[inti-net] Islam Does Democracy, but What About Liberty?

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/islam-does-democracy-but-what-about-liberty/517902

Islam Does Democracy, but What About Liberty?
Mustafa Akyol | May 15, 2012

For years, foreign policy discussions have focused on whether Islam is compatible with democracy, but this question is becoming passe. In Tunisia and Egypt, Islamists who were long seen as opponents of the democratic system are now joyfully participating in it.

For those concerned about extremism in the Middle East, this is good news, as the exclusion of Islamists by secular tyrants first bred extremism. Islamists will become more moderate when they are not oppressed and more pragmatic with the responsibility of governing.

But there is another reason for concern: What if elected Islamist parties impose laws that curb individual freedoms, like banning alcohol or executing converts, all with popular support? What if democracy does not serve liberty?

This question is seldom asked in the West, where democracy is often seen as synonymous with liberalism. However, as Fareed Zakaria warned in his 2003 book, "The Future of Freedom," there are illiberal democracies, too, where the majority's power isn't checked by constitutional liberalism and the rights and freedoms of all citizens are not secured. The real debate, therefore, is whether Islam is compatible with liberalism.

The main bone of contention is whether Islamic injunctions are legal categories. When Muslims say Islam bans alcohol, are they talking about public obligations that will be enforced by the state, or personal ones that will be judged by God? For those who believe the former, Saudi Arabia may seem ideal. Yet members of the Saudi elite are also famous for traveling abroad to hit up wild nightclubs and commit the sins they can't at home, raising the question of whether Saudi Arabia's intense piety is hypocritical.

By contrast, the ultra-secular Turkish Republic has for decades aggressively discouraged Islamic practices, going so far as to ban head scarves. And Turkish society has remained resolutely religious.

Still, even in Turkey, there are reasons to worry that illiberal democracy could emerge. Turkey still suffers from a paranoid nationalism that abhors minority rights, a judiciary designed to protect the state rather than its citizens and a political culture that regards criticism as an attack and provocative ideas as criminal.

As Turkey's religiously conservative majority gains power, it is imperative that the new elite liberalize the political system. If Turkey succeeds in that liberal experiment, it can set an example for Islamist-led governments in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere. These countries need not only procedural democracy, but also liberalism. And there is an Islamic rationale: Imposed religiosity leads to hypocrisy. Those who hope for genuine religiosity should first establish liberty.

The New York Times

Mustafa Akyol, a Turkish journalist, is the author of "Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty."

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