IS ISLAM AGAINST DEMOCRACY?

— forbidden in Islam. If a government has been established by a democratic process, it has the right to rule till the end of the specified term. No person or group has the right to launch a movement against it to unseat that government. Islam believes in persuasion, not coercion. This principle is applicable to all fields of life, both religious and secular. And certainly politics is not an exception. A verse in the Quran says — “There is no compulsion in religion.” THE QURAN, 2: 256 An Islamic state is not a theocratic state. Islam does not subscribe to the notion that there should be a religious group, which alone has the right to rule. Theocratic rule is like the rule of a religious dynasty; but in Islam there is no room for such a dynastic rule, neither in terms of family nor in terms of clergy. Islam differentiates between religious creed and political system. According to Islam, religious creed is subject to its eternal teachings and there is no compromise in religious belief; but the political system in Islam in practice is a secular system, not a religious one. If the society is a society of believers, then the government will be formed according to their belief; but if the society is a mixed society or is not ready to accept religion in political affairs, then Islam will adjust to the social will. This was demonstrated by the Prophet of Islam in his life. The Prophet of Islam started his mission in 610 A.D. in the city of Makkah. The Makkans were ready to accept him as their ruler. But he refused because at that time the majority in Makkah comprised of non-believers. He, therefore, did not interfere with the political system of the city and accepted the situational political status quo. Then thirteen years after he migrated to Madina, he was able to establish a city state. The people of Madina appointed him as the head of the state and he accepted it, because the majority of the town had accepted the Prophet’s mission. This is the political spirit of Islam that was demonstrated by the Prophet of Islam himself. Islam differentiates between religious creed and political system. v