Current Issues Briefing Summary

Islam and Democracy

Are the basic principles of Islam compatible with democracy? What is the relationship between human rights and Islam? What can the United States and the West do to help promote democracy in the Muslim world? To explore these issues, the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy co-sponsored a symposium at the Institute on June 18, 2002.

The session was co-chaired by David Smock, director of the Institute's Religion and Peacemaking Initiative, and Radwan Masmoudi, executive director of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy. Featured speakers included Muqtedar Khan, vice president of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists; Mahmood Monshipouri, chair of the Political Science Department at Quinnipiac University; Neil Hicks, coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa with the Lawyer's Committee for Human Rights and a former Institute senior fellow; and Laith Kubba of the National Endowment for Democracy.

Examining Islam's Compatibility with Democracy

Although there has been much recent discussion in the press about the inherent incompatibility of Islam and democracy, Khan believes this issue has been overblown. In fact, he said, "In the minds of nearly one billion Muslims who practice some from of democracy around the globe there is no dispute between Islam and democracy." Pointing to the role that Muslims play in civil society in countries from the United States to Pakistan, Kahn indicated that the international community is not confronted by a "clash of civilizations" or a clash between Islam and democracy, but rather a "clash of myths." These myths--that there are no democracies in the Muslim world and that secularism and democracy are inveterately linked--are advanced by Islamists and Western ideologues alike. Khan maintains they are major obstacles to constructive discussions about political development in the Muslim world.

To refocus the discussion, Khan stressed the importance of further examining three main issues:

• The Koranic principle of Shura, a consultative decision-making process encouraged by the Koran, and its commonalities and differences with basic precepts of western democratic theory.
  
• The false dichotomy whereby the rule of law in a democractic state ("law of man") is portrayed as being inherently in conflict with Sharia or Islamic law ("law of god").
  
• Historical democratic institutions and practices within the Muslim world, such as the Loya Jirga in Afghanistan or the historic Constitution of Medina, that may provide useful lessons on how democratic principles can be woven effectively into a modern Islamic society.

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A Look at Islam and Human Rights

Fifty-four years after the passage of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, why is the issue of human rights still a point of contention in relations between the West and the Muslim World? In an exploration of this question, Monshipouri argued that the core of the dispute is less a conflict of Western versus Muslim values and culture than it is the manifestation of an internal struggle in the Muslim world with modernity. This struggle pits Islamic conservatives, Islamic reformists, and Muslim secularists against each other, Monshipouri noted: "Muslim countries have increasingly become the site of an emerging cultural conflict over who controls the process of social change and whose interests are served by change or resistance to it."

In looking forward, Monshipouri outlined the critical role of efforts by Muslim women and youth to gain a greater role in civil society and development of public policies--a role he argues will be vital in shaping the evolution of future attitudes towards many human rights issues in the Muslim world. Monshipouri also stressed that Western policymakers need to treat "Muslim masses as partners in the struggle against human rights abuses," while also actively assisting reformist voices throughout the Muslim world.

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Promoting Democracy in the Muslim World

According to Hicks, the U.S. record on promoting democracy in the Muslim world in the past has been highly inconsistent and U.S. actions have been largely ineffective. Hicks noted that "the myth of cultural incompatibility between Islam and democracy has been a comfortable backdrop for a U.S. policy of inaction with respect to promoting democracy in the Muslim world, leaving a legacy of low expectations and Orwellian doublespeak that will take years to overcome."

To overcome these inconsistencies, Hicks outlined several courses of action open to U.S. policymakers:

• Substantially increase both the proportion and the amount of U.S. foreign assistance spent on the promotion of democracy in the Muslim world.
  
• Provide governments and other key interest groups in Muslim societies with economic, political, and other types of incentives to engage in democratic reforms.
  
• Embrace and make more effective use of existing multilateral agreements, international treaties, and international organizations on democratization and human rights.
  
• Promote regional accountability mechanisms with existing regional institutions.

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Understanding the Problems Facing Democratic Movements

In the final presentation of the day, Kubba explored some of the challenges confronting popular democratic political reform movements in the Muslim world. Noting that many Muslim states currently were stuck in a dysfunctional "deadlock" of corruption and repression, Kubba warned that "apathy and despair" were breeding radicalism. Kubba further noted that efforts to liberalize societies and strengthen democratic institutions in the Muslim world continue to be hampered by the reluctance of elites to cede their monopoly over state power.

In answer to this problem, Kubba suggested that democracy assistance from the West focus on four main aspects:

• Helping dysfunctional states increase their ability to provide critical public services.
• Advocating legal and institutional reforms that will enhance opportunities for greater public political participation.
• Assisting civic education efforts and programs working in the Muslim world.
• Finding techniques to contain the political abuse of religion.

Related Institute Online Resources

The Role of Faith in Peacemaking
Archived Audio and Video

Islamic Perspectives on Peace and Violence
Special Report: February 2002

"Human Rights in the Middle East: The Crisis of Implementation"
USIP Presents: March 20, 2002

More About Related Institute Activities

Special Initiative on the Muslim World

Religion and Peacemaking Web Links

Religion and Peacemaking Initiative

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About this Event Summary

This summary reflects the presentation and comments from "Islam and Democracy" -- a Current Issues Briefing held at the U.S. Institute of Peace June 18, 2002. The views summarized above reflect the discussion at the meeting; they do not represent formal positions taken by the Institute, which does not advocate specific policies.

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