Ah, and history of Islam says what?
Reader comment on item: The Citizen of the 21st Century: How Far, How Fast?

Submitted by Sheerahkahn (United States), Jul 18, 2002 at 18:34

The history of Islam and the Middle East, available to anyone who is curious, is one which violently opposes personal freedom and political engagement.

The opportunity to change politically and socially has always been squashed with fanatical oppression by the adherents of the Islam. Every Muslim reformist has met a terrible, and always painful death.

Islam encourages and supports only one type of governmental system which is a theocratic/patriarchial monarchy, or in todays parlance, Dictatorship. Islam encourages and flourishes in exclusionary politics forcing reformists to seek safer shores.
With Democracy comes governmental and sociological reform such is not the plate from which the Mullahs wish to eat from. Islam, historically, detests reform and prefers medievalism as a form of sociological enfranchisement for the individual. Iran is learning this point, very painfully as its population seeks governmental and sociological reform and threatening the ruling Mullahs with political marginalization.

As Dr. Pipes points out, and so do I, Turkey is about the closest thing to a democratic state there is in the Muslim world. You will also note, that Turkey is also led by a secularist government. A secular government is absolutely unacceptable to the Islamic religion. Why? Because a secular government that exists in the Islamic world threatens the basic fabric of Islam (all muslims will work together to overcome a non-muslim. Secular governments have other considerations to take in which contravenes Islams declaration of mutual support). Ergo, a Mullah in Turkey could fatwa himself all he wants and the government will ignore him completely.

Islam and Democracy are two mutually entities and I am surprised, also disappointed, that Dr. Pipes did not make that distinction to the interviewer.

Sheerahkahn

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