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Guru Granth Sahib
Composition, Arrangement & Layout
ਜਪੁ | Jup
ਸੋ ਦਰੁ | So Dar
ਸੋਹਿਲਾ | Sohilaa
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ | Raag Siree-Raag
Gurbani (14-53)
Ashtpadiyan (53-71)
Gurbani (71-74)
Pahre (74-78)
Chhant (78-81)
Vanjara (81-82)
Vaar Siri Raag (83-91)
Bhagat Bani (91-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਝ | Raag Maajh
Gurbani (94-109)
Ashtpadi (109)
Ashtpadiyan (110-129)
Ashtpadi (129-130)
Ashtpadiyan (130-133)
Bara Maha (133-136)
Din Raen (136-137)
Vaar Maajh Ki (137-150)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗਉੜੀ | Raag Gauree
Gurbani (151-185)
Quartets/Couplets (185-220)
Ashtpadiyan (220-234)
Karhalei (234-235)
Ashtpadiyan (235-242)
Chhant (242-249)
Baavan Akhari (250-262)
Sukhmani (262-296)
Thittee (296-300)
Gauree kii Vaar (300-323)
Gurbani (323-330)
Ashtpadiyan (330-340)
Baavan Akhari (340-343)
Thintteen (343-344)
Vaar Kabir (344-345)
Bhagat Bani (345-346)
ਰਾਗੁ ਆਸਾ | Raag Aasaa
Gurbani (347-348)
Chaupaday (348-364)
Panchpadde (364-365)
Kaafee (365-409)
Aasaavaree (409-411)
Ashtpadiyan (411-432)
Patee (432-435)
Chhant (435-462)
Vaar Aasaa (462-475)
Bhagat Bani (475-488)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੂਜਰੀ | Raag Goojaree
Gurbani (489-503)
Ashtpadiyan (503-508)
Vaar Gujari (508-517)
Vaar Gujari (517-526)
ਰਾਗੁ ਦੇਵਗੰਧਾਰੀ | Raag Dayv-Gandhaaree
Gurbani (527-536)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਹਾਗੜਾ | Raag Bihaagraa
Gurbani (537-556)
Chhant (538-548)
Vaar Bihaagraa (548-556)
ਰਾਗੁ ਵਡਹੰਸ | Raag Wadhans
Gurbani (557-564)
Ashtpadiyan (564-565)
Chhant (565-575)
Ghoriaan (575-578)
Alaahaniiaa (578-582)
Vaar Wadhans (582-594)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੋਰਠਿ | Raag Sorath
Gurbani (595-634)
Asatpadhiya (634-642)
Vaar Sorath (642-659)
ਰਾਗੁ ਧਨਾਸਰੀ | Raag Dhanasaree
Gurbani (660-685)
Astpadhiya (685-687)
Chhant (687-691)
Bhagat Bani (691-695)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਤਸਰੀ | Raag Jaitsree
Gurbani (696-703)
Chhant (703-705)
Vaar Jaitsaree (705-710)
Bhagat Bani (710)
ਰਾਗੁ ਟੋਡੀ | Raag Todee
ਰਾਗੁ ਬੈਰਾੜੀ | Raag Bairaaree
ਰਾਗੁ ਤਿਲੰਗ | Raag Tilang
Gurbani (721-727)
Bhagat Bani (727)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੂਹੀ | Raag Suhi
Gurbani (728-750)
Ashtpadiyan (750-761)
Kaafee (761-762)
Suchajee (762)
Gunvantee (763)
Chhant (763-785)
Vaar Soohee (785-792)
Bhagat Bani (792-794)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਲਾਵਲੁ | Raag Bilaaval
Gurbani (795-831)
Ashtpadiyan (831-838)
Thitteen (838-840)
Vaar Sat (841-843)
Chhant (843-848)
Vaar Bilaaval (849-855)
Bhagat Bani (855-858)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੋਂਡ | Raag Gond
Gurbani (859-869)
Ashtpadiyan (869)
Bhagat Bani (870-875)
ਰਾਗੁ ਰਾਮਕਲੀ | Raag Ramkalee
Ashtpadiyan (902-916)
Gurbani (876-902)
Anand (917-922)
Sadd (923-924)
Chhant (924-929)
Dakhnee (929-938)
Sidh Gosat (938-946)
Vaar Ramkalee (947-968)
ਰਾਗੁ ਨਟ ਨਾਰਾਇਨ | Raag Nat Narayan
Gurbani (975-980)
Ashtpadiyan (980-983)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਲੀ ਗਉੜਾ | Raag Maalee Gauraa
Gurbani (984-988)
Bhagat Bani (988)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਰੂ | Raag Maaroo
Gurbani (889-1008)
Ashtpadiyan (1008-1014)
Kaafee (1014-1016)
Ashtpadiyan (1016-1019)
Anjulian (1019-1020)
Solhe (1020-1033)
Dakhni (1033-1043)
ਰਾਗੁ ਤੁਖਾਰੀ | Raag Tukhaari
Bara Maha (1107-1110)
Chhant (1110-1117)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕੇਦਾਰਾ | Raag Kedara
Gurbani (1118-1123)
Bhagat Bani (1123-1124)
ਰਾਗੁ ਭੈਰਉ | Raag Bhairo
Gurbani (1125-1152)
Partaal (1153)
Ashtpadiyan (1153-1167)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਸੰਤੁ | Raag Basant
Gurbani (1168-1187)
Ashtpadiyan (1187-1193)
Vaar Basant (1193-1196)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਾਰਗ | Raag Saarag
Gurbani (1197-1200)
