{"id":5874,"date":"2020-01-17T10:01:23","date_gmt":"2020-01-17T15:01:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/?p=5874"},"modified":"2020-01-17T10:01:23","modified_gmt":"2020-01-17T15:01:23","slug":"the-basics-of-the-political-system-in-islam-part-2-of-2-islam-and-democracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/the-basics-of-the-political-system-in-islam-part-2-of-2-islam-and-democracy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Basics of the Political System in Islam (part 2 of 2): Islam and Democracy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"article-middle-content rvfs-4\" data-rvfs=\"4\">\n<h2>Islam and Democracy<\/h2>\n<p class=\"w-body-text-1\">In order to discuss productively the topic of democracy, one must first understand the origins and meanings of the concept itself.\u00a0 But, for the sake of brevity, it can be said that, according to the \u201cmodern\u201d and most rudimental understanding of the term, Islamic thought does conform to some of its aspects.\u00a0 One such aspect is the fact that Muslims have a right to appoint their rulers, hold them accountable and, when need be, to remove them from office. \u00a0Islam does not, however, empower the system of government with the right to absolve or change the legislation of the religion in society, nor does it leave them the right of creation of novel legislations.\u00a0 Rather, legislation is the right of God alone, and religion must be pivotal in deciding the validity of any new law. Bypassing this right of God amounts to the unforgivable sin of polytheism,<i> <\/i>for it from the basis of the belief in the Oneness of God that He and only He has the right of legislation.\u00a0 What this means is that the people or their elected officials do not have a right to make permissible what God has forbidden, or to declare forbidden what God has made permissible.\u00a0 Both in granting them such a right and then following their legislation is their elevation, making them lords like God, and this is what is meant by polytheism.\u00a0 No-one has the right to change the Law of God, and His Law is superior to and supersedes all man-made laws.<\/p>\n<p class=\"w-body-text-1\">Setting the boundaries of interaction between Islam and democracy, Muslims today are debating the relationship of Islam to democratic institutions in their societies.\u00a0 While most Muslims wish for greater political participation, the rule of law, government accountability, freedoms, and human rights, there are many different ways to achieve these goals.\u00a0 To some, Islam has its own mechanisms which preclude democratic institutions.\u00a0 Still others contend that Islam is fully capable of accommodating and supporting democratic institutions.\u00a0 Engaging in a process of reform, they argue the compatibility between Islam and certain types of \u2018democracy\u2019 by using traditional Islamic concepts like consultation (<i>shura<\/i>) between the ruler and the ruled, community consensus (<i>ijma<\/i>), public interest (<i>maslaha<\/i>), and scriptural based opinion (<i>ijtihad)<\/i>.\u00a0 These mechanisms can be used to support forms of government with systems of checks and balances among the executive, legislative, and judiciary branches.\u00a0 However, rulers of authoritarian states tend to ignore, discourage, or suppress democratic institutions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"w-body-text-1\">In general, one can see that Islam is a religion which not only governs the private religious life of an individual, but also mandates and regulates all aspects of public life.\u00a0 As the notion of worship in Islam is not restricted to mere rituals but inclusive of all deeds of obedience and goodness, so too does the concept of religion extend to all avenues of life on Earth.\u00a0 To a Muslim, the concepts of religion and state are inseparable.\u00a0 In keeping this principle respectfully in mind, whatever the form of government a Muslim society chooses to implement, all its constituents must be in direct concordance to the precepts of religion.\u00a0 By no means can the system of governance exclude, absolve, or interpolate any mandate of the religion, and this is yet only another example of the pure monotheistic nature of Islam, and that all rights due to God are rendered to Him alone, and none else.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Islam and Democracy In order to discuss productively the topic of democracy, one must first understand the origins and meanings of the concept itself.\u00a0 But, for the sake of brevity, it can be said that, according to the \u201cmodern\u201d and most rudimental understanding of the term, Islamic thought does conform to some of its aspects.\u00a0 &#8230; <a title=\"The Basics of the Political System in Islam (part 2 of 2): Islam and Democracy\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/the-basics-of-the-political-system-in-islam-part-2-of-2-islam-and-democracy\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about The Basics of the Political System in Islam (part 2 of 2): Islam and Democracy\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":5876,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-main-services"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/EIU2018cover.jpg","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/EIU2018cover.jpg",1000,526,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/EIU2018cover-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/EIU2018cover-300x158.jpg",300,158,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/EIU2018cover-768x404.jpg",768,404,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/EIU2018cover.jpg",1000,526,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/EIU2018cover.jpg",1000,526,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/EIU2018cover.jpg",1000,526,false],"gform-image-choice-sm":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/EIU2018cover.jpg",300,158,false],"gform-image-choice-md":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/EIU2018cover.jpg",400,210,false],"gform-image-choice-lg":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/EIU2018cover.jpg",600,316,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Site Admin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/author\/admin2\/"},"uagb_comment_info":3,"uagb_excerpt":"Islam and Democracy In order to discuss productively the topic of democracy, one must first understand the origins and meanings of the concept itself.