There goes the neighborhood - Tunisia Edition

Previously banned islamist party 'Ennahda' has won the election in Tunisia. How long until we see this country as a shining example of what islam brings to humanity once Secularism has been abandoned?

Party leader, Mr. Ghannouchi, stated "We believe that all Tunisian people can survive peacefully within a moderate vision of islam which can be compatible with democracy."

There's no example of islam and Democracy being compatible once islam sinks its fangs in.

Your thoughts?

two things.

1 - where is tunisia?
2 - is it Baba Ghannouchi? is the "i" silent?

on a serious note. its pretty sad to see just how quickly egypt has slipped into a non-tolerant islamic state with the uncontrolled violence agaisnt coptic christians that is being promoted by state television and the military.

just a matter of time before the coptics (which make up 10% or so of the population i believe) will just have to flee their homeland outright. but ofcourse we will continue to give them billions in aid and military equipment to play nice even though they clearly are not playing nice.

Previously banned islamist party 'Ennahda' has won the election in Tunisia. How long until we see this country as a shining example of what islam brings to humanity once Secularism has been abandoned?

Party leader, Mr. Ghannouchi, stated "We believe that all Tunisian people can survive peacefully within a moderate vision of islam which can be compatible with democracy."

There's no example of islam and Democracy being compatible once islam sinks its fangs in.

Your thoughts?

Your statement is blatantly false. Turkey provides just one of several examples. Turkey has been a democracy for almost a century - since the end of WWI. Turkey is also a bastion of Islam, having provided the capital for the Ottoman empire (which was Muslim) and providing important Islamic pilgrimage sites, such as in Konya. Turkey is overwhelmingly Islamic in demographics and the Islamic presence is quite active. Yet Turkey remains a stable democracy which is an associate (and likely soon a full) member of the European Union.

There are several other examples which could be mentioned: Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Mubarak's Egypt to a limited extent, and more.

And certainly you know that democratic theory is built right into Sunni Islam. That is, since Muhammad said, 'My community will never agree on an error," ijma or democratic consensus has been a Sunni ideal since the beginning of the tradition.

There's no example of islam and Democracy being compatible once islam sinks its fangs in.

Your thoughts?


You can say the same with any religion. You might want to add corporate influence into government as well. Both kill a true democracy.

Your statement is blatantly false.

Which statement?

Turkey provides just one of several examples.

By the good graces of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turkey has been a Secular (barely still due to the succesful lobbying of moslems) Republic since 29 October 1923. He ensured that Turkey was made a progressive SECULAR country. Yes, the majority of Turkey is moslem but the full impact of that scourge is yet to be felt. Soon, very soon though. Just in time to complete the downfall of Europe.

There are several other examples which could be mentioned: Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Mubarak's Egypt to a limited extent, and more.

Indonesia is going through a period of religious turmoil as churches are attacked and then blocked from being rebuilt or repair in line with islamic tenets.

India? Hindu India?

Bangladesh? Where the High Court had to remind the majority moslem population back in '72 that they were a secular state because of the brutality meted out to women? That Bangladesh?

EGYPT??????? Home of the Moslem Brotherhood?

And certainly you know that democratic theory is built right into Sunni Islam.

Which of the four established schools of sunni islam are you referring to? Also which philosophical tradition are you suggesting is the guiding light? Athari, Ash'ari or Maturidi? Democratic? GTFOOH!

That is, since Muhammad said, 'My community will never agree on an error," ijma or democratic consensus has been a Sunni ideal since the beginning of the tradition.

The huge, raging clue in that quote is the simple but telling phrase 'My community'.....Kufr beware!

Most Sunni (please feel free to correct me) use the Bukhari Hadith for guidance, correct?

Bukhari:V9B84N59 “Allah’s Apostle said, ‘I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.” Whoever says this will save his property and his life from me.’”

So to recap: You're wrong, couldn't be more wrong unless you were lying.

Which statement?

By the good graces of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turkey has been a Secular (barely still due to the succesful lobbying of moslems) Republic since 29 October 1923. He ensured that Turkey was made a progressive SECULAR country. Yes, the majority of Turkey is moslem but the full impact of that scourge is yet to be felt. Soon, very soon though. Just in time to complete the downfall of Europe.

Indonesia is going through a period of religious turmoil as churches are attacked and then blocked from being rebuilt or repair in line with islamic tenets.

India? Hindu India?

Bangladesh? Where the High Court had to remind the majority moslem population back in '72 that they were a secular state because of the brutality meted out to women? That Bangladesh?

EGYPT??????? Home of the Moslem Brotherhood?

Which of the four established schools of sunni islam are you referring to? Also which philosophical tradition are you suggesting is the guiding light? Athari, Ash'ari or Maturidi? Democratic? GTFOOH!

The huge, raging clue in that quote is the simple but telling phrase 'My community'.....Kufr beware!

