Sectarianism has become more prominent as a dangerous problem among Muslims again in the contemporary period, dating back to the Iranian revolution, and in the new millennium since the invasion of Iraq, and then the uprising in Syria leading to a civil war which has been characterised along sectarian lines. Before delving deeper into ideological … Continue reading Muslims, Islam and the Question of Sectarianism
democracy
Muslims, Islam and Liberal Democracy
This hegemony of the superiority and universality of democracy has underlain much of the approach to analysing the politics of Islamic individuals and groups across the Middle East and general Muslim world. ... This assumption is standard fare, with undergraduate books on comparative politics dividing governments into “democratic” on the one hand, with various models and shades, and anything completely outside the democratic category generally considered “authoritarian”. The promotion of democracy is considered to be an explicit objective of the West, and it could be argued that for any political discussion to be taken seriously requires the adoption of the slogans that aspire towards democracy and freedom. Alternatively it could be argued that the adoption of such slogans, whether by the general Muslim population or Islamic movements, obscures what is really being said by all sides involved.
Democratic Theory (2): Who are “the people”?
The first thing to note is that “the people” has never included all the people in a particular society – children for example are generally excluded. The question is how to define the limit of who has the right of participation in the ruling, and who is to be excluded.
Voting: A Brief Look
Democracy is fundamentally “rule by the people”, and is based upon total and complete sovereignty residing in “the people”.....Representative democracy is when representatives are chosen by the people in order to exercise that sovereignty on their behalf.... Voting for a candidate in a representative democracy is therefore the process of selection to choose someone to exercise the sovereignty of the people on your behalf.
A Brief Response to Dr. Ovamir Anjum’s “Who Wants the Caliphate?”
Dr. Ovamir Anjum's recent piece for the Yaqeen Institute entitled "Who wants the Caliphate?" is certainly worth a read. It is a fairly substantial long-read for an internet article, so to summarise just a few of the points I found interesting; please note there is much more in the article than what I mention below, … Continue reading A Brief Response to Dr. Ovamir Anjum’s “Who Wants the Caliphate?”
Democratic Theory (1): What makes a democracy ‘democratic’?
Given the many varieties and claims to democracy today and throughout history, it is important to have a clearly defined understanding of what the core differentiating characteristic of democracy is, if the word is to have any meaning - i.e. what defines it distinctively from other potential forms of government. Our objective here is to … Continue reading Democratic Theory (1): What makes a democracy ‘democratic’?