{"id":69,"date":"2011-05-25T18:11:46","date_gmt":"2011-05-25T17:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/proutistuniversal.info\/?p=69"},"modified":"2011-08-22T13:07:54","modified_gmt":"2011-08-22T12:07:54","slug":"islam-and-democracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/proutistuniversal.info\/?p=69","title":{"rendered":"Islam and Democracy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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by Ac. Krtashivananda Avt.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Two kinds of democratic states can be recognized in the Islamic countries. The basis of this distinction has to do with how comprehensively Islam is incorporated into the affairs of the state.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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  1. A democratic state\u00a0 which recognizes Islam as state religion , such as Malaysia, Pakistan Algeria,or Bangladesh. \u00a0Some religious values are incorporated into public life, but Islam is not the only source of law.<\/li>\n
  2. A democratic state which endeavours to institute Sharia. It is also called as Islamist democracy<\/strong>. Islamist democracy offers more comprehensive inclusion of Islam into the affairs of the state. Islamist democracy is a highly\u00a0controversial topic.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

    The compatibility of Islam and democracy<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Most Islamic democracies fall under the first definition, leading many analysts to dismiss the compatibility of Islam with democracy. Critics of the concept of Islamic democracy argue that Islam and\u00a0 are opposite forces, that theocracy \u00a0is incompatible with democracy, and that Muslim culture lacks the liberal \u00a0social attitudes of democratic societies.<\/p>\n

    It is to be remembered that along with democracy all the Islamisation programme have failed so far.<\/p>\n

    Sunni viewpoint<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The democratic ideal of a \u201cgovernment by the people\u201d is compatible with the notion of an Islamic democracy. Deliberations of the Caliphates \u00a0were not democratic in the modern sense (rather, decision-making power lay with a council of notables or clan patriarchs), they show that some appeals to popular consent are permissible within Islam.
    \nIn the early Islamic Caliphates , the head of state, the \u00a0Caliph had a position based on the notion of a successor to Muhammad\u2019s political authority, who, according to Sunnis, were ideally elected \u00a0by the people or their representatives. After the Rashidun \u00a0Caliphs, later Caliphates had a lesser degree of democratic participation, but since “no one was superior to anyone else except on the basis of piety and virtue” in Islam, and following the example of Muhammad later Islamic rulers often held public consultation \u00a0with the people in their affairs.
    \nMuch debate occurs on the subject of which Islamic traditions are fixed principles, and which are subject to democratic change, or other forms of modification in view of changing circumstances. Some Muslims allude to an “Islamic” style of democracy which would recognize such distinctions. . Another sensitive issue involves the status of monarchs and other leaders, the degree of loyalty which Muslims owe such people, and what to do in case of a conflicting loyalties (e.g., if a monarch disagrees with an imam).<\/p>\n

    Shi’a viewpoint<\/strong><\/p>\n

    According to the Shia understanding, the Prophet Muhammad named as his successor (as leader, not<\/strong> as prophet–Muhammad being the final prophet), his son-in-law Ali. Therefore the first three of the four “Rightly Guided” Caliphs recognized by Sunnis (‘Ali being the fourth), are considered usurpers, notwithstanding their having been “elected” through some sort of consular deliberation. The largest Shi’a grouping–the Twelvers branch which rules Iran–recognizes a series of Twelve Imam the last of which (the Hidden Imam) is still alive and the Shi’as are waiting for his reappearance. The second-largest Shi’ia sect, the Ismaili \u00a0recognize a different lineage of Imams.
    \nSince the revolution in Iran, Twelver Shi’a political thought has been dominated by the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini . Imam Khomeini argued that in the absence of the Hidden Imam and other divinely-appointed figures (in whom ultimate political authority rests), Muslims have not only the right, but also the obligation, to establish an “Islamic state.” To that end they must turn to scholars of Islamic law (fiqh) who are qualified to interpret the Qur’an and the writings of the imams.
    \nKhomeini divides the Islamic commandments or Ahkam\u00a0 into three branches:<\/p>\n

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