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islam and democracy summary
Essay on islam and democracy
Essay on islam and democracy
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Democracy, being a well-known system of government run by elected members of parliament, has been recognized by the most powerful countries as being one of the most liberating methods of overseeing a country. This system is said to comprise social, cultural, racial, and religious equality, leading to a free and impartial form of government. While conveying the message of equality in terms of all religious backgrounds, various individuals still believe that Islam cannot be compatible with democracy. Many people believe that the religious element subdues the governmental approach that democracy addresses, however this type of thinking is incorrect. Islam preaches various elements that are quite similar to the platform from which democracy has developed, and to support this claim, Irfan Ahmad and Bernard Lewis have written about this argument encompassing ideas of great importance.
In the texts, A Historical Overview written by Bernard Lewis, and Democracy and Islam by Irfan Ahmad, both authors discuss the debate of whether Islam and democracy are compatible. This topic is worth investigating for multiple reasons, one of which is that the world’s population constitutes a large percentage of Muslims who now affect major political affairs on a global scale. By analyzing both articles, a conclusion can then be derived to answer this provocative question.
By exploring various subtopics presented in each article, the compatibility paradigm can be justified. In doing so, I will address the democratic and Islamic conceptual overlap, the difference in matters of perspective with regards to philosophy, and democracy as seen in the world today, specifically, how it continues to impact the Muslim community. While both articles exhibit the com...
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...ocracy are compatible with each other. Both Ahmad and Lewis emphasize the endless possibilities awaiting the Muslims if they were to adopt this system of government. If the Muslims of this generation are able to accept the true, fair nature of democracy, then many of the Islamic countries facing destruction, poverty, crime, and fraud can resurface with a new identity. However, one must keep in mind that a system of government is never stable or trustworthy until the people running that system are. If this can be done in an impartial manner, then the Islamic and democratic parts of the world can unite for the betterment of both individual countries and the world as a whole.
Works Cited
1. Ahmad, Irfan. "Democracy and Islam." Philosophy & Social Criticism 37.4 (2011): 459-70.
2. Lewis, Bernard. "A Historical Overview. " Journal of Democracy 7.2 (1996): 52-63.
Since “Islamic beliefs constitute the vocabulary of political action” , this part of the paper will focus on the Islamic roots of this pluralist and toleration-based system. The principle of toleration is clearly pronounced in the Qur’an. For example in Sûrat al-hujurât (The Dwellings, verse 49:3) we can read “O’ Mankind [...] made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another” which implies the need for a common respect. Indeed, despite the absence of literal term for the word “tolerance” in the Qu’ran, Hadith and ‘Fiqh, show that religious coercion (“‘ikrâh”) ...
In other words, many countries and their political regimes claim to be democracies and use this word in order to gain political favor and political power. Former President of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser, promised his country fair elections and suggested that his regime was a democracy. However, during Nasser’s time in office, fair or true elections were never held. These actions resonate with a number of authoritarian leaders that utilize the social meaning of ‘democracy’ in order to reach a place in office. And while many countries strive to become democracies, it’s not always a possibility. The Arab Spring has involved many countries, throughout the middle east, vocalizing their desire to have a political democracy. But since the passing of these revolutions, there has yet to be a succes...
Fareed Zakaria’s The Rise of Illiberal Democracy expresses the views he has on the differences between liberal democracy and illiberal democracy, and which one causes civil war. He also explains how both types of democracy go hand in hand with other in the formation of the United State government and it constitution. Zakaria also talks about how majority of the countries in the world are democratic, but majority of which are an illiberal democracies. His ideals could also be reflected during the civil rights movement.
Ayoob, M. (2007) The Many Faces of Political Islam: Religion and Politics in the Muslim
“The Reality and Truth of the Muslim World – Islam.” Underground Hope. 18 Dec 2001: 1-2.
For quite some time, a considerable discussion and debate has been going on whether or not there is compatibility between democracy and Islam. After the birth of Islam, the extensive spread of the Muslim population make this monotheistic, Abrahamic religion is the second largest in the world with over a billion followers. Throughout the passage of time, many have come to opinionate that liberal democracy can exist in the Muslim world as it has all the necessary elements that a modern democratic state and society requires. However, many still oppose to the compatibility of the two solely due to the belief that democratic principles desecrate and condemn the values of the religion of Islam.
