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Aeriel Storey
Research Paper
ECCE: Democracy & Democracy Theory
Prof. Kosmetatou
26 February 2017
A Look into Muslim Democracy
Muslim Democracies are a fairly new form of government that have been on the rise and
gaining popularity across the world, especially in the Middle East where Islam is a prominent
form of worship. To understand what a Muslim Democracy is and what differentiates it from
other forms of government, analysis of their religion and values, demographics, driving forces,
and history of these countries must be completed. There are many complex factors that
intertwine and have provided the foundation for the rise of Muslim Democracies including
socioeconomic, religious, and governmental practices. By identifying these factors and analyzing
each one individually and within individual countries, it can create a better understanding of
Muslim Democracies and the supporters of this movement. After fully understanding what a
Muslim Democracy is, Turkey and its form of a Muslim Democracy will be discussed since it
has arguably created one of the truest forms of such government found within the Middle East.
The values of a Muslim Democracy lie within its religious values and Muslim democrats’
belief and understanding of democracy. A Muslim Democracy is the convergence of the Islam
religion and a Western-style democracy.
According to Vali Nasr, professor of Middle East and South Asian politics at the U.S.
Naval Postgraduate School, it is not the goal of Muslim democrats to enshrine Islam in politics,
they merely want to integrate Muslim religious values—drawn from Islam’s teachings on ethics,
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morality, the family, rights, social relations, and commerce, for example—into political
platforms designed to win regular democratic elections (13-14). It is viewed by Muslim
democrats that the teachings of Islam support the idea of democracy. The need for justice,
openness, and protection of fundamental rights are all encompassed within the Islam religion and
are also pivotal factors that differentiate democracies from other forms of government.
According to Anwar Ibrahim, a Distinguished Visiting Professor in the School of Foreign
Service at Georgetown University, Islam and democracy converge at many crossroads in their
values. He explains that several crucial elements of constitutional democracy and civil society
are also moral imperatives in Islam—freedom of conscience, freedom of expression, and the
sanctity of life and property (Ibrahim 7).
It is clear that religion plays an important role in the life of Muslims, therefore, it is easily
understood why a democracy in Muslim-majority countries would be influenced by religious
beliefs. For many, it is necessary that a democracy in the Middle East must integrate the Islam
religion to build and ensure the survival of such a government. To understand why a democracy
in the Middle East should encompass the values and beliefs of the Islam religion, a closer look at
the demographics of these regions must be analyzed.
The values and foundation of a Muslim Democracy lies within the hands of its citizens,
which is why the demographics of these regions must be analyzed and understood. In a research
study performed by Professor of Political Science at Cairo University and Central Michigan
University, Fattah Moataz, he surveyed a sample size of 31,380 individuals among thirty-two
countries among the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, the European Union, and the United States
regarding their religious views, political culture, and other factors to determine the social factors
driving the need for a Muslim Democracy.
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According to Yusuf Sarfati, the studies done by Moataz found that Modernist
Islamists approve democracy and consider it the most suitable form of government for
translating Islamic principles into politics (Sarfati 547). This is compared to traditional Islamists
who do not support democracy based off of their Islamic beliefs. The findings of Moataz help
further explain why a Muslim Democracy is becoming so popular in areas such as the Middle
East. The Middle East has a large Muslim population and religion plays a big role in their lives,
which is why it is no shock as to why it would play a role in their politics as well. Moreover,
social changes within society are constantly changing and the rise of Muslim Democracy is
reflective of that. However, if traditional Islamists reject democracy altogether, it may be
difficult to understand how a Muslim Democracy would be gaining so much popularity. For this,
an analysis of the Middle East’s history should be understood.
Just prior to the rise of Muslim Democracy, many areas in the Middle East had suffered
from a period of economic instability, fear or terrorism, and corrupt government. Protests began
breaking out, however, governments in these areas suppressed these individuals and restricted
their freedoms to dissuade individuals from going against the government. This resulted in many
citizens losing trust in their government and pushing for protection of individual rights and other
freedoms, which are all prevalent under democratic forms of government.
According to a survey done by Adrian Karatnycky, President of Freedom House, the
weakness of democratic culture in many of the majority-Muslim states has often contributed to
political conflict (Karatnycky 104). This may be due to the incompatibility between the
government and the ideals of its people.
Many areas in the Middle East are under autocratic control, even in Muslim-majority
countries. Further, as Karatnycky’s research shows, countries under such government do not
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have the same freedoms compared to other countries that have a democratic government.
Karatnycky states, “There is an even more dramatic gap in freedom between majority-Islamic
countries and the rest of the world. In the Islamic world, there is just one Free country, Mali,
while 18 are Partly Free and 28 are Not Free. Among the non-Islamic countries, by contrast, 85
are Free, 39 are Partly Free, and 21 are Not Free” (Karatnycky 103). This finding is significant
because it shows the driving factors that are pushing the implementation of Muslim Democracy.
One country which has adopted Muslim Democracy into their government is Turkey.
Turkey’s Muslim Democracy has been used a model for what the ideal Muslim Democracy
consists of and what it stands for. Turkey is an ideal representation because it has never been
under imperial rule and has “fixed” some of the problems that have occurred within other
democracies in a way which works for them.
