The Islamic Shura System and the Western Democratic Process: A Debate
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Date
2016-01
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Abstract
The debate about the compatibility of Islam and democracy has continued to generate reverberating ripples among Islamic and Western Scholars, reaching its zenith with recent efforts at comparing the Islamic Shura system with the Western democratic process. This debate arena is replete with scholarly efforts on the compatibility of Islam with western democracy, especially given the existence of various democratic ethoses inherent in Islam. Complementing these thoughts, this paper however posits that apart from the principles of separation of power, checks and balances and legitimacy brought to fore by scholars as inherent in Islam, the principle of collective responsibility also exists between the Shura council and the Caliph as practiced under the Islamic Shura system; and that the process through which a leader is elected remains critical in determining the quality of leadership. Anchoring on these positions, the paper therefore examines the modus operandi of the Islamic Shura system of electing leaders vis-à-vis the Western democratic process. To achieve this, the paper adopts the use of the secondary data and literatures from journals, textbooks, other literary materials relevant to the subject matter; and personal observation. Based on its findings, the paper concludes that producing a good leader is a function of the process of election among other determinants, and that the process remains critical. Among other recommendations, the paper suggests that, though most modern democracies are secular, the Islamic Shura system of electing leaders, if well synergized with the Western Democratic process of electing leaders, will produce better, morally upright and selfless leaders, needed to challenge the ills in the society, and by extension good governance.