In a message dated 9/28/01 8:22:14 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: << Ok. Question: is democracy incompatible with Islam?
Or is it possible to find some version of democracy that does not offend Islam? >> With all due respect, this is not the question to ask. There are many forms of Islam. There are Muslims who live in the US who are perfectly at home in a democratic system - and many Christians who appear not to be! Medieval Islam was based on the idea of the caliphate - a ruler who was both secular and religious leader. However, that was not universal within the Muslim world. There is currently only one democratic Islamic country, Turkey (which is more accurately described as a semi-democratic state the majority of whose population practices Islam). However, the non-democratic states with Muslim populations run the gamut from secular dictatorships (Syria, Iraq, Pakistan), to evolving monarchies (Kuwait, the Gulf states), to corrupt and chaotic (Indonesia), to traditional tribal monarchies (Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco), to authoritarian democratic (Egypt, Algeria, Bangladesh), to Islamic dictatorships (Iran, Sudan, Afghanistan). People think that development occurs in lockstep across the planet. But the West was once authoritarian and has evolved. Christianity once believed in divine right of kings; Christianity once sanctioned slavery as part of the natural order of things. There are people in Asia who say Asian culture is incompatible with democracy. They are usually corrupt dictators who don't want to be Ceaucescued. There are people who want to be ruled. There are people who want to rule. But most people everywhere simply want some say in how their lives are run. Islam is no more anti-democratic than any other religion. It's the people you have to worry about. Tom Beck
