01 January 2013

Is Islam compatible with democracy?

.... It appears civil law is not sufficient for this Islamist who prefers Islamic punishment, thus reflecting a mentality whose logical conclusion is cutting hands for stealing and stoning for adultery.

In addition to all this there is hardly any indication to show that what will come out of Syria once Bashar al-Assad is toppled is democracy. The opposite is more likely. In the final analysis, deeds, not words, will show if Islam is compatible with democracy. So the answer to this question has yet to come.

But the indications are not encouraging for the Arab world, and worrying as far as Turkey is concerned.

[A COMMENT] There is no literal concept of democracy or tolerance in any Abrahamic religion. These modern values came thousands of years later. In that sense Islam is no different from Christianity or Judaism.

What is different is that Islam has actually regressed, not progressed, in the era of globalization. After the fall of the Ottoman caliphate, Wahabis with their oil money filled the gap of Islamic jurisprudence. The world has greatly suffered ever since. [Hürriyet Daily News] Read more