Democracy and Islam

Ran from May 9th 2006

Are there tensions between religion and democracy? What happens if there is a clash between particular religious values and wider liberal democratic principles like equality and individual freedom? Which values win out?

The first Democracy Series booklet confronts these issues with particular relevance to the alleged tensions between democracy and Islam. It raises a number of important points about the diversity in ideas and perspectives which exists among Muslims in Britain, and examines claims about the compatibility of the Islamic faith with democratic society.

Download and read the Democracy and Islam booklet.

We intend this piece to be a springboard for debate not only about Islam, but about the relationship between religion and democracy more widely. For example, certain forms of Christianity may also give rise to conflicts about the relationship between faith and democracy. We are keen to get your views on this crucial subject, and encourage you to take part in the online discussion.

Is it possible to have genuine democratic dialogue among groups whose beliefs fundamentally clash? For example, how might democratic dialogue realistically achieve a consensus between Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, and Christians on issues that they disagree on?
What happens when secular states act in ways which clash with religious values? For example, should democratic states committed to freedom of speech allow the publication of cartoons that offend religious groups? Should they permit novelists, playrights, artists, or poets to challenge religious beliefs in the name of art?
Can religion enrich democracy? In what ways has religion in fact contributed to the development of democratic government?

previous discussion

Welcome

Posted by Declan on 09/05/2006 - 09:15

Welcome to the Hansard Society’s “Democracy Series”!

The first pamphlet in the Series, which is now now available to download looks at the topical issue of democracy and Islam.

The aim of this forum is to create a space for wider discussion of the important issues arising from the pamphlet, both about the relationship between democracy and Islam, and democracy and religion more generally.

We’re keen to hear your views, so get posting!

Regards,

Can we democratically discuss "Democracy and [a religion]"?

Posted by Chris Williams on 10/05/2006 - 14:00

The paper raises a central question: in Britain, can we sensibly have a general democratic discussion about democracy which includes arguments such as, "our holy book says" or "we believe"? That seems virtually impossible, except in a population that is of one religious view.

Religion may help individuals to form personal judgments, but the British population will never unanimously accept the bases of those judgments. To people of no religion, a religious argument is based on something that does not exist; to people of specific religions, other religious tenets may be “wrong”. A religious basis for democratic debate will always appear a false or even deceitful to ‘others’, even if the conclusions are accepted.

What about equality?

Posted by steve on 10/05/2006 - 15:40

I've been waiting for this pamphlet to come out for a while and I was pleased to be able to read through it yesterday. I think it's good, and raises a lot if interesting questions.

My problem, though, is that I think the author of the main piece underestimates the incompatibility of Islam and democracy. She seems to think that as long as everyone gets together and talks about things as rational, democratic citizens, then everything will be fine. But the question we have to ask is: who should be involved in democratic debates, and who should be excluded? Democracy is premised upon the value of equality: it requires us to state our various positions and opinions and justify them in ways that others can accept, it requires us to listen to and take account of the feelings of others, and it requires us to think that all people have an equal right to take part in these democratic debates. Islam, however, is not premised upon an account of equality in this way: for example, in Islam, women do not have equal status with men, and gays do not have equal status with straights (Iqbal sacranie's recently published comments claiming that homosexuality is 'unacceptable' and 'harmful' leave no doubt as to his feelings in this area).

Religion vs Democracy

Posted by zinnikal on 10/05/2006 - 20:54

Isuppose I would be classed as an ordinary member of the British public with a keen interest in the debate under discussion. I support no religious belief but the right to hold such beliefs.

For this latter reason I express my thanks to Professor Afshar for her lucid description of Islam in its many forms and, most particularly, for her clear definitions of Islamic concepts and terms used in her article. At least now I have some understanding of the intracacies of Islamic faith(s)

Indeed, I should like to thank all those who contributed to the Democracy pamphlet. They have confirmed views that I have held for many years. These are that religion per se should play no part in influencing the role and function of democratic government and that churches should become places of reflection, not places for the adulation or worship of earlier writers or non-existent God.

Islam and Democracy

Posted by Imam Sajid on 11/05/2006 - 02:58

Many thanks to Professor Haleh Afshar and others for writing the essay and initiating the debate on Democracy in Islam.

Democracy is a political system describing the norms of a society rather than just the workings of a government. Democracy can be defined as "government by the people; especially, rule of the majority; a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections; the common people especially when constituting the source of political authority; the absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges". [Merriam-Webster Dictionary] The reality is that Islam is not only compatible with the above aspects that describe democracy but these aspects are essential to Islam and Muslims.

British Values in Schools

Posted by VRam on 16/05/2006 - 14:43

The Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell has called for core British values to be taught in school as part of citizenship education classes, arguing that it can help give students, including young Muslims, a stronger sense of British identity. Aside from the controversial and potentially unanswerable question of whether there are any core British values, embedding these values into the school curriculum would send a wrong signal. Rather than showing that the values in our society are formed through dialogue between different groups it would imply that there are distinctly British values which are not up for negotiation. Surely this could further isolate different groups in society?

Forum closed

Posted by Philip on 15/09/2006 - 08:50

Thank you to all those people who have posted comments in this debate on Democracy and Islam.

Please keep checking the Debates section to keep up to date on the latest discussions and have your input.