The View Of Islam And Democracy Changes With Different Groups (Essay Sample)

ISLAM AND DEMOCRACY Name Course Code: Philosophy and Religion/Islamic Studies Date In Islam and democracy, Esposito and Voll (2001), argue that the view of Islam and democracy varies with different groups and it has seen vivid changes over time. For instance, Islamic groups advocate for democracy so that they can ascend to power, while Islamic intellectuals view Islam as quintessential in the fulfillment of democracy. Other groups believe that Islam assists in creating ethical and moral consciousness in the political arena. Contemporary Muslims recognize consultations between democracy and Islam. In Identity, Immigration and Liberal democracy, Francis Fukuyama (2006), recognizes there is a “hole” in the modern liberal democracy and political identity, which is the root cause for radical Islamism. In essence, traditional Islamic groups believed in the sovereignty of Allah and the transformation to people sovereignty amounts to idolatry, which contradicts the supreme nature of God (Esposito and Voll 2001, 2). The two authors further suggest that there exists a void in world democracies, especially where politics is devoid of spiritual incorporation. Traditional Islam does not lead to radicalism, but the failure to incorporate religion with politics (Fukuyama 2006, 6).[. Esposito and Voll (2001) noted that proponents of Islamic democracy concur that world democracies suffer from spiritual vacuum. Esposito, John L, and John O Voll. 2001. "Islam and Democracy." Humanities, 1-5. /news/humanities/2001-11/islam.htmlFukuyama (2006, 10) indicated that recognition on the basis of shared humanity is not sufficient, especially when dealing with marginalized groups. Fukuyoma, Francis. 2006. "Identity, Immigration, and Liberal Democracy." Project Muse, 5-20.] While Esposito and Voll (2001, 3) assume, through “tawhid,” that the spiritual and physical self shape people’s views and ideologies of religion and democracy, Fukuyama (2006, 8) recognizes the inner self and the need for the outward self to conform to the social requirements often imposed by political institutions and governments. In essence, the authors agree that the inner self controls and shapes the moral believes and political ideologies based on the cultural identity of a person. For instance, a Pakistan national will not find it difficult to live in Pakistan because the inner self (spirit self) is not in contradiction with the governance. However, when the same individual moves to Europe, the inner self and the physical person will be at loggerheads. The inner self is Islamic by design and culture, but finds itself in an environment where social conformity to non-Muslim ideologies is paramount. The difference leads to radical Islamism as he tries to identify with the political governance in Europe. The strength of Fukuyama (2006) argument is in the modern liberal democracy, which pitched an individual with the state and it disregarded groups whose unifying factor is religion or culture. Unfortunately, the disconnection between “state” and groups formed the foundation of western democracies. Therefore, in such areas Islam and democracy remain in conflict. However, its weakness is in the design of the political arena, which fails to integrate religion and governance. Fukuyama (9) noted that multiculturalism should not only focus on tolerating cultural diversity, but also the legal recognition of religious and ethnic groups. Esposito and Voll (3) reiterate the sentiments by advocating Islam as the driving tool for ethical and moral governance in politics. The strength of Esposito and Voll (2001, 3) is that Islamic doctrine recognizes people as the stewards (caliphs) of resources on earth. Subsequently, to ensure democracy the views of the people, through proper consultations, have a place in the determination of political governance. Its weakness is in the failure to correlate people beliefs and their roles in shaping democracy. In Europe, political identity can neutralize radical Islam through religion and political inclusivity. For instance, Muslims require integration into the political divide to avoid seclusion and delineation, which result from a fi...