July 21, 2011

Fethullah Gülen and Islamic scholarship’s contribution to democracy (1)

Muhammed Çetin

Since the fifth century BCE, democracy has been discussed by political theorists, philosophers and members of diverse societies and cultures.

Although it is commonly accepted that democracy as a form of government originated in ancient Greece, many other nations, groups and cultures have contributed significantly to its evolution. As hopes of change for the better are high all over the world today, it is timely and illuminating to consider perspectives raised in different cultures. The modern tendency is to view democracy as a set of political traditions, particular institutions and cultural assumptions. But this notion of democracy runs into problems because the world is a culturally diverse place and no single culture has a monopoly on democratic ideas and practice. Needs, expectations, aspirations and problems related to human behavior, community life, faith, culture, law and order vary from land to land and time to time. In view of the debates raised in recent years over the practice of democracy in Muslim countries and cultures, this article will consider the forms, theory, history and possible future of democracy in the light of the views of a influential, contemporary Turkish intellectual and Islamic scholar, Fethullah Gülen.

Variation in forms of democracy

Although it is common to discuss democracy as if it is problematic only in the Muslim world, in reality democracies all over the world have to deal with a number of controversial issues about the diverse forms of government, varieties of representation, the types of freedom citizens require or demand, the unlegislated distribution of political power, uneven separation of powers and the breach of the system of rule by the accumulated powers.

Gülen's intellectual contribution to the global discussion of democracy, which is determined by his adherence to Islamic values, is not limited to an analysis of democracy's value and meaning for individuals and societies. In addition, he examines how democracy is affected by the crises which people and systems undergo, as well as the complexities of life in modern industrialized societies and the contraction in the space available for individual and collective expression of cultural, moral and spiritual values.

According to Gülen, the understanding of democracy and human rights within the theoretical heritage of Islam is not dogmatic, but it centers around values such as compromise, stability, the protection of life, the honor and dignity of human beings, justice, equity, dialogue and consultation. Islamic political theory is flexible and does not bind Muslims by any rigid limits in the choice of concrete forms of government and political system. The main principle in Islamic political theory is the implementation of three fundamental values: equality, justice and consultation. The forms and means of enactment of these are vested in the hands of the community. Thus, the actual realization of the three pillars can and must take into account the conditions of Muslims' lives, their traditions, cultural preferences and other factors. Gülen argues that the social, cultural, political and historical aspects of societies should be taken into account in the development of democracy in the world.

Observers discussing the compatibility between Western and Muslim perspectives on democracy and human rights sometimes make the error of attacking "Islam" and demanding its reform, instead of commenting on the approaches or methods of particular activists, regimes or countries and reforming those instead. Some observers even claim Islamic principles and institutions directly contradict democratic values in their modern meaning, and so any step by Muslim societies towards the establishment of democracy must be accompanied by rejecting Islamic political and legal traditions. At the other extreme, ideologically motivated Muslims claim to have the only correct understanding of Islam, and that Islamic fundamentals of power, politics and believers' rights have nothing in common with Western democratic institutions. These extremists often argue that "the power of the people" is alien to Islam, which puts forward the principle of the supremacy of Islamic law instead.

In fact, the concepts advanced in this type of argument are taken out of the whole context of Islamic thought and its socio-political heritage and are addressed to less well-educated Muslims (and others) in order to justify political extremism. Nevertheless, within both traditional and modern Islamic political and legal thought, there are several different perspectives on government which are more genuinely representative of the Islamic legal tradition and which do not justify extremism.

Islamic jurisprudence embodies the divine revelation, the art of lawyers, local and global cultures and global relationships. Islamic law and the legal system, its common principles and the majority of its concrete norms are similar to the fundamental ideas and particular provisions of other legal systems. Islamic legal culture has always cooperated closely with and been receptive to other legal cultures. In this sense, Islamic law is of benefit not only to Muslims but to humanity. Over many centuries, a great variety of views on the fundamentals of the executive and the legislature have developed within Islamic culture, and diverse notions of the relations between the state and the individual have been elaborated.

One of the key features of the Islamic understanding of democracy is the concept of shura (collective and community consultation). Without any qualification or limitation, all members of a community are eligible to give or request consultation on any matter, except one covered by a clear-cut revelation from God. Consequently, all political matters concerning the selection of the ruler, the structure and shape of the government, the form of political system, the running of the government and of the various affairs of the state and all other related matters are to be decided by consultation through the participation of all members of the community.

In public and government affairs collective consultation is concerned with two main issues: the selection of the head of state and running of the government together with reviewing the legality and propriety of governmental and presidential actions. On the selection of the head of state, collective consultation is flexible and adopts various forms. Elections, whether direct or indirect, are considered to be an Islamic method of selecting the head of state or members of the legislative body which satisfies the consultation process. With regard to the running of the government and control over the legality and propriety of the executive's actions, Islamic law is also very flexible. The establishment of a representative body through direct or indirect elections is compatible with Islam and is a good application of community and collective consultation. In addition to their reviewing authorities, representative bodies may be empowered to legislate on different matters provided that such regulations do not violate any unambiguous and clear-cut principle or rule of Islamic injunctions. If democracy is the government of the people by the people for the people, shura is a process which guarantees that all affairs of the people are decided by the people and for their interests. So, the basics of democracy and the fundamentals of shura in the political field are not opposed.

This genuine Islamic idea is one of the most basic human rights and a means of protecting and preserving all other human rights under Islamic law, especially the right to equality, the freedom of thought and the right to express oneself freely in order to correct or demand the correction of what is not right, even if it is something committed by the highest officials, including the head of state. State officials and authorities do not have political immunity while in office in Islam.

Published on Today's Zaman, 26 January 2009, Monday

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