C13 - Islam, Political Culture and Democracy

PERSPECTIVE OF POLITICAL CULTURE

SEM 1, 2014/2015PSCI 2210

SECTION 1 & 2

W 14ISLAM AND POLITICS:

CULTURE AND DEMOCRACY

RESEARCH QUESTIONS ?

1) To what extent are culture / religious values are hostile to democracy?

2) To what extent culture / religion hampers progress towards democracy?

3) To what extent are they likely to continue to hamper progress towards democracy ?

These RQC indicate CULTURE ≠ DEMOCRACY

1) CULTURE ≠ DEMOCRACY

1) Confucianism .Group over individuals, authority over liberty and

responsibilities over rightsLack traditions of rights against the state – individuals

rights are created by state.Prefers harmony over disagreement Maintenance of order and respect to hierarchy “ The father is the authority and is a role model for his

wife and children. The leader is expected to take the role of a father in leading his citizens with authority. In return, the citizens should respect the leaders’ authority to lead

….

them. Countries 1) China : Confucian Leninists – By arguing that a

country at economic development should have authoritarian rule to achieve balanced economic growth and contain the unsettling consequences of development.

Why ? This is because a high economic growth is likely to produce a significant number of middle class and civil society members that will challenge the leader. Thus for stability, respect to elders, maintenance of order is needed.

………..

Other countries are Singapore- values authority and took various measures to suppress dissent and to prevent media criticisms of the government and its policies – democracy from the top

Korea – Emphasize on strongman rule – people do not think of themselves in decision making process but look at leaders for suggestions and favors.

ISLAM

ISLAM ≠ DEMOCRACYWHY ?

Islam rejects distinction between religious and political community.

Fundementalists Islam – political rulers should practice sharia (basic law) and ulema should have decisive (firm/ deciding) vote in articulating , reviewing, and ratifying all governmental policy.

Thus governmental legitimacy and policy must flow from religious doctrine and religious excerise.

Democratic Muslim countries (according to Huntington)

Turkey : Kamal AttaturkThe indicators : Secularism explicitly reject the

concept of society and politics and made attempts to create modern and Western nation-state.

Lebanon: Consociational democracy but did not last.Once Muslims become the majority and began to

assert themselves in politics, Lebanese democracy collapsed- national pact between Christians and Muslims – Muslims must leave the Pan Arabs ideas , Christian forgo and leave aside their relationships with the Western World. Pres- Christian, PM- Muslim group, Speaker- Muslim (Shiite)

…..

Bernard Lewis on Islam “The Islamic state was in principle a theocracy—not in the Western sense of a state ruled by the Church and the clergy, since neither existed in the Islamic world, but in the more literal sense of a polity ruled by God. For believing Muslims, legitimate authority comes from God alone, and the ruler derives his power not from the people, nor yet from his ancestors, but from God and the holy law …..

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……no occasion for collective decision, and no need therefore for any procedure for achieving and expressing it, other than consensus. Such central issues of Western political development as the conduct of elections and the definition and extension of the franchise therefore had no place in Islamic political evolution”.

….

Opposition parties are not relevant in Islamic politics – virtually absent – banned by the government, boycott the elections.

Why ? Fundamentalists are gaining strength, thus persuading countries to adopt policies advocated by the fundamentalists and make political gestures demonstrating their own commitment to Islam.

The general failure of Muslim oppositions has its source to inhospitable nature and society to Western liberal concepts – Muslim countries will never become democratic ( according to Western direction)

2 ) ISLAM SUPPORTS DEMOCRACY

Counterarguments :1) Ethnic divisions does not permit

democracy but in reality – in a few countries, it works otherwise . For example, India, South Africa and Indonesia are few democratic countries.

2) Muslim values in Arab countries are not democratic ?

Recent surveys shows that more non religious Muslims are as likely as religious Muslims believe democracy is the best political system (2006-2007).

….

Example : In 2005, the number of Iraqis turned up for elections was tripled (75% voter turnout) amid the widespread of risks to physical safety.

Police reported nine suicide bombings, the majority of them carried out by assailants on foot because most cars were banned from streets.

WHY NO DEMOCRACIES IN ARAB WORLD?

1) Economic level vs. economic structure

2) Authoritarian statecraft

3) Geopolitics

1) ECONOMIC LEVEL VS. ECONOMIC STRUCTURE

Economic level: Many Arab states are well to do. Kuwait is nearly as rich as Norway. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain – rich countries. But the human development index is low and it gets worse with countries with little or no oil to export.

Economic structure ? 11/16 Arab countries are rentier states – depend

heavily on oil and gas to keep their states afloat [ more than 70% of their export earnings from oil and gas]

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Thus, no tax on the citizens. Hence, NO expectations of accountability that emerge when states make citizens pay taxes .

“ ….reduce the need for government to solicit acquiescence of its subject for taxation. The lower the level of taxation, the less reasons for publics to demand representation”.

No taxation without representation : Not representation in the Parliament, hence, who is accountable for governmental actions ? [ political demand]

…

But in Arab world we have no representation without taxation

State are centralized, large and repressive. Civil society is weak. Real entrepreneurship is rare [ dependent on oil and gas, low number of middle class] . Entrepreneurs –sustained through government contracts or just represent foreign companies.

2) AUTHORITARIAN STATECRAFT

Authoritarian regime- hold to political power, along with external forces that hold them in power.

Secret police is normally amply funded, technically sophisticated, unrestrained , receives co-operation from the religious institutions as well as Western intelligentsia agencies.

Yet contrary to many , Arab countries are very selective – carry out authoritarian practices. They use both democratic (basic) strategies such as elections, and selective repression.

………….

Example : The regime applies political repression when it looses constraints as it allows more activities and open political arena. Thus, when political oppositional level is high, the regime uses methods such as rigging elections (intimidate voters, vote buying), shrinking political space ( limit the space for election campaign – cannot criticize ruling parties, demonstrations are only allowed for supporters of government) and arresting the usual suspects.

How ? PP 100, first paragraph referring to Hosni Mubarak [ Egypt]

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Oppositions- Divided and suspicious.They are fragmented into different camps

along with moderate and militant . Oppositions know that if they win the elections, they may be co-opted into ruling government ( coalition, thus they have to follow the order of incumbent party).

Boycott ? Leave them less influence in politics, less support from the public and no possibility of getting political power.

3) GEOPOLITICS

1) Arab Israeli conflict- ready and convebnient means to divert public attention away from corruption and human rights abuses in the Arab world. Thus the citizens’ anger are turned to Israeli oppressions of the Palestine.

The only protest that is allowed : condemnation of Israel but not others such as poor quality of education, transparency, accountability and freedom.

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2) Arab state themselves- turned Arab league’s in autocratic model for Arab world – no mentioning of democracy of form of democratic diffusion . No mentioning about individual rights.