I read an article by Ayaz Amir of Dawn last week (perhaps it is still possible to read it?) where he basically argued that the people of our part of the world are NOT used to democracy as understood in the West. Basically he said it is an alien colonial concept and something we are not prepared for psychologically or historically as a collective--hence you have had a sham of a democracy in India (hinduism disguised as democracy) and in pakistan--well, even the pretence of democracy has not been kept!
But all this assumes that democracy is actually the best form of governance--and I don't think it is. Throughout our history, Muslims have been ruled by a combination of khilaafat and sultanat/imaarat. That is the type of goverment Islam allows and it is the type we are used to --and our people respect a strong ruler--the Khulafa-e-Rashida, Hazrat Amir Muawiyya...and closer to home, Muhammad ibn Qasim, Timur e Lang, Babar, Aurangzeb, Mahmud Ghaznavi, Abdali, Ghauri...etc.
That's why I do not think that democracy can work in an Islamic society--as it is basically an un-islamic concept derived from Graeco-Renaissance ideology...
Bring back the Sultan!
But all this assumes that democracy is actually the best form of governance--and I don't think it is. Throughout our history, Muslims have been ruled by a combination of khilaafat and sultanat/imaarat. That is the type of goverment Islam allows and it is the type we are used to --and our people respect a strong ruler--the Khulafa-e-Rashida, Hazrat Amir Muawiyya...and closer to home, Muhammad ibn Qasim, Timur e Lang, Babar, Aurangzeb, Mahmud Ghaznavi, Abdali, Ghauri...etc.
That's why I do not think that democracy can work in an Islamic society--as it is basically an un-islamic concept derived from Graeco-Renaissance ideology...
Bring back the Sultan!
Comment