Partaal (1200-1231)
Ashtpadiyan (1232-1236)
Chhant (1236-1237)
Vaar Saarang (1237-1253)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਲਾਰ | Raag Malaar
Gurbani (1254-1293)
Partaal (1265-1273)
Ashtpadiyan (1273-1278)
Chhant (1278)
Vaar Malaar (1278-91)
Bhagat Bani (1292-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਾਨੜਾ | Raag Kaanraa
Gurbani (1294-96)
Partaal (1296-1318)
Ashtpadiyan (1308-1312)
Chhant (1312)
Vaar Kaanraa
Bhagat Bani (1318)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਲਿਆਨ | Raag Kalyaan
Gurbani (1319-23)
Ashtpadiyan (1323-26)
ਰਾਗੁ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਤੀ | Raag Prabhaatee
Gurbani (1327-1341)
Ashtpadiyan (1342-51)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਜਾਵੰਤੀ | Raag Jaijaiwanti
Gurbani (1352-53)
Salok | Gatha | Phunahe | Chaubole | Swayiye
Sehskritee Mahala 1
Sehskritee Mahala 5
Gaathaa Mahala 5
Phunhay Mahala 5
Chaubolae Mahala 5
Shaloks Bhagat Kabir
Shaloks Sheikh Farid
Swaiyyae Mahala 5
Swaiyyae in Praise of Gurus
Shaloks in Addition To Vaars
Shalok Ninth Mehl
Mundavanee Mehl 5
ਰਾਗ ਮਾਲਾ, Raag Maalaa
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Interfaith Dialogues
Islam And The Challenge Of Democracy
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<blockquote data-quote="Neutral Singh" data-source="post: 1618" data-attributes="member: 2"><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 15px">SikhSpectrum.com Quarterly</span></span> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> Issue No.17, August 2004</span></span> [font=times new roman, Georgia, verdana]<span style="font-size: 15px">Islam and the Challenge of Democracy </span></p><p></p><p><strong>Yoginder Sikand</strong> </p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="color: maroon"><strong>T</strong></span></span><span style="font-size: 12px">he relationship between Islam and democracy is a much discussed and hotly debated issue. Given the diverse understandings of democracy and Islam, the answer to the question of the compatibility between the two is not a straightforward one. As Khaled Abou El Fadl makes clear in his absorbing book <em>Islam and the Challenge of Democracy</em>, Islam and democracy are not singularly defined concepts, and the quest for reconciling the two must necessarily entail exploring the plurality of understandings of both. Anti- and pro-democratic versions of Islam exist and compete with each other, he suggests, and the task before the concerned believer today is to promote socially engaged visions of the faith that are grounded in the quest for human rights and social justice. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="color: maroon"><strong>T</strong></span></span><span style="font-size: 12px">he first section of the book consists of a lengthy essay by El Fadl, where he seeks to develop a democratic understanding of Islam. At the very outset he warns that he does not argue that democracy is an invention of Islam or of Muslims, as some Muslim writers indeed do. Rather, his claim is more modest, in that he contends that Islam can indeed be interpreted in such a manner as to support democracy. In the process of developing such an understanding of Islam, he seeks to counter radical Islamists as well as hardened Islamophobes, both of whom, using the argument of God as sovereign law-giver in Islam, insist that Islam is antithetical to democracy.</span> </p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="color: maroon"><strong>E</strong></span></span><span style="font-size: 12px">l Fadl argues that while God is indeed the sovereign master of the universe, He has provided humans with a limited, derived sovereignty of their own in their capacity of His deputies or <em>khulafa</em>. Further, Islam envisages a limited form of government, the rule of law, consensual decision making through <em>shura’</em>, toleration of dissent and difference and accountability of rulers to the people. It also stresses the centrality of basic ethical values, particularly social justice (<em>‘adl</em>) and respect for the rights of the ‘creatures of God’ (<em>huquq al-‘ibad</em>), which, in turn, resonate with many contemporary notions of human rights.