Islam and Democratization in Asia By Shiping Hua

provide Muslims independence from Western domination and autonomy to practice Islam and institutionalize Islamic norms. For many Muslims, the Islamic state is a vehicle for Muslim self-determination.

I believe that Muslims can approach the issue of defining and creating a virtuous republic either on the basis of universal norms or through a parochial paradigm based on Islamic values. The end product in my mind is the same, since there is not much disparity between universal norms and Islamic values. The difference is in politics. If Muslims use contemporary universal language to seek self-determination and good governance, then their political activism may be received with less hostility from the rest of the world, but may have more difficulty in gaining legitimacy at home. But if they use Islamic language for seeking self-determination and good governance then they will enjoy instant legitimacy at home but will inspire insecurity and even opposition abroad, since non-Muslims worldwide have developed a fear and dislike for Islamist governments primarily because of the world's experience with the Taliban in Afghanistan and the mullahs in Iran and Saudi Arabia. ⁸

Muslim theorists of the state argue that the Quranic principle of Amr bil marouf wa nahy anil munkar—meaning “command good and forbid evil”—is the Islamic justification for the creation of an ideological state that is geared toward establishing the Islamic shariah. This principle is essentially drawn from the Quran:

And since what is good and what is evil is articulated in the shariah, in order for Muslims to invite people to the good and forbid evil, Muslims must “establish the Islamic shariah.” This is the standard justification