Democracy in Islamic: What is Theocracy? How is it a Characteristic of Iran? (Coursework Sample)

DEMOCRACY IN ISLAM STATES
Name
Institution
What is fundamentalism? How does it relate to populism and success? Is Khomeini a fundamentalist? Why/why not?
Fundamentalism is the strict observance and adherence the basic principles of a discipline (Ruthven, 2004). Fundamentalism have been observed in many aspects of life. There are political, economic, social and religious fundamentalism. Populism is a political doctrine common in democratic countries where the under privileged majority are mobilized against the few ruling elite. Ayatollah Khomeini is a fundamentalist because of his interpretations of Islam which are radical in nature. When he issued a fatwa against the author and publishers of the fictional book The Satanic Verses, the majority of the Muslim work rejected it on the basis that it flouted the general rules of justice in Islam that required a trial before the decree(Hood, Hill & Williamson, 2005 pg.165).
What is Theocracy? How is it a characteristic of Iran?
Theocracy is a government system in which priests/church leaders/sheikhs/imams rule in the name of God or as representative of God. The Islamic republic of Iran was formed in 1979 following a revolution that deposed the last monarch Mohammad Reza. Ayatollah emerged as the supreme leader thus establishing the theocracy. Amjad (1989) traces the transition of Iran from royal dictatorship to theocracy, in which Ayatollah Khomeini is viewed “marja” translated as a source of emulation by the Shia Muslims. He was also an expert in Muslim law. Iran’s constitution is based on the principles of Islam, crafted by Khomeini after becoming the supreme leader. His name Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini translated to Arabic means the spirit of God. The ayatollahs are believed to be direct messengers of God.
Iran today is both theocracy and democracy. While ayatollahs rule Iran on behalf of god, there is an executive president and parliament too. However the ayatollah has sweeping powers over the presidency to the effect that it is seen as a paper tiger. The majority of the Iranian population are Muslims who have deep respect for the clergy, they have been agitating for more powers for the president and parliament. The clergy have become a suffocating fixture in their daily private lives (Kheirabadi, 2003).
What are the three types of secularism? Give an example of each.
Ngo &Quijada (2015) define secularism as the principle of separating the government leadership and other aspects of society from the religious influences. The first type of secularism is in the exercise of state power. In this case the state guarantees individuals to protection for freedom of worship anything that represents god. The church on the other hand doesn’t interfere with the state in its exercise of legitimate power. This is political secularism. Secondly there is social secularism in which religious leaders are prevented from influencing aspects of public like law, education and politics.
This involves banning of religious signs and images in public places like schools, government buildings etc. this extends to removal of religious teachings from the curricula. This is known as social secularism. The third type of secularism is when the society welcomes the questioning of the existence of an all-powerful God to not challenging the existence of many other gods. This is the pitying of theism against atheism and projecting the two as the ways in which one makes a choice about how he/she lives her life (Ngo &Quijada, 2015).
What is a civil society? How is it affected by authoritarianism?
Civil society is a community of citizens connected together by a common interests and activities (Kaviraj, 2001). Civil societies in authoritarian societies for example in China and Egypt gained more trust if their leadership were officials with state connections. The populace viewed the presence of the government in their operations (civil societies) as stamp of legitimacy and confidence that they were devoid of foreign interference (Tai,2014). This works well in advancing unpopular agenda of the authoritarian governments. However on the other hand it impedes the actions of those who want to stem out unacceptable government acts that infringe on the civil rights. Authoritarian governments through unpopular laws have stifled operations of the civil society. Sometimes even becoming high-handed in intimidating them. Burt (2010) in his book narrates the brutal counterinsurgency tactics that were meted on the Peruvian civil society that opposed the government of Alberto Fujimori. Such attacks are meant to silence a robust society that stands up against unpopular and repressive regimes.
How did the caliphate deviate from the concept of Islamic law (Al sharia) and conform to Mulk (Kingship) on gender?
A caliph is a person who is considered to be a religious successor to the prophet Muhammad and is in control of an area with political and religious jurisdiction. A caliphate is the area under control of the Caliph. Caliphs are of the male gender, deeply religious and political leaders. Their transformation to kingship is due to the differences in the two main branches of Muslims, the Shiite and the Sunni. While political power of the caliph was abolished in 1924, their religious relevance lives to date as can be observed in countries like Iran where the Twelver Muslims regard the Ayatollahs as the latter-day Caliphs. As with the case of Ayatollah Khamenei and those before him, his stature is high above the elected president (Arabi, Powers &Spectorsky,2013).
References
Amjad, M. (1989). Iran: From royal dictatorship to theocracy. New York: Greenwood Press.
Burt, J.-M. (2010). Political violence and the authoritarian state in Peru: Silencing civil society. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Hood, R. W., Hill, P. C., & Williamson, W. P. (2005). The psychology of religious fundamentalism. New York [u.a.: Guilford Press.
In Arabi, O., In Powers, D. S., & In Spectorsky, S. A. (2013). Islamic legal thought: A compendium of Muslim jurists.
In Ngo, T. T. T., & In Quijada, J. B. (2015). Atheist secularism and its discontents: A comparative study of religion and communism in Eurasia.
Kaviraj, S. (2001). Civil society: History and possibilities. Cambridge [u.a.: Cambridge Univ. Press.
Ruthven, M. (2004). Fundamentalism: The search for meaning. Oxford [u.a.: Oxford Univ. Press.
Tai, J. W. (2014). Building civil society in Authoritarian China: Importance of leadership connections for establishing effective nongovernmental organizations in a non-democracy.
Kheirabadi, M. (2003). Iran. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers.
Democracy as a concept has two variants. Direct and Representative. Both aspects of democracy are hugely non-existent in the Islamic world. While some countries bear a semblance to representative democracy such as Iran, the reality is very dire. The real power is wielded by the supreme leader who is not elected into office but rather appointed by a minority who exercise complete control over the masses. This essay is about explains this trend as well as offering a glimpse into how these regimes perpetuate their power and those that oppose them, buoyed by globalization wave.
The governments in the majority of oil producing nations are authoritarian in structure. There exists a strong correlation between the vast oil resources in one hand and anti-democratic activities and suppression of individual rights and freedoms in these countries (Ross, 2012). Arab states that have vast oil resources have always viewed agitation for democratic governance as a domestic threat. Increased militarization of the police, expansion of militaries and multi-layered intelligence services have been made possible through “oil money” at the expense of socially beneficial development agenda. Regimes therefore become fortress states that silence dissenting voices (Lynch, 2014).
According to Bacher (2008, pg. 71) nations that are deemed to be “oiless” have been vulnerable to world powers pressure for democratic processes on a larger scale than the oil rich states. A case in point is Morocco and Turkey. In Turkey, the Kurdish people struggle against successive regimes for recognition have been brought to the limelight through active participation of civil societies. The ability of these civil society movements to operate unhindered are seen as western influencing democratic patterns in Turkey. Morocco was forced to recognize a peace pact in 1991 that brokered a peace deal and ended the 15 year civil strife. The peace deal was enforced by United Nations Mission for Referendum in Western Sahara (MINUSRSO).
Patriarchalsocieties that Middle East countries are characterized by, are hugely based on Islamic teachings. Islam as a religion is not only a way of life but also a system of governance. Gender roles as prescribed in the Qur’an vary from...