</span> </p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="color: maroon"><strong>I</strong></span></span><span style="font-size: 12px">slam, El Fadl points out, allows for the use of human reason to devise, through the process of <em>ijtihad</em>, laws in areas on which the shari‘ah is silent. He also highlights the importance of notions of <em>maslaha</em> or the ‘public good’ and <em>ahkam al-shari‘ah</em> or ‘expediency laws’ in developing new understandings of fiqh to suit changing social contexts. This is particularly crucial for him, as for many other modernist Muslim writers, with regard to the legal status of women and non-Muslims, whom he insists should be treated as the absolute equals of Muslim males.</span> <span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="color: maroon"><strong>T</strong></span></span><span style="font-size: 12px">he crux of El Fadl’s essay, then, is to draw the parallels between democracy and Islam as he defines it. He is of course aware that his own interpretation of Islam is not normative and that it can be contested, being only one among many. He admits that all interpretations of Islam are human constructs, and none can be held to represent the absolute divine will, which is actually beyond human comprehension. This is why he is opposed to the notion of an ‘Islamic state’ charged with the task of imposing the <em>shari‘ah</em>. As he explains, to do so would be to confuse a limited human understanding of Islam with God’s will, which, in turn, is tantamount to the grave sin of putting up partners with God (shirk). Furthermore, he argues that a state that sees itself as the deputy of the divine will would soon, and inevitably, degenerate into an instrument of authoritarianism and oppression.</span> </p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="color: maroon">Copyright©2004 Yoginder Sikand. <span style="font-size: 12px"><a href="http://www.sikhspectrum.com/authors.asp" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="color: maroon">About the author</span></span></a></span><a href="http://www.sikhspectrum.com/authors.asp" target="_blank">http://www.sikhspectrum.com/authors.asp</a></span></span></strong><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="color: maroon"><a href="http://www.sikhspectrum.com/authors.asp" target="_blank"> </a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="color: maroon"><a href="http://www.sikhspectrum.com/authors.asp" target="_blank"></a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="color: maroon"><a href="http://www.sikhspectrum.com/authors.asp" target="_blank"></a></span></span>[/font]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Neutral Singh, post: 1618, member: 2"] [font=Times New Roman][size=4]SikhSpectrum.com Quarterly[/size][/font][font=Verdana][size=4] [/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=3] Issue No.17, August 2004[/size][/font] [font=times new roman, Georgia, verdana][size=4]Islam and the Challenge of Democracy [/size] [b]Yoginder Sikand[/b] [size=4][color=maroon][b]T[/b][/color][/size][size=3]he relationship between Islam and democracy is a much discussed and hotly debated issue. Given the diverse understandings of democracy and Islam, the answer to the question of the compatibility between the two is not a straightforward one. As Khaled Abou El Fadl makes clear in his absorbing book [i]Islam and the Challenge of Democracy[/i], Islam and democracy are not singularly defined