Most Sunni (please feel free to correct me) use the Bukhari Hadith for guidance, correct?

Bukhari:V9B84N59 “Allah’s Apostle said, ‘I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.” Whoever says this will save his property and his life from me.’”

So to recap: You're wrong, couldn't be more wrong unless you were lying.

1. Which statement? I guess the one which I bolded.

2. Correct, politically Turkey is a secular democracy. You are making my point here. It has been a secular democracy 88 years. It is also actively Muslim in terms of the religious practices of the population. Has been for about 1,000 years. Just because it is referred to politically as a "secular" democracy does not mean there is no religion. Therefore, as I type these words, Islam and democracy have a nearly century-long track record of being compatible in Turkey. So we see that when you said, "There's no example of islam and Democracy being compatible," you were mistaken.

You can speculate about the future of Turkey all you want. But my argument is not built on speculation - I am providing hard evidence.

So my initial point, that you made a false statement, remains established. Evidence, not speculation, shows that it is simply untrue to say, "There's no example of islam and Democracy being compatible." I will respond to the rest of your post just to defend myself:

3. Religious intolerance in Indonesia does not mean that Islam and democracy are incompatible there, just as religious intolerance in the USA does not mean that Christianity and democracy cannot coexist here. It just means that there are some intolerant people. When the mosque in Tennessee was burned last year, did that mean that Christianity and democracy are incompatible? No.

4. India. India consists of more than Hindus. There are more than 220 million Muslims in India, making India the world's third largest Muslim country. India is also a democracy. So 220 million Muslims in India coexist with democracy.

5. Bangladesh. Same argument as Indonesia. If the religious intolerance of some invalidates democracy then democracy does not exist anywhere on the planet. Religious intolerance exists in some form everywhere.

6. Egypt. Just because they have the Muslim Brotherhood does not mean that they haven't had democratic elections, albeit imperfect. Does the presence of the KKK make the USA not a democracy? No. You make a non-argument about Egypt.

7. The democratic impulse in Islam which I mentioned pre-dates the division into legal schools. Abu Bakr, who was the first caliph (or leader after Muhammad), was put in his position by democratic election. Thus democracy has remained a paradigmatic ideal because Abu Bakr was the first of the Rightly Guided Caliphs as well as Muhammad's bff. Later caliphs turned into hereditary monarchs but still had sham "elections" for their sons out of respect for this precedent. The hadith which you produced does not change this fact.

Previously banned islamist party 'Ennahda' has won the election in Tunisia. How long until we see this country as a shining example of what islam brings to humanity once Secularism has been abandoned?

Party leader, Mr. Ghannouchi, stated "We believe that all Tunisian people can survive peacefully within a moderate vision of islam which can be compatible with democracy."

There's no example of islam and Democracy being compatible once islam sinks its fangs in.

Your thoughts?

you sectist! wasn't iran a flourishing democracy until britian and the good ol USA dropped by in the 1950s to blow it up and install a puppet regime so the brits could continue to suck out the country's oil without paying them anything remotely near fair?

maybe we should wait and see. You know, we have muslims here that like democracy too. funny thing, that liberty.

Bukhari:V9B84N59 “Allah’s Apostle said, ‘I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.” Whoever says this will save his property and his life from me.’”

So to recap: You're wrong, couldn't be more wrong unless you were lying.

do you REALLY want to start bible wars? you knows the bible says that divorced women can never re-marry, that rape is the victim's fault and that a women who cheats (including rape victims) should be stoned to death right? pre-martial sex - stoning. using the lords name in vain - stoning. worshipping another god - stoning (hmm that's funny, and eerily like your worthless arguement). disobeying your parents - stoning. breaking sabbath - stoning. and of course, as it is written, it shall be done.


if you want book/verses, here:
1 Kings 21:10 (http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/1kg/21.html#10)
Numbers 15:32-56 (http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/num/15.html#32)
Deuteronomy 21:18-21 (http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/dt/21.html#18)
Deuteronomy 13:5-10 (http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/dt/13.html#5)
Deuteronomy 17:2-5 (http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/dt/17.html#2)
Deuteronomy 22:13-21 (http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/dt/22.html#13)
Deuteronomy 22:23-24 (http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/dt/22.html#23)
Leviticus 24:16 (http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/lev/24.html#16)


Its amazing how so much of the vocal anti-islam crowd is soo very ignorant of the parallels in the bible - this is a "christian democracy" more or less if your talking about general morals and majority beliefs and all that.

You realize that the old testament is viewed as a "Historical" record and the New is viewed as the information with which to live your life......

Its amazing how so much of the vocal anti-islam crowd is soo very ignorant of the parallels in the bible - this is a "christian democracy" more or less if your talking about general morals and majority beliefs and all that.As Hog1 mentioned, all Old Testament verses you're quoting. Nothing but contrasts in the New Testament.

Try being a Jew or Christian in the Muslim "democracies". