Abuullah Ibn Nuhammau 61u1S

Piof. Shamsy Islamic Thought: Final Papei

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If Westein uemociacy is consiueieu to be the epitome of human goveinment in mouein
society, then the inevitable futuie of the Nuslim woilu is in holuing some foim of
Westein uemociacy thioughout the vaiious nations anu states. This way of thinking is
naiiow minueu, though, as the Nuslim woilu is fai moie complex anu is pait of a social
ievolution at an eia that is uiffeient fiom anything that has happeneu befoie in histoiy.
To highlight the complexity of the situation anu of the uevelopment of the Nuslim woilu
in geneial, it is necessaiy to highlight the iole of Islam as a ieligion in goveinment, the
iole of technology anu social meuia in ievolutionaiy movements shaping new
goveinments, anu fiom that the iole of the people of the Nuslim woilu anu how they
uefine the ueveloping goveinment. In auuition, the influence of oluei movements in the
political scene is of paiticulai impoitance to the cuiient state anu uevelopment of the
Nuslim woilu anu its goveinment.
To analyze uemociacy in the Nuslim woilu, it is necessaiy to look at seveial oluei
movements anu figuies that still influence politics anu social thought in the iegion.
Sayyiu Qutb's time in Egypt is especially ielevant in light of the influence he hau on
seveial schools of Islamic political thought anu movements. Bis geneial take on
goveinment as a function of Islam, as "Islam is not simply a system of beliefs .but is also
a system foi oiganization of human life on Eaith" (Tiipp, 16S-168), was veiy influential
uuiing his time, anu the vestiges of his iueology have taken ioot in the mouein uay
political scene. Society in the Nuslim woilu values the 'Islam as a system of goveinment'
iueology, as eviuenceu by the vaiious paities anu suppoit those paities ieceive in the
changing Nuslim nations.
Abuullah Ibn Nuhammau 61u1S
Piof. Shamsy Islamic Thought: Final Papei
Qutb's view of Islam as a souice of political change is even moie inteiesting when
juxtaposeu with a moie mouein political iefoimei, Rachiu uhannouchi. uhannouchi
auvocateu, anu still auvocates, a uemociatic Islamic state, but one that is able to woik in
haimony with Islam as well as pluialism. Bis views iest on a uemociatic stance that is
"founueu on sounu philosophies anu noble humanistic values that iecognize the
spiiitual anu ethical uimensions of man" (Tamimi, 91). Inteiestingly, uhannouchi has
auvocateu the Westein uemociatic mouel "as a staiting point" in the oveiaiching
pathway to !"#$%&' uemociacy, a uemociacy built within the bounus of Shaii'ah, yet
viable in this mouein uay anu age.
So how ()*" Islam fit into the oveiall scheme of uemociacy in the Nuslim woilu,
especially with the auvent of the 'Aiab Spiing'. This is a uifficult question to answei, but
it is quite eviuent that Islam uoes holu a significant position in the cuiient political
uiscouise. The iole of the 0lama', with theii vaiious Fatwas, has auueu complexity to an
alieauy complex situation. The 0lama', in geneial, have helu fiim the "histoiical Sunni
views that iegaiu ievolution with skepticism", alluuing to the ievolution as a foim of
"public uisoiuei" (Fauel). At the same time, the 0lama aie not iepiesentative of the coie
Islamic essence of any Nuslim movement, uue to a "lack of institutional inuepenuence
fiom stiong iegimes". Noieovei, even if some of the 0lama' aie fully inuepenuent fiom
any iegime, theie is a geneial lack of compiehension in the uelineation of the mouein
state of the woilu with pie-mouein states (Fauel). Fuithei convoluting the situation is
the stance of many 0lama' on ieligion anu politics as being sepaiate entities. This is
peihaps the most obvious uisconnect illustiateu in the events affecting the Nuslim
woilu touay, as one of the biggest conceins anu issues in this uiscouise is how
Abuullah Ibn Nuhammau 61u1S
Piof. Shamsy Islamic Thought: Final Papei
influential ieligion may be in politics. Theie seems to be a geneial consensus that
ieligious institutions, like the 0lama, cannot holu "univeisal competence ovei all
political anu social matteis" (Fauel). As Fauel concluues in his aiticle, the "escapist
visions of peisonal piety" uo not seem to contiibute to any piogiess oi uevelopment foi
the Nuslim woilu.
The uiscussion of the incoipoiation of Islam into goveinment anu the Aiab spiing
is one that is fai too bioau anu exhausting foi the puipose of this papei. Yet, theie is no
uoubt that it holus a place in any uiscussion of uemociacy in the Nuslim woilu. This is
enough to iepuuiate aiguments on any 'iueal' Westein uemociacy being implementeu in
the Nuslim woilu, but, at the same time, uoes not ueemphasize the impoitance of the
Westein uemociacy iueology in shaping a new 'Nuslim woilu uemociacy', a la Rachiu
uhannouchi's view (Tamimi, 86-9S).
Whatevei goveinment is uevelopeu, theie is one uefinitive factoi in this political
equation, anu that is +,* .*).#*. In paiticulai, the people who make up the Nuslim woilu,
paiticulaily those involveu in the 'Aiab Spiing' movements anu uemonstiations. It may
be constiueu as a tiibute to the ioots of Westein uemociacy itself, but whatevei the
case, the social movements that constitute the cuiient state of the Nuslim woilu have a
stiong ioot in uemociatic iueals (Baugebolle). These iueals may just be a fiustiateu
iesponse to the local uictatoiships much of the Nuslim woilu has hau to contenu with,
but the fact that such unity is being uisplayeu in piotest, anu such an enthusiastic anu
feivent social movement has aiisen, is inuicative of the 'powei of the people' in the
uevelopment of a Nuslim uemociacy. Anu heiein lies the ioot of the issue. Any
uiscussion of the iole anu influence of uemociacy, Westein oi otheiwise, in the Nuslim
Abuullah Ibn Nuhammau 61u1S
Piof. Shamsy Islamic Thought: Final Papei
woilu is highly uepenuent on the effect of the ievolution, which is maue up of 'the
people' (Baugebolle, Fauel). Yes, the people aie influenceu by ieligion, philosophy,
mantias of vaiious leaueis anu iuols, but in the enu, it is not one sole iueology that is
iesplenuent ovei all of society, but a mix of uiffeient iueals anu uiffeient positions on the
goveinment of the Nuslim woilu. Peihaps that &" what uemociacy is, but in the cuiient
state of the Nuslim woilu anu the Aiab Spiing, it is not cleai what the futuie holus.
In auuition to the topic of ieligion anu geneial societal establishment in this
uiscussion of goveinment, the outgiowth of the vaiious movements anu conflicts in the
post-mouein Nuslim woilu is moie complicateu than evei. With the auvent of the 21
st

