Andrew Heywood, in his discussion of
Political Ideologies refers to Islamic Fundamentalism as the “most politically
significant of modern fundamentalisms…” He
further emphasises that this ideology articulates interests of those who are
attracted to socialism in its Islamic form.
However, not all Muslim wish for a
socialist form of government even those under strictly Islamic or authoritarian
rule. For instance, the Middle East- a Muslim dominant -region experienced the
Arab Spring in 2010 after which the Arabs revolted against dictatorial and
authoritarian rule. The revolution kept spreading to neighbouring countries and
was clearly a call for greater freedom and hence, democracy. Countries such as
Tunisia and Congo effectively replaced their governments with democracy while others
such as Iraq and Iran are still struggling to achieve their goals despite,
having overthrown their existing governments.
In addition, the Islamic system of government,
also known as ‘Shariat’ can be seen as pro-democracy rather than pro-socialism.
In fact, the Caliphate formed after the death of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)
followed a system whereby the Caliph was chosen through voting and the “Majlis-e-Shura”,
a platform for discussion upon pressing matters. Therefore, it is incorrect to
state that Islam and democracy cannot co-exist.
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