“Are political Islam and democracy compatible?” This question has been troubling both Muslims and non-Muslims living in East and West for a long time now. Contemporary Islamic political thought has become deeply influenced by attempts at reconciling Islam and democracy. Muslim thinkers who deal with political debates cannot disregard the significance of the democratic system, as it is the prevailing theme of modern western political thought. Hence, it is necessary for any alternative political system, whether it is religious or secular, to explore its position with regards to democratic government. In fact, a large literature and media publications have developed over the last century on this heated discourse of democracy versus Islam. While many argue that Islam has all the ingredients of modern state and democratic society, many other reject the phenomena “modernism” and “democracy” as a whole because of their “foreign nature”—alien to “Islamic values”. For Islamists and modernists, the motivation for such effort to either embrace or reject democracy often is to remove suspicion about the nature and goals of Islamic movements and Islamic revivalism or resurgence. But before diving into this discourse, one needs to understand the definition and origins of “democracy.” Although purely a Western ideology in its origin, there is no consensus on the definition of “democracy” as a political system. The Oxford English Dictionary describes democracy as: “A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives” (“democracy, n.”). In my paper, I will examine whether or not democracy and Sunni political Islam are compatible through the eyes of three revolutionary Sun...
Hinnebusch, Raymond. "Syria." The Middle East. Ed. Ellen Lust. 12th ed. Washington (D.C.): CQ, 2011. 675-701. Print.
...trong groups loyal to former regimes. By clearly manipulating the US benevolent actions and the overall disappointment that usually comes shortly after revolutions because of unrealized expectations (the Arab Spring did not lead to major overhaul of the system in economic and social terms), they could remobilize support for them and regain power. Yet these debatable points could be somehow justified due to the limitations of his work only being the introduction to the book. Ultimately, even the author himself admitted that the research on the Arab Spring was still inconclusive and might require years to truly experience all of its influences (Pollack 2011, p. 01).
The continuous military defeats of the Arab countries against Israel (1948, 1967, and 1973) have caused a heavy burden in the psychology of the Arab Muslims. These defeats confirmed the loss of Muslim power. This led to abandoning the idea of secularism and going back towards the commitment to Islam to regain the former ...
Ridel, B, 'The real losers in Egypt's uprising', The Daily Best Online, 13 February 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2011< http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-02-13/al-qaeda-absent-in-hosni-mubaraks-fall-and-egyptian-revolution/>
Islam, Islamic societies and ideologies have developed and changed according to the times that these people encountered. As a fact, when the caliphate experienced a phase of weakness and challenge, between the years of the sixth and the seventh centuries according to the hijra calendar, power was divided between two major parties; the executive branch which was responsible for political economical matters, and the other party being the caliphate (Moussalli,1999, p.112). Progressing after this time period, the Muslim lands were invaded by foreign powers, which lead to crises in many aspects including the moral, political, and economic aspects. Thus, many revivalist movements emerged, some being of radical fundamental revolution, and others of conservative reorganizational reform (Mousalli,...
The Shahadah, or testimony, is the first of the five pillars of Islam. In order to officially convert to Islam, it is required to recite the Shahadah three times, “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.” This has been a practice within the Islamic faith for hundreds of years. Yet, even within the Islamic faith there are differing versions. Those who practice Shia Islam add, “and Ali is the friend of God” to the end of the Shahadah. This, among many other practices, is an example of the religious plurality that exists within the Islamic world. The Islamic world is home to a large and diversified religious community that, on the surface, seems homogenous in its religious practices. But many religious schools of jurisprudence, schools of theology, and other religious movements exist under the umbrella of Islam, these schools bring religious diversity to Islam that seek to meet the diverse needs and wants of the religious marketplace of the Islamic world. Though the United States is often used as the example to describe religious pluralism, there are many instances in the Islamic world that can even rival the plurality of the American religious market. The Muslim Brotherhood is a prime example of an Islamic organization that has become deeply entrenched in society. Through the extensive use of social services and extreme religious power, the Muslim Brotherhood has been able to enjoy a large membership base, devoted to their cause, and dedicated to its principles. Every year, many Muslims will embrace Sufi Islamic practices into their lives. The Islamic world is not an exception to the religious economies model and is, in fact, a very religiously diverse region of the world.
...tions, which makes these groups much more dangerous. Behind the peaceful and reasonable mask, they seem quite harmless, which gives chances to act on sly. Intentions are overt; Islam religion and Muslim identity are seen as the only source of universality. The Ramadan’s sayings are like explicit indicator of their visions that is believed that all humanity either with gentle coercion or with overt violence will be Muslim. “One day we shall go back to the source!” (qtd in Bogaard). As long as Europe does not struggle to recover its weakness that generates powerless image in the eye of Muslims and does not abolish the Europe- Arab alliance that causes dependency on Arab countries; ultimately, cannot stop that the radical groups’ increasing power, the Islamization of Europe will become faster. In the light of these reasons, the coexistence in Europe is not possible.
In this book , Esposito provides a succinct, up-to-date survey of the Islamic experience, an introduction to the faith, belief, and practice of Islam from its origins to its contemporary resurgence. He traces the emergence and development of this dynamic faith and its impact on world history and politics. He discusses the formation of Islamic belief and practice (law, theology, philosophy, and mysticism), chronicling the struggle of Muslims to define and adhere to their Islamic way of life. Equally important is the essential information Esposito provides on the contemporary world of Islam, from Muslim responses to the challenges of colonialism and modernization to the reassertion of Islam in politics and society.
Ayoob, M. (2007) The Many Faces of Political Islam: Religion and Politics in the Muslim