| Reading between the lines
today, it would appear to an outsider that the loud and vociferous proclamation
of the Western media is that Islam is a highly undemocratic religion. That
it is a religion that thrives on fear and rules on discipline. But what
is the reality behind this myth. In order for us to understand this, we
must for a moment detach ourselves with the various terminologies and phrases
that are the common buzz words of our time. Once we do that, it will then
be possible to understand that Islam is in fact not about democracy anyway,
and that in itself is the core behind this faith.
Democracy, as we very well understand is a term coined by the West, and
is in many ways useful to good governance as well as safe and near-equal
living. Of course, no system can be one hundred per cent perfect, and
so democracy, like other political terms, is bound to incorporate a different
definition today than it did, say, a decade ago. But widely speaking,
it includes transparency, private enterprise, freedom of speech, expression
and worship, and many more admirable trends. In recent times, the wealthier
nations have used this as a bargaining carrot against the corrupt and
dictatorial powers of the Third World. And while the accompanying monetary
policies have brought tremendous strain on the latter, the general benefits
of ruling with democracy are not all that bad.
There is a problem, however. Because human beings are usually slaves
of their whims and desires, allowing the freedom to, say, declare publicly
one’s sexual tendencies or for that matter expressing oneself at
the expense of others, is in fact commonplace. Because the more developed
nations allow all sorts freedom to their citizens, these then give birth
to social and medical vices and consequences. Over a period of time, these
habits get so deeply entrenched in a given community that it is then impossible
to counter the side effects.
Whereas Islam preaches restraint on, say, food and drink during the month
of Ramadhan and the abstinence of the muharramaat during Hajj, Western
Democracy instigates and promotes the right to choose whether to abstain
or to commit. Why such a difference? Because behind the Islamic principle,
there is a deep philosophy of family structures, understanding others’
plights through self deprivation and good health resulting from the prohibition
and prescription of eating, drinking and sexual indulgencies time. The
goal is that with discipline there will be restraint, and people will
focus more on the life hereafter. Conversely, there is a different agenda
on the capitalists mind. The idea of being able to sell products and to
give rise to newer industries spurs nations to live in audacious hypocrisy.
Like the ridiculous “Cigarette Smoking is harmful…”,
and the more latest “Protected Sex…”
What these policies will never preach is to abstain because that would
certainly be bad for their industries. But whether that is plausible enough
to state or not, is not the intention here. What is more important today
that while we live life in a civil and progressive manner today, we must
at all times question the real objectives behind the principles of democracy.
This is the raison de tre of responsible democracy. So, the next time
you use the word “democratic”, do make sure that you have
your own Islamic definition and that you proclaim it loud enough…
http://www.world-federation.org/Secretariat/TConFri/tconfri_IsIslam_undemocratic.htm
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