concepts, and the quest for reconciling the two must necessarily entail exploring the plurality of understandings of both. Anti- and pro-democratic versions of Islam exist and compete with each other, he suggests, and the task before the concerned believer today is to promote socially engaged visions of the faith that are grounded in the quest for human rights and social justice. [/size] [size=4][color=maroon][b]T[/b][/color][/size][size=3]he first section of the book consists of a lengthy essay by El Fadl, where he seeks to develop a democratic understanding of Islam. At the very outset he warns that he does not argue that democracy is an invention of Islam or of Muslims, as some Muslim writers indeed do. Rather, his claim is more modest, in that he contends that Islam can indeed be interpreted in such a manner as to support democracy. In the process of developing such an understanding of Islam, he seeks to counter radical Islamists as well as hardened Islamophobes, both of whom, using the argument of God as sovereign law-giver in Islam, insist that Islam is antithetical to democracy.[/size] [size=4][color=maroon][b]E[/b][/color][/size][size=3]l Fadl argues that while God is indeed the sovereign master of the universe, He has provided humans with a limited, derived sovereignty of their own in their capacity of His deputies or [i]khulafa[/i]. Further, Islam envisages a limited form of government, the rule of law, consensual decision making through [i]shura’[/i], toleration of dissent and difference and accountability of rulers to the people. It also stresses the centrality of basic ethical values, particularly social justice ([i]‘adl[/i]) and respect for the rights of the ‘creatures of God’ ([i]huquq al-‘ibad[/i]), which, in turn, resonate with many contemporary notions of human rights.[/size] [size=4][color=maroon][b]I[/b][/color][/size][size=3]slam, El Fadl points out, allows for the use of human reason to devise, through the process of [i]ijtihad[/i], laws in areas on which the shari‘ah is silent. He also highlights the importance of notions of [i]maslaha[/i] or the ‘public good’ and [i]ahkam al-shari‘ah[/i] or ‘expediency laws’ in developing new understandings of fiqh to suit changing social contexts. This is particularly crucial for him, as for many other modernist Muslim writers, with regard to the legal status of women and non-Muslims, whom he insists should be treated as the absolute equals of Muslim males.[/size] [size=4][color=maroon][b]T[/b][/color][/size][size=3]he crux of El Fadl’s essay, then, is to draw the parallels between democracy and Islam as he defines it. He is of course aware that his own interpretation of Islam is not normative and that it can be contested, being only one among many. He admits that all interpretations of Islam are human constructs, and none can be held to represent the absolute divine will, which is actually beyond human comprehension. This is why he is opposed to the notion of an ‘Islamic state’ charged with the task of imposing the [i]shari‘ah[/i]. As he explains, to do so would be to confuse a limited human understanding of Islam with God’s will, which, in turn, is tantamount to the grave sin of putting up partners with God (shirk). Furthermore, he argues that a state that sees itself as the deputy of the divine will would soon, and inevitably, degenerate into an instrument of authoritarianism and oppression.[/size] [b][size=2][color=maroon]Copyright©2004 Yoginder Sikand. [size=3][url="http://www.sikhspectrum.com/authors.asp"][size=2][color=maroon]About the author[/color][/size][/url][/size][url="http://www.sikhspectrum.com/authors.asp"][/url][/color][/size][/b][size=2][color=maroon][url="http://www.sikhspectrum.com/authors.asp"][color=#0000ff] [/color] [/url][/color][/size][/font] [/QUOTE]
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