A Closer Look

Religion & Liberal Democracy

 

After nearly two hundred years since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the 18Th century, when Europe adopted the secular approach after shifting from a Monarchy system to a Liberal democracy, another revolution has erupted in the early years of the 21th century in the Middle East removing their totalitarian regimes.  


These revolutions are seen to be setting future standards for the Middle Eastern Political system the same way the French revolution did for the western political system.

The reality that was presented after these revolutions, is that Modern Technology and Globalization hadn’t excluded people from their faith, nor did it change any of their religious views and traditions in these regions. On the contrary, it had brought back what they have been deprived of (Freedom of Religion) by the totalitarian regimes. 


Moreover, the temporary loss of the political stability, caused by theses revolutions, pushed the people of diverse ethnicity towards adherence to religion and faith putting secularism out of the equation.

Recently, some philosophers, politicians and professors are researching and processing a new doctrine of brining both faiths and democracy together. By doing so, they will develop a modern formula of coexistence between future governments and the people. Such formula consists of an idea of faith and/or religion friendly democracy, and democracy friendly faith.

The newly “freed” countries in the Middle East adopted a religious political approach,which posed  challenges to the liberal and “secular” democracy. 


Such challenges raised the call among decision makers for reforms or alternatives to the democratic structure in order to keep up with modern social and political transformations.

A different Approach to Democracy

Religious Democracy, is an alternative to a traditional pluralistic secular democratic political system, that is based on the principle of a purely constitutive legislation. Religious Democracy, combines together legislation with religions (while sharing its morals, principles and mostly the teachings of these religions  under a pluralistic umbrella) creating a newly formed order.

Combining religion and democracy will contain most faiths either of the majority or the minority of any diverse society, making way for religious views to enter the field of political pluralism.

Bringing religion into the political game is so crucial, though some think it’s inevitable. Because globalization is pushing the world together through various ways (such as the internet, Media, migration and other forms of convergence of different civilizations), and because people are forced to live side by side with many different backgrounds of ethnicity, race and faiths, the only concept that will fit is a concept of pluralism.

A Moment of Truth

Narrowing the gaps between communities of different backgrounds, especially those of religious beliefs and traditional orientation, is one of the most difficult missions to achieve in largely diverse societies.

An effort to bring human interests and faiths into correspondence  containable by modern democratic concepts, maybe an impossible objective to achieve. Adopting Religious Democracy maybe a  desperate attempt to rescue what is left of “Liberal Democracy”.

From a Western prospective, such reforms may seem the solution to the Middle Eastern region. But, because the region's people may not accept this unfamiliar notation of multiplicity of religions, such concept may result in failure.