Many contemporary and former Islamic parties, religious movements, and radical groups across the world assume that the Quran requires establishing an Islamic state based on the instructions of the Quran and the hadiths. Therefore, they are so active and vibrant in the political sphere to realize this idea. They also commonly consider Islam as an unchangeable and essentialist political framework to carry out this command. Hence, many Islamic movements by and large have emerged through the
Democracy (“rule by the people” when translated) comes from the Greek language. In ancient Greece, where popular government first appeared around 500 B.C., these systems were called democracies. (Dahl, 78) Those called “democracies” in classical antiquity advocates in both theory and practice of becoming modern democracies. Since the end of Cold War era, the modern civilizations strive to create, or preserve democracy as one of the ultimate ideals. (Shah) Accordingly, a number of democracies have flowered in East Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America and enough have floundered to spark a vigorous debate about what it takes to create a lasting liberal order.(Patten, 1) Even the Middle East – the Arab World is slightly on the road to democratizing since the Arab Spring. How does democracy happen? In this essay, I would like to focus on the fundamental principles of democracy according to the Schmitter and Karl’s article “What Democracy Is … and Is Not”, and would like to examine the emergence of democracy according to the article “Economic Development and Democracy” by Seymour Martin Lipset, “Bowling Alone” by Robert Putnam and “Why Democracies Survive” by Larry Diamond.
There is a strong belief that Islam and politics are directly tied. They are tied in the sense that the building blocks of the religion dictate how they ought to behave in the political environment. Through this mandatory follow up behavior that the religion delineates, many have come to believe that its teachings are a form of terrorism. Mandaville argues that what has challenged the Islamic link between politics and religion was the emergence of secularism, which went against the belief that politics and religion could go together. Islam has been a religion that has been accused of supporting terrorist activities in the world. Different assumptions have been brought up to understand better the linkages between what really lies behind the Islam religion and politics. Peter Mandaville argues that Islam is dynamic and that it has changed over time; situated within time and politics.
This paper contends the view that the so-called ‘Constitution of Medina’ has purported significance insofar as providing political prescription or provision for the creation of a Muslim state or government. This approach posits that a contextual understanding of the conditions underpinning the document’s creation, support the argument that the Qur’an omits overt provisions for any such form of government or state. This paper will first examine the context of the debate, whilst alluding to the nature of Mohammad’s prophetic mission in order to principally establish the inherent lack of overt political ambition and position of Mohammad, thus dismissing claims of overt political prescription being present in the earliest formation of Islam. This approach will then examine the contextual significance of the ‘Constitution of Medina’, in order to discharge the notion that the community established in Medina reflects an Islamic ideal of which Muslims can, or should, aspire towards. This paper will then finally examine the nature of the Quran as it relates to issues of governance and political concerns, in order to fully illuminate the inherent lack of political ethos within, and the lack of overt provisions for the creation of a Muslim state or government.
The democratic peace theory was not always seen as the substantial argument and significant contribution to the field of International Relations that it is today. Prior to the 1970’s, it was the realist and non-realist thought that took preeminence in political theoretical thinking. Though the democratic peace theory was first criticized for being inaccurate in its claim that democracy promotes peace and as such democracies do not conflict with each other, trends, statistical data, reports have suggested and proved that the democratic peace theory is in fact valid in its claim. Over the years having been refined, developed and amended, it is now most significant in explaining modern politics and it is easy to accept that there is indeed a lot of truth in the stance that democracy encourages peace. The democratic peace theory is a concept that largely influenced by the likes of Immanuel Kant, Wilson Woodrow and Thomas Paine.
Throughout history different types of instrumental regimes have been in tact so civilizations remained structured and cohesive. As humanity advanced, governments obligingly followed. Although there have been hiccups from the ancient times to modern day, one type of government, democracy, has proven to be the most effective and adaptive. As quoted by Winston Churchill, democracy is the best form of government that has existed. This is true because the heart of democracy is reliant, dependent, and thrives on the populaces desires; which gives them the ability for maintaining the right to choose, over time it adjusts and fixes itself to engulf the prominent troubling issues, and people have the right of electing the person they deem appropriate and can denounce them once they no longer appease them. In this paper, the benefits of democracy are outlined, compared to autocratic communism, and finally the flaws of democracy are illustrated.
In the most recent edition of, The Economist, Robert D. Kaplan essay ends with the following statement: “Europe must now find some other way to dynamically incorporate the world of Islam without diluting its devotion to the rule-of-law based system . . . in which individual rights and agency are uppermost in a hierarchy of needs. If it [Islam] cannot evolve in the direction of universal values, there will be only the dementia of ideologies and coarse nationalisms to fill the void.” This essay will explain Kaplan 's views in regards to Islam and Muslim integration, additionally about the rise of far-Right and far-Left political developments. However, I will concentrate on Islam. Moreover, I will explore why it 's trying for
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.
“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...