Ariel Center for Policy Research (ACPR) |
Democratizing Islam Paul
Eidelberg Policy Paper No. 141, 2002
“Democratizing Islam” shows that “Islamic fundamentalism”
or “Islamism” is in fact authentic Islam – the Islam of Muhammad. To
democratize Islam it will be necessary for the United States to conquer Iraq
and other Islamic regimes and maintain an occupation force for two or three
decades, as was done in post-war Japan and Germany.
A generation of Muslim children will have to be
re-educated. Anti-Jewish and anti-Christian verses in the Qur`an should be
neutralized by contrary verses and commentaries. The principle of Jihad must
be eliminated from the four schools of Islamic law. Islamic regimes must abide
by the Seven Noahide Laws of Universal Morality.
Non-Arab states should follow the example of Turkey and
remove Arabic from public documents and public education and establish their
native language as the only official language of the state. This will diminish
pan-Arab as well as pan-Islamic sentiments.
Various Islamic concepts such as “consultation” and
“consensus” should be reinterpreted to prescribe a non-secular constitutional
democracy. Civil society and political institutions must be developed to
counter the authoritarian tendencies of Islamic culture. A market economy
conducive to the formation of a middle class will hasten this development.
Decentralization of power is essential. In Islamic
countries with large ethnic minorities, it will be necessary to establish a
federal system of government based on territoriality. Bicameral legislatures
should be established to protect minorities.
Israel can facilitate the democratization of Islam by
adopting a model constitution based on Jewish principles. To be true to its
heritage, Israel should avoid diplomatic relations with any evil regime. It
should call for the expulsion from the UN of any state that violates the
democratic provisions of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights. By its behavior, Israel’s government should set an example to mankind.
|