The International Symposium on Islam and Democracy

Abstract

The Foundation for Research in Islamic Sciences, (known as ISAV in
Turkish) has organized over tf.llrty academic, national, and intemational
conferences on the issues facing the Muslim world today and has published
the proceedings of these conferences. ISAV organized the last international
conference in this series on November 27-29, 1998, on “Islam and
Democracy.”
At the outset of the symposium, Ali Ozek, the current president of ISAV,
and Ali Bardakoglu, the coordinator of the symposium, made opening
speeches. The representatives of some political parties and institutions
made protocol speeches on behalf of their parties and institutions.
Mehmet Aydm, former Dean of the School of Religion, D o h Eyiil
University, Izmir, gave the first talk, titled “Religion, Politics and
Democracy,” which set the tone for the conference. He dealt with three
conflicting orientations on the issue. The first orientation claims that there
is an intimate relationship between religion and politics; therefore, Islam
requires establishment of an Islamic state. The second orientation argues
that there is no relationship between digion and politics, nor should there
be one. The third orientation argues that the religious may be involved in
politics, that is, they may repxtsent the moral and religious values in the
political arena; analogous to the Christian Democrats in some Western
countries, politics should be canied on while protecting “Muslim-
Democrat” identity.
According to Aydm it is not appropriate to defend the first thesis because
it reflects the tendency to legitimize, as the historical experience shows, an
intolerant and rigid ruling system. The existence of the social demands of
Islam weakens the second thesis. Likewise, the argument that Islam is
incompatible with democracy because absolute rule belongs to Allah is
similarly weak, it harms Islam and hinders a healthy development of
democracy in Muslim societies within the framework of the rule of law
because it reduced Islam to the level of secular ideologies. Similarly, it is
observable that secularism has been mispemived by the two extreme ...