The Relations Between Islamic Fundementalism and Muslim Democracy Essay

The Relations Between Islamic Fundementalism and Muslim Democracy - Essay Example Since the beginning of 1990s, there have arisen Muslim oriented parties, but which are not fundamental or Islamist in their ideals, and which have successfully vied and won political seats in countries such as Bangladesh, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan. Unlike fundamentalists who advocate for the introduction of Sharia or Islamic law, the proponents of Muslim Democracy are seen to be more realistic in their view since they are found to be accommodative of religious and secular ideals in their approach to politics (Kepel, 2003). They are seen to disagree with the notion that a Muslim country must be governed by Sharia law, but are seen to lean towards the creation of electoral processes that are viable and accommodative of different shades of opinion so as to serve interests that are both Islamic and secular, thereby respecting the thus created democratic space whether they win in the elections or lose. They are not seen to have the motive of integrating Islam into politics but are only seen to exploit its potential through the teaching of Islamic values to help them win elections. All the same, democratization processes which are all inclusive seem to be more appealing than the path of religious and ideological change and Islamic democracy hence they are seen to be on the upper hand in shaping the political destinies of many countries in the Islamic world. Fundamentalists on the other hand do not view Democracy as an issue to be taken seriously or legitimately but only as a means to ascend to political power so as to acquire the platform through which to build an Islamic state (Roy 2006). The observers of the changes being experienced in the Muslim world have associated these changes with influence due to interaction locally and globally and the advent of internet technology. The success of Muslim democracy does not seem to have resulted from any theological or ideological process, but for being seen to address issues from a practical perspective that gives assurance to the electorate that its needs are all well taken care of. The two concepts of fundamentalism and Muslim democracy in their various ways have resulted in regime change in their respective countries, including change that was facilitated by fundamentalists in Iran and Morocco, the changes that have been occasioned by the Muslim Democracy proponents in the areas affected by the Arab spring namely Egypt, Tunisia and Libya (Kepel, 2003). The concepts are both at the forefront in struggling for political power in ruling governments even as each espouses its ideals to convince the masses, though Muslim democracy seems to be on the upper hand. There are various factors that have contributed to the rise of Islamic fundamentalism’s openness to democracy. After gauging the preference of masses, the trend has been that Islamist or secular parties are not currently as popular as those with Muslim values and moderate Islamic policies. This latter principle along which M uslim democratic parties are molded, is attracting a large section of voters since they are also more compatible with world politics. Putting a lot of rhetoric and theory aside, Muslim democracy party ideals have similarities with the Christian Democratic Party’s trend of Europe in the past and thus have had appeal as compared to the