Some may oppose the Islamic system of government claiming that under the Islamic rules, non-Muslims’ rights will be neglected and marginalized. The clear texts and established history can refute this misconception, as many years ago non-Muslims possessed many privileges under Islamic rule. It is established Jewish history that the Jews fled to asylum in Morroco, Iraq, and Muslim Spain when they were oppressed and attacked by the Roman empire.
The minority, under the Islamic ruling, is well preserved. Moreover, Islam doesn’t encourage discrimination depending on race, nationality or any other bases. The people are distinguished as either Muslim or non-Muslim. This discrimination is because the Islamic law cannot be applied to a non-Muslim who doesn’t believe in it. God says:
“Let there be no compulsion in religion” (Qur’an 2:256)
For example it is not forbidden for a non-Muslim community in a Muslim country to sell and drink alcohol among themselves, yet when this finds its way to the Muslim community then it becomes illegal and all those involved may be punished. Non-Muslims under Muslim rule are accountable for what they already believe in like the prohibition of fornication. So fornicators are punishable because their own scripture prohibits it.
It is true that secular democracy easily disseminated into such western countries which suffered from the corrupt authority of the church which abused its power centuries ago and began to force Catholicism upon the public according to how the Church saw fit. Therefore, the people protested against the church rule and they called to separate the country from the authority of church. Therefore this movement became known as secularism and they were to push for a new way of government called democracy. As Muslims, we have no problem with that although God does say-
“And let the people of the Gospel (of Jesus PBUH), judge by what God has revealed to them. Then whoever does not rule by what God has revealed, then they are the rebellious (and disobedient to God).” (Qur’an 5:47)
That being said, the Muslims are very thankful for the many benefits and oppurtunities offered them in the west. However it (i.e., democracy) is not completely compatible for a Muslim nation that believes in the divine revelation which governs every facet of our lives. This is because the word “Muslim” is an Arabic word which means “those who submit to the will of God”. So you can see that the very name Muslim will not allow a country of followers to be ruled by other than what God has revealed.
If citizens desire to vote for leaders and have a voice in their government they are offered this right in Islamic law. Islamic Law encourages the leader to be sincere, merciful, honest, and he should consult the scholars of sociology, political science, and Islamic Jurisprudence before making a major decision affecting the masses. Islamic Law offers the freedom of religion, expression and peaceful assembly. In fact what I just stated was the first ammendment to the United States constitution and in the surprising fact is that Islamic Law (Shari’ah) agrees and encourages the remaining 9 Bill of Rights of teh US constitution.
When Muslims suffer from disorder and chaos, it is not because of Islam as many would have you think for their own agendas. Ironically, it is because the Muslims are not practicing or applying Islam correctly. History shows that the more Muslims stick to Islam; the more development, justice, and happiness they achieve. For the 1300 years of the Islamic Caliphate which covered a large portion of the world and was last known as the Ottoman Empire. We see that, when the Law was applied, justice and great contributions to the advancement of mankind were the result.
Of course since 1924 when kamal attaturk from Istanbul, Turkey abolished the Ottoman Caliphate, Muslims have been under dictatorships created and supported by great western powers. Most of these governments apply very little Islamic law and many are secular working against the religion of the people which has lead to many uprisings and turmoil. Now the west is trying to patch up the last 50 years of support for oppressive dictatorships by forcing democracy according to “their vision”. In reality true democracy say’s that each country should work toward it’s own reform allowing the people to designate their own laws based upon what the majority of the people beleive is in their beat interests. It is well known that any average Muslim beleives that the best law to live by is God’s law, so the question comes- Out of over 50 Muslim countries and 1.5 billion Muslims where is a modern example of an Islamic state?
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