http://archives.dailytimes.com.pk/editorial/28-Jan-2005/view-islam-s-democratic-imperative-sheik-dia-al-shakarchi
"Of course, the problem of Islam's compatibility with democracy may be analysed from different points of view. One possible approach is purely practical, comparing democracy with all other conceivable alternatives. In my opinion, there are only five conceivable alternatives in a Muslim country.
The first is secular dictatorship. This is unacceptable for two reasons. First, dictatorship itself is ugly and unacceptable; second, secular dictatorship excludes Islamic parties from participating normally in the political system. We have considerable experience of this in the Middle East.
Of course, an Islamic dictatorship is also possible. But this, too, is unacceptable. As with a secular dictatorship, Islamic dictatorship is ugly and destructive. Such a dictatorship would damage Islam by associating Islam with unjust rule and creating enemies for Islam.
A third alternative is democracy, but with secular restrictions on religious parties. In fact, this would be a pseudo-democracy, and would infringe on the rights of religious people to full participation. Likewise, an Islamic democracy with restrictions on non-religious parties would be a mockery of democracy and harmful to Islam. This would also be unrealistic, because in the current age of globalisation, any claims to democracy would be exposed as obviously false.
So, in my view, true democracy is the only alternative, because it is realistic and promotes peace. Call it ideology-free democracy: a political system that tolerates restrictions imposed only from within, never from outside, the democratic process itself."
"Of course, the problem of Islam's compatibility with democracy may be analysed from different points of view. One possible approach is purely practical, comparing democracy with all other conceivable alternatives. In my opinion, there are only five conceivable alternatives in a Muslim country.
The first is secular dictatorship. This is unacceptable for two reasons. First, dictatorship itself is ugly and unacceptable; second, secular dictatorship excludes Islamic parties from participating normally in the political system. We have considerable experience of this in the Middle East.
Of course, an Islamic dictatorship is also possible. But this, too, is unacceptable. As with a secular dictatorship, Islamic dictatorship is ugly and destructive. Such a dictatorship would damage Islam by associating Islam with unjust rule and creating enemies for Islam.
A third alternative is democracy, but with secular restrictions on religious parties. In fact, this would be a pseudo-democracy, and would infringe on the rights of religious people to full participation. Likewise, an Islamic democracy with restrictions on non-religious parties would be a mockery of democracy and harmful to Islam. This would also be unrealistic, because in the current age of globalisation, any claims to democracy would be exposed as obviously false.
So, in my view, true democracy is the only alternative, because it is realistic and promotes peace. Call it ideology-free democracy: a political system that tolerates restrictions imposed only from within, never from outside, the democratic process itself."
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