| Chapter 1: | Islamic Governance and Democracy |
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recognition that governments in Muslim societies must consult to retain their legitimacy.
But assuming that shura becomes the norm for Islamic institutions, movements, and governments; does that automatically imply that democratization will follow? I am hopeful but skeptical. I do not believe that shura and democracy are the same kinds of institutions. It is my sense that shura and democracy differ in three basic ways:
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1. Unlike shura, democracy allows modification of foundational texts. You can amend the constitution but not the Quran or the Sunnah. On the face of it, this does not seem like a problem since Muslims are by definition supposed to accept the primary sources of Islam. In practice, however, one is not dealing with the sources themselves but rather the medieval interpretations of these sources, and shura is for all purposes subordinated to the past understanding of Islamic texts.
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2. Shura remains nonbinding while democratic process and laws are binding and can only be reversed through a democratic process and not by unilateral and oligopolistic processes.
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3. The way shura is discussed in Islamic discourses, it seems to me that it is something that the leader/ruler initiates and is expected to do. Shura is the leader consulting some people; it is not clear whom—scholars, relatives, or the entire adult Ummah. Will women be consulted, too? How about gays and lesbians and non- Muslims? In a democracy, on the other hand, people consult among themselves about who will govern and how. Notice how shura is top-down and democracy bottom-up.
Finally, I would like to say that shura, like democracy, is a deeply contested notion. It is the successful and just practice and institutionalization of these ideas that counts rather than theoretical finessing. Unfortunately, we do not reflect on these issues seriously. Moreover, we must include more and more Muslims in the process, in order to make this theoretical reflection itself a shuratic process. We must, however, be careful