\u00a0 But, for the sake of brevity, it can be said that, according to the \u201cmodern\u201d and most rudimental understanding of the term, Islamic thought does conform to some of its aspects.\u00a0&hellip;","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcT0IL-1wK","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8407,"url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/de\/die-grundlagen-des-politischen-systems-im-islam\/","url_meta":{"origin":5874,"position":0},"title":"Die Grundlagen des politischen Systems im Islam","author":"Site Admin","date":"06\/20\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"(part 1 of 2): Islam - A Perfect Way of Life Introduction The West makes a natural mistake in understanding Islamic tradition by assuming that religion means the same to Muslims as to most of the followers Religions since the industrial revolution and for some communities even before; that means\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;EINF\u00dcHRUNG IN DEN ISLAM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"EINF\u00dcHRUNG IN DEN ISLAM","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/de\/category\/einfuehrung-in-den-islam\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9294,"url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/the-basics-of-the-political-system-in-islam\/","url_meta":{"origin":5874,"position":1},"title":"The Basics of the Political System in Islam","author":"Site Admin","date":"06\/26\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"(part 1 of 2): Islam a Total Way of Life Introduction The West makes a natural mistake in their understanding of Islamic tradition, assuming that religion means the same for Muslims as it has meant for most other religious adherents ever since the industrial revolution, and for some societies, even\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Introducing Islam&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Introducing Islam","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/category\/introducing-islam\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9258,"url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/how-does-islam-differ-from-other-faiths\/","url_meta":{"origin":5874,"position":2},"title":"How Does Islam Differ from other Faiths?","author":"Site Admin","date":"06\/26\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"(part 1 of 2) Simplicity, Rationality and Practicality Islam is a religion without any mythology. Its teachings are simple and intelligible. It is free from superstitions and irrational beliefs. The oneness of God, the prophethood of Muhammad, and the concept of life after death are the basic articles of its\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Introducing Islam&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Introducing Islam","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/category\/introducing-islam\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8388,"url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/de\/wie-unterscheidet-sich-der-islam-von-anderen-religionen\/","url_meta":{"origin":5874,"position":3},"title":"Wie unterscheidet sich der Islam von anderen Religionen?","author":"Site Admin","date":"06\/20\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"(part 1 of 2) \u00a0 Simplicity, rationality and practicability Islam is a religion without any mythology. His teachings are simple and understandable. He is free from superstitions and incomprehensible misconceptions. The unity of God, the prophethood of Muhammad and the concept of life after death are the principles of his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;EINF\u00dcHRUNG IN DEN ISLAM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"EINF\u00dcHRUNG IN DEN ISLAM","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/de\/category\/einfuehrung-in-den-islam\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18071,"url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/is-islam-a-terrorist-religion\/","url_meta":{"origin":5874,"position":4},"title":"Is Islam a Terrorist Religion?","author":"Ask A Muslim","date":"05\/20\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Allah clearly States in The Noble Quran (interpretation of meaning), \"Allah does not forbid you from dealing kindly and fairly with those who have neither fought nor driven you out of your homes. Surely Allah loves those who are fair. Allah only forbids you from befriending those who have fought\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Misconceptions&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Misconceptions","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/category\/misconceptions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5875,"url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/the-basics-of-the-political-system-in-islam-part-1-of-2-islam-a-total-way-of-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":5874,"position":5},"title":"The Basics of the Political System in Islam (part 1 of 2): Islam a Total Way of Life","author":"Site Admin","date":"01\/17\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Introduction The West makes a natural mistake in their understanding of Islamic tradition, assuming that religion means the same for Muslims as it has meant for most other religious adherents ever since the industrial revolution, and for some societies, even before that; that is: a section of life reserved for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Islam&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Islam","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/category\/main-services\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/french_muslims_2018_afp.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/french_muslims_2018_afp.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/french_muslims_2018_afp.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/french_muslims_2018_afp.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/french_muslims_2018_afp.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/french_muslims_2018_afp.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5874"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5879,"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5874\/revisions\/5879"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}