04-18-2006, 10:50 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> <b> Islam and democracy </b>
Pioneer.com
Kishan Bhatia
Abdul Rahman Al-Habib's article, "Why Arabs curse West?" (April 17), makes interesting read. The Arab elite panders to Islamic dogma in West Asia. Many Muslim commentators who have some exposure to Western education express a desire for democratic rule in Islamic nations but most of them prefer a top-down military-democracy to a bottom-up democracy model that the West espouses.
What applies to Arabs is also true of India's neighbour, Pakistan. The perpetuation of policies supported by Islamic dogma allows Pakistan's ruling elite to enjoy power. Not one of them has shown the vision for uplifting country socially or culturally. Many senior Pakistani commentators refer to democracy without clearly defining what they mean by it: The Western model of bottom-up democracy or Islamic model of top-down military-democracy.
<b>If one analyses Pakistan's military-democracy, the deficiencies in the Islamic political model, its educational system and economic policies, they point out that Pakistan is not prepared for a Western style democracy.</b>
The Islamic world would not be prepared for a Western style democracy until it learns from the West granting "self-evident" human rights to its citizens and ensuring delivery of equal justice to all, which are basic to developing durable interdependence among all ethnicities.<b> A Western style democracy requires bottom-up, horizontal dialogue between the constituent ethnic forces.</b>
<b>Muslims are known to establish parallel societies that inhibit widespread social contacts among ethnically divided population. The two models are diametrically opposite</b>. With renaissance in Europe, Western nations developed initiatives for the bottom-up horizontal dialogue; with perpetuation of Islamic dogma, <b>the Muslim rulers are able to establish top-down military-democracy by exploiting divisive tendencies represented by the parallel societies for different ethnic and sectarian groups</b>.
Many commentators have been openly critical of Gen Pervez Musharraf, but most of them do not acknowledge the deficiencies that need to be rectified if an egalitarian democracy is to take root in Pakistan. Incidentally, what is being done to prepare the society for a participatory democracy in Pakistan? Tragically, sustainable inter-dependence among all ethnic and sectarian branches in Pakistan is missing.
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Pioneer.com
Kishan Bhatia
Abdul Rahman Al-Habib's article, "Why Arabs curse West?" (April 17), makes interesting read. The Arab elite panders to Islamic dogma in West Asia. Many Muslim commentators who have some exposure to Western education express a desire for democratic rule in Islamic nations but most of them prefer a top-down military-democracy to a bottom-up democracy model that the West espouses.
What applies to Arabs is also true of India's neighbour, Pakistan. The perpetuation of policies supported by Islamic dogma allows Pakistan's ruling elite to enjoy power. Not one of them has shown the vision for uplifting country socially or culturally. Many senior Pakistani commentators refer to democracy without clearly defining what they mean by it: The Western model of bottom-up democracy or Islamic model of top-down military-democracy.
<b>If one analyses Pakistan's military-democracy, the deficiencies in the Islamic political model, its educational system and economic policies, they point out that Pakistan is not prepared for a Western style democracy.</b>
The Islamic world would not be prepared for a Western style democracy until it learns from the West granting "self-evident" human rights to its citizens and ensuring delivery of equal justice to all, which are basic to developing durable interdependence among all ethnicities.<b> A Western style democracy requires bottom-up, horizontal dialogue between the constituent ethnic forces.</b>
<b>Muslims are known to establish parallel societies that inhibit widespread social contacts among ethnically divided population. The two models are diametrically opposite</b>. With renaissance in Europe, Western nations developed initiatives for the bottom-up horizontal dialogue; with perpetuation of Islamic dogma, <b>the Muslim rulers are able to establish top-down military-democracy by exploiting divisive tendencies represented by the parallel societies for different ethnic and sectarian groups</b>.
Many commentators have been openly critical of Gen Pervez Musharraf, but most of them do not acknowledge the deficiencies that need to be rectified if an egalitarian democracy is to take root in Pakistan. Incidentally, what is being done to prepare the society for a participatory democracy in Pakistan? Tragically, sustainable inter-dependence among all ethnic and sectarian branches in Pakistan is missing.
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