centuiy, technology has been auvancing iapiuly, the Inteinet has become +,* conuuit of
infoimation, anu social netwoiks have tiuly integiateu into society. It is with these
changes, no, (/* to these changes that the political situation in the Nuslim woilu is veiy
uiffeient fiom anything seen befoie in histoiy. That is the ieason why the concept of a
'Westein' uemociacy being fitteu into the cataclysmic iegime-baseu Nuslim woilu is not
so cleai-cut. The people that make up the Nuslim woilu have access to technology anu a
woiluwiue infoimation connection that is unpieceuenteu in histoiy. It is only eviuent
that such tools woulu be useu foi social movements, anu the Aiab Spiing biought about
(anu is biinging about) oppoitunities to apply these auvancements in the ueconstiuction
of olu iegimes anu the cieation of new goveinments. Any question of uemociacy woulu
not be piopeily answeieu without incluuing the effect of technology anu its associateu
meuia in conuucting anu even shaping the voice of the people, anu thus shaping the
oveiall uevelopment of any uemociacy.
Abuullah Ibn Nuhammau 61u1S
Piof. Shamsy Islamic Thought: Final Papei
So is Westein libeial uemociacy the 'enu-all, be-all' iueology that will shape the
woilu. Accoiuing to Fukuyama, it shoulu be, anu the Aiab Spiing anu the oveiall
political tuimoil of the Nuslim woilu shoulu be a peifect testing giounu foi such an
assumption. People like uhannouchi, with the minuset of an 'Islamic' uemociacy that
will biing ultimate stability to the iegion, will aigue that the Westein uemociacy is, at
the veiy least, a goou staiting point foi ueveloping goveinments in the Nuslim woilu. 0n
the othei hanu, theie aie the tiauitional scholais of Islam who have vastly vaiying
opinions in the cuiient uiscouise, with some auvocating the 'stability' anu confoimity of
oluei iegimes, while otheis auvocating an 'Islamic' ievival that is also compliant with
attiibutes of Westein uemociacy. Anu of couise, theie aie vaiious 'thiiu-paities' that
iange fiom social iuealists to militant gioups (the two gioups being inteitwineu at
times). All these factois contiibute to a veiy uistiibuteu political scene in the Nuslim
woilu, paiticulaily the iegions affecteu by social uemonstiation anu ievolution.
0n that note, it only makes sense to concluue that the question of the 'tiiumph' of
Westein libeial uemociacy is inconclusive. The past few uecaues have illustiateu the
obvious influence of Westein uemociacy on the Nuslim woilu, at least in teims of social
thought anu iuealization, but to state that the Nuslim woilu will confoim to Westein
uemociacy is eiioneous, to say the veiy least. No, if anything, the state of the ueveloping
human goveinment in the Nuslim woilu is something that is an amalgamation of many
uiffeient viewpoints anu concepts that tie in both Islam anu uemociacy in a way that
uoes not succumb to the uictatoiial iegimes of olu, noi is a uuplication of mouein
Westein libeial uemociacy.

Abuullah Ibn Nuhammau 61u1S
Piof. Shamsy Islamic Thought: Final Papei

7,548#/9
1. Tiipp, Chailes. "Sayyiu Qutb: The Political vision." In 0&)1**2" )3 !"#$%&' 4*5&5$#6
Euiteu by Ali Rahmena, 1S4-18S. Lonuon: Zeu Books, 1994.
2. Tamimi, Azzam (2uu1). Rachiu uhannouchi: a uemociat within Islamism. New Yoik:
0xfoiu 0niveisity Piess.
S. Fauel, Nohammau. "Special Analysis: Religion anu the Aiab Spiing". 7,* !"#$%&'
8)1+,#96 Fall 2u11.
4. Baugbolle, Sune. "Reflections on Iueology aftei the Aiab 0piisings". :$($#&99$. 21 Nai.
2u12.