Replying to Can Democracy Suceed in Islamic States?

From the democratic rebuilding efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan to the first-ever elections in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon to the legislation allowing women to vote in Kuwait and the democratic election of Hamas in Palestine, the compatibility of Islam and democracy has been a hot topic in recent years. Both scholars and practitioners have been debating the issue, however, since the 1970s, when the "third wave" of democratization began. Some have argued that political Islam may be distinctly disadvantaged with respect to certain democratic values, such as equality, pluralism, transparency, and respect for human rights. Others have made a convincing case that Islam is not inherently antithetical to democratization or antidemocratic. Nevertheless, statistics demonstrate that democratization remains an uphill struggle in most Muslim countries. Recent Freedom House rankings, for example, show that a non-Islamic state is nearly three times more likely to be democratic than an Islamic state. Further, while countries throughout all regions of the world have experienced significant gains in democracy and freedom over the last 20 years, the Islamic world has actually experienced an equally significant increase in the number of repressive and authoritarian regimes. These statistics and recent world events raise important questions about the future of democracy in the Islamic world. More specifically for this debate, we ask: "Can a stable democratic government really be established in countries so heavily influenced by religious traditions?"

Yes: An Islamic democracy can exist and be successful.

Many scholars, including Alfred Stepan, (2001), argue that Islam as well as other major religious systems are not inherently incompatible with democratic ideals and practices. In this sense, no religious doctrine is "univocally pro-democratic or antidemocratic." Many interpret Islam to have usable elements that support or construct democratic polities. For example, one of the most cited injunctions in the Koran by Islamic democratic leaders is that "There shall be no compulsion in Religion." This is known as Sura (verse) 256. This command provides a very strong basis for religious tolerance and democratic practices.

In this sense, because religions can be interpreted differently, no one religion is necessarily more attuned to democracy than another. This line of argument rejects the notion that Christianity is the distinctive positive influence on the making of Western democracy. Let us remember that Catholicism, for example, had its fair share of troubles with democratic principles and gender equality for most of the 20th century. Democratic ideals, such as tolerance, justice, and freedom, can be found as often in Christian doctrine as they can be found in Islamic or Confucian doctrine. Turkey, Indonesia, and even Malaysia are good examples to support this case.

No: Islam, like other religious traditions, needs to be totally taken out of government for democracy to succeed.

From this perspective, the focus is less on Islam and more on the need to completely "separate church and state." Given the recent Islamic traditionalist (and even extremist) revival that the Muslim world is experiencing, the need for separation is more important now than ever before. From this perspective, Islamic traditionalism is incompatible with the pluralism that is necessary for a democratic state. Muslim societies (such as many of the Arab or Asian states, for example, Saudi Arabia) are authoritarian and violently repressive. Authoritarianism is the natural consequence of the legal and doctrinal rigidity that makes a political culture of compromise impossible. Islamic Shari'a law is viewed as perfect and divine. Consequently, laws are best made through theocratic interpretation rather than democratic debate and therefore cannot be challenged. Shari'a does not require separate legislatively defined provisions.

Others argue that the notion of equal citizenship is also absent from Islamic thought because insurmountable inequalities between believers and non-believers are built into Islam. Thus the lack of civil society where democratic debate can be fostered, as well as the continued subordination of women, present serious obstacles for the success of democracy in many Islamic societies.

Regardless of where you come down on this debate, no one can deny the significance of the political ramifications of Islam given that there are over 1 billion Muslims across the globe. Use the links below to better understand this debate and to help you formulate your own ideas about the compatibility of Islam and democracy.

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