Fifteen Questions to religious scholars about Democracy
1. According to Islamic Jurisprudence is it 'legal' to have
a desire for Authority, applying for
it, canvassing
for one's success, doing huge expenditures and use of other fair and unfair
means.
2. Are political parties
especially the 'ruling party and
'opposition' allowed in Islam as western Democracy cannot even
initiate its journey without them.
3. Also, doesn't the
political parties come under the definition of dissension “which are founded on the basis of regional and linguistic
bigotry", that are strictly forbidden and this deed is termed as
Infidelity and Polytheism.
4. Is a sinful &
irreligious man be allowed to vote for any position in an election of an Islamic state? Moreover,
can he become a candidate in that election?
5. Does vote of an ignorant man and vote of a God fearing, pious and
religious scholar carry equal weight?
6. In your
personal matters do you invite opinion
of all and sundry or discuss with each and every one? If your answer is in
negation then how comes this is acceptable in national matters? Particularly
according to Quran and as observed by us, the majority of a society consists of sinful and ignorant people?
7. Under Islamic Law is a
woman allowed to participate in political activities so that she may enter the parliament by participating in elections, especially in the
circumstances where there is no
restriction upon intermingling of sexes. On top of that, (the restriction)
is declared synonymous with 'illegal' and 'depriving women of their rightful',
and this intermingling and indecency being patronized at every level.
8. Can any precedence of women holding a worth mentioning position
be cited in earlier days of Islam?
9. According to Islam can the participation of Non Muslims in assemblies be tolerated?
10. In the current
democratic system, the fluctuation and conflict among authorities of President
and Prime Minister happen time and ago. Can the same be cited in the Rightly
Guided Caliphate? In other words was
there some one elected for the designation other than the 'ruler'?
11. Is it necessary to decide on the basis of the majority? If it is
necessary then on which grounds Allah's Apostle made Hudabiah's peace treaty,
Siddeeq-e-Akbar decided to send expedition of Usama and declared a war with
deniers of Zakah. Although there was no one in the consultative body who
favoured these decisions.
12. Some pro-democratic persons declare assembly a better
substitute of consultative body. In reality besides the participation of Non
Muslims and women in consultative body, capability of members, deliberations
and decision taking methodologies, are all different and contradictory between
the two. In presence of these factors can
we declare Parliament a better substitute of the consultative body?
13. The Democratic 'outline
map' is such that it leads towards the Government of the People. Is sovereignty of Allah possible without
alteration in this 'outline map'. If so then explain how it can be?
14. Suppose our assembly
approves the Shariah Bill unchanged, complete in all aspects. In that case who
will be sovereign? Parliament or ‘the Islamic Law’
Would you like that Islamic Legislation stands in need of
assembly for its implementation?
15. Democracy was experimented before Islam. If it was a good thing
then why Islam did not patronize it? Moreover, why Allah's sovereignty was
emphasized instead of 'People being governed by the people'?
Translated from Sheikh Abdur Rehman Kelani book "Khilafat O Jamhuriat', Pages 315-317
