The Koran and the ballot box

WHAT’S the best way to encourage democratization in Islamic states? Current put the question to a journalist living a secular life in a Muslim land, and a Muslim living in the United States. Ahmed Benchemsi, a Moroccan journalist, and Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, debated by e-mail.

Swati Pandey of the Current staff moderated the exchange, and the editors -- with each party’s final approval -- condensed and edited it.

Benchemsi: Islamic law and secularization are incompatible. You have to choose one -- and, for me, secularism is it. Here’s one example why: Under Islamic law, a sister inherits half the share her brother does. That was probably fair when women were dependant upon men. By today’s standards, however, applying this law, which happens every day in Islamic countries, is unjust. Islamic inheritance prescriptions should be interpreted for modern times. There can only be one version of the law, and secularist principles are the best guide because they set a just, universal framework of equal chances. After that, everyone can function in accordance with their beliefs.

Al-Marayati: The concept of Islamic democracy is predicated upon basic principles of justice and equality. Your example of inheritance is an important one. You state there are more modern ways to interpret Islamic laws, and that these should apply to inheritance laws. Contrary to what many believe, Islamic laws can be reinterpreted and reformed to meet the core requirement of justice in changing times. That is what millions of Muslim activists are calling for. You cannot impose either Islam or democracy on any people, for coercion is against both Islam and democracy.

Pandey: How has your life affected your views?

Benchemsi: Defining myself as a secularist in my country of Morocco, where more than 99% of the people identify themselves as Muslims, is a challenge. Which I think is good. Moroccans are supposedly born Muslims. No one ever asked me if I was OK with that. I do believe in God, but I don’t believe in religions, which, though respectable, are, to me, human inventions. Above all, I believe everyone should have the right to choose freely. Because the overwhelming majority of Moroccans never had a chance, either at home or at school, to think about the secularist option, including it in the public debate is enriching. That benefits, in the long run, the continuing democratization of my country.

Al-Marayati: As the son of immigrants, I had the fortune of learning about Islam without the cultural baggage and rigid teaching that my counterparts elsewhere put up with. Here in the U.S., I was free to question my faith and, as a result, became a stronger Muslim. My reading of the Koran enhanced my critical thinking. It did not call upon me to blindly obey unquestioned authority. The Koran states: “Let there be no compulsion in matters of faith.” Muslims in the U.S. can serve as living examples of the compatibility of Islam and democracy, faith and reason.

Benchemsi: Sighing over the freedom to be religious is an easy posture when you live in a country that grants you this freedom. This is not my case, and I am deeply sorry for that. That’s why I daily fight, as a journalist and columnist, for the right of my people to understand what democracy is about -- freedom of choice and, even more, freedom of thinking. Yes, indeed, what is unjust is not Islamic. But who states what is just and what is not? In countries like mine, everyone who has a beard (or a sword) does. Who wins? The strongest. We’re quite far from justice.

Al-Marayati: You’re arguing against democracy because you do not trust your people. Because you fear majority rule, you would accept minority-imposed rule. Strong democracies exist because of the people, not because of their rulers. The American people ensure that their democracy does not turn into a dictatorship. If Muslims believe that democracy is not merely a Western invention but also an Islamic duty, that would help prevent any slippage into totalitarianism in the name of democracy. I believe in Islamic democracy because of my commitment to American values, that self-governance and freedom of expression -- the essence of democracy -- are fundamental to Islam. Progress along the democratic front will take place when tyranny, whether secularist or religious, is defeated.

Benchemsi: You believe in Islamic democracy because of your commitment to American values. Good for you. But just to remind you: America is seen as “The Great Satan” by the vast majority of what you call the “Muslim world.” And I’m talking about the people, not the rulers. Democracy starts with understanding. You reduce it to a mechanism -- voting -- then accepting the numbers. For me, it’s a philosophy, a set of values -- among them, the separation of church and state -- that many Muslims reject because they say it is “Western.” The essence of democracy is fundamental to Islam, you say. Those who believe in political Islam, and who almost took power in Algeria and Egypt, harassed and/or killed a tremendous number of reformists who would have agreed with you and me. In Morocco, I receive threats whenever I write about Islam. Nothing physical. But they count. Yes, we are struggling for the same goal from different poles. But yours is theory; mine is everyday life.

Al-Marayati: Even though we are both Western-educated, your understanding of secularism is exclusive of faith, while mine is inclusive. The radicals you complain about fall under the category of mutual exclusivity, so you have more in common with them than I do. In my discussions with mainstream Muslims, here and abroad, they love American values once they understand the meaning and essence of democracy. What they oppose is what many in America do -- a unilateralist foreign policy and extreme materialism. What makes me a strong citizen is my faith, and what enriches my faith is the freedom in which religion can flourish. Either one’s allegiance is to a superficial understanding of democracy, or it is to the betterment of all people. I choose, along with the mainstream Muslim American community, to do what is most likely to bring Muslims in America and abroad out of the intellectual and emotional morass they live in.