Can “Democracy” Work in the Middle East?

In a recent interview, Bassan Tibi, a political scientist from Harvard University, called upon Muslims to recognize that “Democracy needs to come before religion.” 

Muhammad Shahrour, a shaykh from Syria, has told his listeners, “The state which Prophet Muhammad (SAAW) built died….today we Muslims must embrace democracy.” 

Even Palestinian Hamas leader Khaled Meshal advertises his “belief in democracy.”

Everywhere you turn today, Muslims are calling other Muslims to adopt “democracy,” as if it were the elixir of life that our unhealthy Ummah desperately needs. But before the Ummah goes so far, it needs to answer for itself a simple question: can George Bush’s (or even Chirac’s) political vision work in the Middle East? Can democracy make Islam better?

Well, the only way to properly answer this question is to take an objective look at what “democracy” really means.

A note about our methods: anytime we Muslims are trying to learn about something, we must look through the prism of Islam. In other words, our final answers have to come from Qur’an and Sunnah together. At that point, let us first remember that the Middle East, including Iraq, is Muslim territory once protected under Islamic rule.  But today, we have lost these lands to dictators and non-Islamic systems of government; therefore, our job as Muslims is to unite our countries and rule them by Islam and only Islam. As Allah says in the holy Quran, “Indeed, we have revealed to you the Book with the Truth so that you may rule between Mankind by that which Allah has shown you”. (TMQ, Surat an-Nisaa, ayah 105) 

So the first thing we must decide is whether or not Islam is compatible with Democracy.

Democracy is not mainly about picking one’s leaders with a ballot: after all, the Islamic State provides for free elections too, even though Khilafah is not democratic in its essence. On the other hand, South Africa had “elections” for many years, but its government was not responsible to the vast majority of its people. “Democracy” is best understood as a man-made political system in which the supreme power of government is vested in a large group of the people, though not necessarily all of them. This power might be exercised by the large group directly or indirectly through elected representation.  The United States, for example, is a representative democracy. For instance, if the issue of abortion gets in the public eye, senators and congress-people debate and then decide whether to outlaw it, or allow it, or even make it easier to obtain—all according to their interests and tastes at the moment. Five years later, they may change their minds and do something else about abortion entirely.  The bottom line is: man alone (not God) is responsible for making legislation; and this, in a nutshell, is Democracy.

The working of Islam’s political system is quite different.  To begin with, Allah revealed the religion of Islam as a complete and comprehensive system for mankind.  It contains guidelines and rules for every aspect of man's life, including how to structure and run a government.  The Qur’an states, “And rule between them by what Allah has revealed and do not follow their whims away from the Truth which has come to you."  (TMQ, Surat al-Ma’idah, ayah 48)  This verse clearly commands Muslims to rule the people only by Islam and not by man-made law: thus Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is the Legislator.  Islam does not decide the basic questions of what is good and what is bad by head counts (Otherwise, why would Allah send prophets?). The Khalifah’s job, with advice and feedback from Shura and People, is carrying out the rules and regulations (ahkâm) based exclusively on Qur’an and Sunnah. Where there is no hukm obviously available to cover a new situation, then the Head of the Islamic State applies Ijtihad—his own and/or someone else’s—to choose, and enforce, the best (not the most expedient) response to that situation.

In terms of historical durability and nothing more, both systems have “worked,” each in its own way.  Islam’s government structure thrived for over 1000 years, under good khalifas and bad. This system did not fall apart until Muslims deviated from Qur’an and Sunnah.  And likewise, the western system of Democracy has proven very stable for many countries such as France and America.  But there is one very important fact that men like Bassan Tibi fail to point out: democracy works best  in countries where the people have adopted secularism.

Every sincere proponent of democracy will agree that secularism is the soul of democracy, the glue that holds democracy together.  For instance, US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, one of the architects for the war in Iraq, stated in March 2002, “Democracy is incomplete without being secular”. Governments seeking perfection in their democratic deen are convinced that the People can’t have power over making their own decisions without their complete equality, starting with their religion. All faiths must be equal, and equally subordinate to the nation or the republic.

Thus, secularism - the separation of church and state – is a fundamental tenet of modern democracy. Its advocates will say that without secularism, every democracy will become a victim of endless religious strife, because no country is homogeneous.  They also argue that keeping religion out of the public life makes way for man, instead of God, to set the rules and regulations by which society should live.  In practice, different countries have different levels of secularism (See “The Headscarf Law: Why the French Seem to be Going Crazy”—coming soon, God willing!), but all truly democratic countries have adopted secularism in one form or another.

This brings us back to our first question: can democracy work in the Middle East?  The answer, just like all life’s answers, lies in Qur’an.  Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) says, “…Do you believe only in part of the book and deny the rest? Whoever of you does that, his punishment will only be disgrace in this world, and on the day of resurrection they will be put through the toughest punishment, and Allah is not unaware of what you do.” (TMQ, Surat ul-Baqarah, ayah 85)

Muslim lands, such as the Middle East, cannot be secularized and stay Muslim; therefore, democracy cannot work.  Muslims are commanded by Allah to implement Islam in totality, not only in the private spheres of salah and hajj, but also in government.  This is not just a recommendation from Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala); it is an absolute commandment, for He says, “Rule among them by what Allah has revealed. Be careful: do not let them deviate you even from part of the revelation”. (TMQ, Surat ul-Ma’idah:49)

Perhaps Muslims like Bassan Tibi would prefer the régime of man-made laws that is directed towards worldly goals only, a system where Islam would hardly dare to step outside the home.  Personally, we prefer what Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) prefers, a system of government defined by Him (subhanahu wa ta’ala), guided solely by Qur’an and Sunnah, and whose efforts are directed to the happiness of Muslims in the next world, and both non-Muslims and Muslims in this one.

The peoples of the Middle East have already experienced monarchies, dictatorships, and nation-states. All have failed us miserably because these systems disobey Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala).  So why should Muslims today believe that democracy would be any different?