, this study will try to assess if it is possible to have democracy in an islam state. In egypt, the muslim brotherhood came to power, after 70 years of an. Tunisias islamist ennahda party announced last month that it was moving away from socalled political islam. To call islam anti democracy by citing a brief verse noncontextually is odd. Many countries with an elected government are held back by the absence of a democratic tradition, or by. Islam and democracy scholarworks at wmu western michigan. The relationship between islam and democracy in turkey. The main aim of the workshop was to explore ways in which existing methods and techniques of evaluating democracy support deal with challenges of causality and attribution. Democracy building remains an uphill struggle in most muslim countries. Both islamists and islamophobes find islam and democracy incongruent. Abstract justice is an absolute standard for the conduct of human relations while democracy is a formalism by which decisions are made.
In islam, god is sovereign, and his will is expressed in the sharia, the divinely revealed law of islam. Qualityofdemocracy models commonly emphasize a democracy understanding. 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. Must fundamentalism win out in the middle east, or will democracy ever be possible. Democracy is a commonly known word all over the world. 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.
Islams contribution to the construction of a pluralistic world, convened by the embassy of switzerland in jakarta, 18 march 2004. How compatible are islam and democracy, and under what conditions do the two thrive together. Steve inskeep talks to hamid about islam and democracy. After that i elaborate somewhat on the theoretical basis of democracy in islam. According to encyclopedia britannica, democracy literally means. 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. Sep 16, 2016 thus came the question about the compatibility of political islam with democracy. Clearly written and focusing on contemporary debate, theories of democracy provides an accessible introduction for the student or general. Islam and democracy united states institute of peace.
Democracy and islamic rule are both systems used to govern. 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. It is a theocratic system with allah alone at its head. The publication of democracy and the challenge of change. Shadi hamid, author of islamic exceptionalism, argues many muslims support a religiousdominated government, but that doesnt equal violence. Politically islamic states having democracy and following democratic ideologies.
At the department of political science, western michigan university, i found extremely helpful and healthy. Political science throughout its history, islam has been marked by two trends. Ibn abd alwahhabs thought can be understood as pivoting19 around one central. Direct democracy mechanisms have been adopted, in part, to counteract these tendencies. Democracy puts in place significant principles that ensure the government adheres to the rule of law in the process of governing its citizens. It focuses on his work about islam and the fundamentals of power, published in 1925. In iceland in 2010, for example, a law on debt repayments. 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 concern for justice. How to correlate islam as a religion and a world view with democracy as a secular political system.
Sudan and morocco in a comparative perspective by waleed mousa august 2005 chair. 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. Over the last decade, a standar d for mat has emerged in the argumentation about islam and democracy. Political islam and democracy in the muslim world lynne rienner. Islam can easily assimilate democracy some would insist on the word shoura within the large variable component as a tool to enhance accountability, taming. Esposito and delongbas distinguish four attitudes toward islam and democracy prominent among muslims today. Read is islam and democracy compatible essay sample for. There are, to be sure, numerous studies of political islam in the coun. The relationship between islam and democracy in the contemporary world is complex.
To do this, the study should give solid analysis and results. 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 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. Democracy is the best form of government ever devised, but this does not mean that every democracy does well in practice. Some years later, ernest renan, a compatriot of gobineau, used the term islamism, espe cially at the famous conference he held at the sorbonne paris on 29 march 1883. Democracy in islam focuses on government and rulers.
244 1412 1437 1349 231 819 240 218 674 1170 1011 139 1254 1507 1061 1196 1103 1350 1279 726 914 81 1259 734 885 470 541 832 477 956 905 226 978 1394 161 1398