Can Democracy become the Substitute for Islamic System?

The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, giving up an emblematic of its struggle of almost 80 years, has replaced ‘Implementation of Islamic Sharia’ with ‘Establishing the Democracy and Justice’ as its goal in future. Instead it could make all the players of ‘Tehrir Square’ convinced that absence of Islam as a decisive power was the root cause of all the sufferings and grievances of the Egyptian people, it has conceded the indispensability of the liberal democracy, as America had already its plans to bring this system in the region. The movements, for decades had been striving earnestly for their noble cause, are now too dwindled to take the banner of dominance of Islam over existing capitalism as a singled out system of life. Now their utmost goal is democracy, which is one of the pillars of capitalism and also the hypocritical face of the Western powers, particularly of America, the sole super power of the world.

Here, it must be clear that despite the fact that democracy has failed to prove it as an ideal system even then it has some salient features, never to be denied. Human rights, the governments through free, fair and transparent election, opportunities of calling the rulers to the account and vote them out if their wrong doings and incompetency is evident, are the main positive points of the democratic system. In absence of any other optimal way of life, particularly as long as anti-Islam powers are successful in impeding it to play a dynamic role of its pure nature, democracy is the second best choice.  But democracy can never be a substitute for Islam. Though there is a lot to rate it the best existing and in force system still it can never gain pre-eminence over Islam. If the norms clashing with the standards set by Islam are sorted out from the democracy, positive residuals will be nothing new but all that is already in Islam.

And it seems to be the second ideological victory of America in the Muslim world. Before this it got immense penetration in Afghan Jehad and foxily derailed the process of transforming Afghanistan into an Islamic state after getting rid of the Russian aggression. Having a swaying role in afghan Jehad against Russia America secretly watched the source of power and found how to break into the ideological fabric of the Islamic Movements involved there.

Shortly after Afghan Jehad when evacuation of the Russian forces had started my book ‘Asr-e-Hazer Ki Islami Tehreeken’ (Contemporary Islamic Movements) got published. Closely watching the influence of some minor affiliates over the mother organizations (as of Pasban on Jama’t-e-Islami, Pakistan) almost 2 decades ago I had expressed my apprehensions about hijacking of Islamic Up-rising and getting manipulated by the rogue elements under the guidelines of the Americans if the Islamic Movements lost hold on it. And unfortunately it happened. Little known elements with the slogans and reiterations stolen from the Islamic Movements rapidly rose and overcastting the historic struggle of the legitimate representatives of freedom struggle for Afghanistan, Kashmir, Palestine, became the spokesmen of Jehad and Islam. Islamic Movements became only the silent onlookers. Most of such rogue elements have been and are still working as tools of spy agencies of the enemies to harm the interests of the Muslims Ummah and disfigure the face of Islam.    

But it seems that after getting tired of a hard strife, the Islamic Movements have set the heavy stone of establishing Islam aside and are satisfied with democracy. After all their sufferings of unbearable torments and trials in the tyrant and brutal rules of the dictators they have survived and successfully saved their Faith and moral assets but getting entangled in thorny shrubs of liberal democracy protection of moral values will not remain a simple thing. Perhaps they are approaching to the stage foretold in a tradition of the last and final Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him. He said: “Verily, (In the atmosphere of polytheism and immorality) Islam appeared as a strange thing to the people, and time is to come when again it will be deemed to be an unknown and strange thing (as a system of life). Blessed are those who remain stuck to it in its strangeness (and themselves become the strangers in the environment).”  Who will be ‘al-ghurabaa’ O, prophet of Allah?” The Messenger, SAW, was asked. He replied: “Those who carry on their efforts for reforms (in the atmosphere of corruption and mischievousness).” (Muslim)

The position of the Muslims living in the non-Muslim countries is understandable. They are bound to live there with harmony and peace, creating no unrest in the name of Islam, keeping steadily at their religious ideals and following the teachings of Islam to the possible extent. They have no right to vex the local communities for their cultural and moral values. They should refrain from making any open or hidden plan to disturb the established system there. They have to abide by all the laws of the lands they live in, provided the laws do not clash with their Faith and basic moral values. It is wise for them to use the instrument of democracy and liberties to erase misunderstandings about Islam and spread the message of their religion as more as possible.

But in the Muslim countries restricting of the Islamic Movements themselves to the minimum goals of establishing democracy and justice is deviation from their committed stances.  Not only in the present circumstances when we are discomfited by the taunts of being terrorists and not the democrats, but always it is must to arise high from the political and party expediencies and clearly condemn both the neo-imperialist face of America and all the shapes of extremism, militancy and terrorism harming the integrity and stability of the Muslim countries. The Islamic Movements have to disconnect their links with the terrorists. The terrorists are serving the cause of the enemies of Islam to falsely prove that the only weapon of the Islamic forces is resorting to violence and not the argument. The Quranic term ‘Burhan’ (argument and proof) has full spirit of democracy in it. It means dialogue and not the violence and force are the only way to convince the people.