Is Arab-Islamic Culture Antithetical to Western Principles of Democracy?
The recent civil uprisings in the Middle East in revolt against the autocratic regimes which have proliferated in that region, provide hope for fostering a more democratic regime. The citizens do possess a desire to improve the quality of the lives they lead. However, whether Middle Eastern societal consciousness is truly ready to accept some of the basic tenants of secularist Western democracy, including a free and fair electoral system, universal suffrage, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, equality of gender and race, basic human rights and economic pragmatism, is yet to be known. We cannot be so presumptuous in defining the aspirations of the citizens as a desire to embark upon a national commitment to the true essence of Western democratic ideals, when in reality their consciousness may merely be to enact moderate political reform and economic change.
The Islamic doctrine is so deeply ingrained into the very fabric of society in the Middle East, and one might correctly view the politicisation of Islam as inimical to the development of democratic systems of government. In virtually all its forms, Islam is centrally opposed to secularism - being the separation of the State and Religion - leading many Islamic nations to insist upon the use of Sharia law. Where Islam is proclaimed as the ultimate source of law, political legitimacy, pluralism and participation have tended to be stymied, this tension having frequently manifest itself in a series of autocratic regimes. This is not to say that democratic Muslim-majority nations do not exist; Turkey, for example, began its transition to a secularist representative democracy in the 1920s, and in 1998, so did Indonesia, one of worlds largest republics. However, although making noticeable headway, they still have not matured into a fully-fledged Western democracy, particularly in the case of Indonesia, in which regions such as Aceh have sought to uphold the primacy of Islamic law (for example, with the 2009 attempt to legalise stoning for adultery). It is also interesting to note that both nations have tended to shy away from the fundamentalist Islam practiced in much of the Middle East.
Furthermore, Islam does not recognise gender equality. The following quote from the Quran will clarify this:
[an-Nisa' 4:34] Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because God has given the one more than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband's) absence what God would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them, refuse to share their beds, (And last) beat them;
The Quran clearly ascribes a superior status to men, who are also permitted to brutalise women as a means of control.
In addition, for a woman only, sexual exploration is punishable by death:
[an-Nisa' 4:15](For women) "As for those of your women who are guilty of lewdness, ... confine them to the houses until death take them."
[an-Nisa' 4:16](For Men) "If two men among you are guilty of lewdness, punish them both. If they repent and amend, Leave them alone;"
This adds fuel to the gender inequality Islam promulgates, and also stands in stark contrast to the freedom of choice advocated in Western democracies.
[Surat Al-Baqarah 2:282] (Court testimony) "And call to witness, from among your men, two witnesses. And if two men be not found then a man and two women."
As you can see, a woman's testimony in court is worth just half of a man's, thus compromising gender equality.
There exists even a Hadith (narrations from the words of Prophet Mohammed), where Mohammed said "A nation which placed its affairs in the hands of a woman shall never prosper!", which has traditionally been used as a justification for the exclusion of women in the leadership of women in the political sphere.
Many other principles in the Quran highlight the subordinate position of a woman to a man in Islam, and such sexist oppression stands at odds with the Western concept of democracy.
Islam in the Middle East appears to have bypassed, or rather, has not yet undergone, an 'age of enlightenment'. One which released much of the West from the strictures of religion, allowing human affairs to be guided more by rationality and reason.
It remains to be seen whether the Arab-Islamic world is ready to embrace Western principles of democracy. Even greater consideration needs to be paid as to the issue of whether the Middle East will undergo simply a process of 'liberalisation' or 'democratisation', with the former entailing reduced governmental interference into both the personal and public arena, greater freedom of expression, and the latter requiring political pluralism, and a truly fair, transparent electoral system which permits nationwide participation in the electoral process. At any rate, democracy is not a 'one size fits all' phenomenon, so democracy, if implemented, may well evolve differently than in the West.
