Islam and Democracy
In order to discuss productively the topic of democracy,
one must first understand the origins and meanings of the concept itself. But,
for the sake of brevity, it can be said that, according to the “modern” and
most rudimental understanding of the term, Islamic thought does conform to some
of its aspects. One such aspect is the fact that Muslims have a right to
appoint their rulers, hold them accountable and, when need be, to remove them
from office. Islam does not, however, empower the system of government with the
right to absolve or change the legislation of the religion in society, nor does
it leave them the right of creation of novel legislations. Rather, legislation
is the right of God alone, and religion must be pivotal in deciding the
validity of any new law. Bypassing this right of God amounts to the
unforgivable sin of polytheism, for it from the basis of the belief in
the Oneness of God that He and only He has the right of legislation. What this
means is that the people or their elected officials do not have a right to make
permissible what God has forbidden, or to declare forbidden what God has made
permissible. Both in granting them such a right and then following their
legislation is their elevation, making them lords like God, and this is what is
meant by polytheism. No-one has the right to change the Law of God, and His Law
is superior to and supersedes all man-made laws.
Setting the boundaries of interaction between Islam and
democracy, Muslims today are debating the relationship of Islam to democratic
institutions in their societies. While most Muslims wish for greater political
participation, the rule of law, government accountability, freedoms, and human
rights, there are many different ways to achieve these goals. To some, Islam
has its own mechanisms which preclude democratic institutions. Still others contend
that Islam is fully capable of accommodating and supporting democratic
institutions. Engaging in a process of reform, they argue the compatibility
between Islam and certain types of ‘democracy’ by using traditional Islamic
concepts like consultation (shura) between the ruler and the ruled,
community consensus (ijma), public interest (maslaha), and scriptural
based opinion (ijtihad). These mechanisms can be used to support forms
of government with systems of checks and balances among the executive, legislative,
and judiciary branches. However, rulers of authoritarian states tend to
ignore, discourage, or suppress democratic institutions.
In general, one can see that Islam is a religion which
not only governs the private religious life of an individual, but also mandates
and regulates all aspects of public life. As the notion of worship in Islam is
not restricted to mere rituals but inclusive of all deeds of obedience and
goodness, so too does the concept of religion extend to all avenues of life on
Earth. To a Muslim, the concepts of religion and state are inseparable. In
keeping this principle respectfully in mind, whatever the form of government a
Muslim society chooses to implement, all its constituents must be in direct
concordance to the precepts of religion. By no means can the system of
governance exclude, absolve, or interpolate any mandate of the religion, and
this is yet only another example of the pure monotheistic nature of Islam, and
that all rights due to God are rendered to Him alone, and none else.
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