Islam And Democracy: Sociological Analysis

Islam and Democracy: Sociological analysis

By H. A. Yahya, Professor of Sociology

Opinions about Islam and democracy vary among Muslim thinkers and theologians. Those who are proponent of Islamic State or Islamic System tend to argue that Democracy is a concept imposed by the West. And that  democracy in this respect should not be applied particularly for Muslim community. Justifying their opinion, because they claim that democracy negates Islamic value, where Islam considers all people are equal regardless of color, or nationality, [but not of sex or gender, because man and woman are not equal in Islam for certain reasons debated widely between  believers in Islam- intellectuals and theocratic personnel].

Other groups, however, reject Democracy as exemplified, and should be resisted by Muslim communities, particularly represented by  fundamentalist, such view is obviously considered as a result of  Western colonization. For them, Democracy for both groups is the means to  split Islamic community (the Ummah) rather than unite Islamic community in  two ways by which the western colonialism intend to hamper Muslim community from unifying. 1) Muslim community is coerced to accept an understanding, belief, and parameter (Democracy) that is bequeathed by colonizers to be put into practice in Muslim countries even if it is clear not corresponding to Islamic belief. 2) The West synchronizes democracy with Islam so as to produce Muslim's view that there is no such distinction between Islam and democracy. One of their strategies is to reject Democracy as exposed by the West .

 In conjunction with the above arguments of fundamentalists, a group of intellectuals and Muslim thinkers (al_Azm, al-Nabulsi, and many others,  for example,] completely disagree with the compatibility of democracy and Islam. Such a view point is derived mainly from the western thought which splits the State from Religion. Which depends on logical reasoning and mostly derived from western scholars who strongly reject the argument that Islam and democracy is actually equal. Almost all foreign or Muslim intellectuals including Samuel Huntington, Martin Kramer and Francis Fukuyama who argue that Islam is not compatible with democracy. That's why they claim that Islam as any other religion imposes  a threat for democracy and negates western democratic values such freedom and equality and justice since Islamic culture  rejecting any implementation of  democratic systems in the Islamic countries. 

In conclusion, some Muslim groups reject the idea of democratization as a product of the West, and should be fought and rejected for that reason, it should not be accepted or implemented because  democracy is coined by infidels or comes from Western culture. Which I believe, such judgment, is based upon politics rather than theological thought. These groups can be described as prejudiced about the west and therefore, reject Western value of Democracy. Other Muslim groups argue that the one who has authority to command people is God alone can rule people or society not elected people in the case of Democracy. And for that reason they emphasize the nature of the principles of Islamic political theory which cannot give an authority over people to lead the other people.. By rejecting Democracy, they argue that God's Law should rule every thing in earth. According to Abul Ala' Maududi "no one should be allowed to pass orders or make commands in his own right and no one ought to accept the obligation to carry out such commands and obey such orders." To support his opinion, he brought the Ayah which reads:

"The authority rests with none but Allah. He commands you not to surrender to any one save Him. This is the right way (of life). And "They ask: Have we also got some authority? Say: all authority belongs to God alone". (Quran 3: 15)

The debate continues between the two opposing views toward democracy connection to Islam. Muslims, however were left to be ruled by what fundamentalists argue to encourage people to implement Shari'a as a fixed rule from God Himself described  in Qur'an as controlling both lives in the present and the Hereafter lives of humanity, rather than implementing Democracy as man made system deals with everyday reality.   

Hasan Yahya is a columnist at wfol.tv, Malaysia, and TINA International News Agency,  Chicago,  USA