Democracy and Islam Essay

Table of Contents Abstract 3 The challenge of establishing a democracy in Iraq 3 History of Iraq 3 History of Islam 4 Tenets of Islam 6 History of democracy 7 Christianity and democracy 8 Tenets of democracy 9 Islamic thought vs. the keystones of a democracy 10 Can democracy take hold in an Islamic Iraq? 10 Conclusion 11 References 13 Abstract Islam has been Iraq's dominant religion for centuries. The religion plays an important

understand exactly what I mean when discussing Islamic democracy. Essentially, the only democracy that we in the west know is western democracy. This democracy is what the textbooks teach, and while it is perfectly functioning in our society, it may not be the same in nations which are not functioning in the same framework that we are so familiar with. That is to say, it cannot be expected for a Muslim nation to willingly and easily accept western democracy, and as is eloquently summed up in this statement

successful democracy in the Islamic world is still in question. This is due in part to the significant revolutions that have and are still taking place in many Muslim lead countries. These concerns stem from the possibility that a true democracy in Islamic lands may lead to Islamic democrats seeking reconciliation of human rights and civil liberties under strict Islamic ruling. Needless to say, an Islamic democracy is perceived as a threat; with good reason. Decades of anti-Islam aggravation

“Democracy is a form of government, where a constitution guarantees basic personal and political rights, fair and free elections, and independent courts of law.” (Democracy 2004). Religion and politics have been long viewed as partners for many and yet some find the relationship a struggle. Religion usually pertains to an individual or a community of like minded members in the private sector. An example of such a body of individuals includes church or social organizations. As part of Western civilization

Joseph A. Schumpeter, Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy (New York: Harper Perennial, 2008); Robert A. Dahl, Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1972). Some of them are Robert W. Hefner, William Liddle, Saiful Mujani, Zachary Abuza, Louay Abdulbaki, Marco Bünte, Andreas Ufen, R. Masdar Hilmy, Jeffrey A. Winters, Franz Magnis-Suseno, Edward Aspinall and Marcus Mietzner. Douglas E. Ramage, ”Indonesia: Democracy First, Good Governance Later,” Southeast Asian

Pro-democracy intellectuals also argue that a democratic system is necessary to comply with the Islamic principle that all men are created equally and thus a system that denies equality is anti-Islamic. This is a response to the Arab monarchs in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan, Morocco, among others, who use religion to legitimize their power. (Espositol & Voll, 1996) A Sudanese intellectual, Abdelwahab El-Affendi, expressed this idea in a publication of Islam21c: “No Muslim questions the sovereignty

Islam: A Threat to America and the Western World This paper discusses the threat that Islam poses to America and the western world. Islam is a very large religion that has increasingly widespread influence on the world. Countries that are ruled by theocracies of Islam are some of the weakest and violent countries on Earth. Countries who are enveloped by Islam tend to have the highest percentage of extremists as well. This paper also discusses the history of Islam, its founding, what it it teaches

Relations scholars. This paper tries to analyze three main supportive arguments from Huntington thesis in the West v. Islam conflict. Democracy System v. Islamic Laws Samuel P. Huntington stated that Muslims unable to accept democracy because of the nature of Islamic law and this situation potentially lead to the virulent clash between the West and Islamic countries. He argued that Islam is the exclusive religion which is not flexible to adopt another political idea. This situation is

Intent “Islam: The Faces of an Islamic State” The objective of this research paper is to examine literature to gain an enlightened perspective into the idea of the “Islamic State” in regards to the Middle East and other traditionally Islamic territories. To gain this insight the theories and ideas of noted Islamic scholars like Maududi, Tahtawi will be probed and analyzed. Tahtawi in particular is a scholar of importance in regard to the idea of the nationalism and the “nation state” in Islam. The ideas

Table of Contents 1 CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2 1.1 Introduction 2 1.2 The Fear of Allah 3 1.3 The Fear of Hell 3 1.4 The Fear of Apostasy 4 1.5 The Fear of their Life Situation 5 1.6 The Fear of Democracy 5 1.7 The Fear of the West 5 1.8 Al-Bassmala: the Verse of Mentioning the Name of God Being used to Instill fear in their Faithfuls 6 1.9 Surat Al-Ikhlas: Chapter 112, titled "The Purity (of faith)" Used by Muslim Leadership to inculcate Fear 13 1.10 Ayatul Kursi: The Verse of the Chair 15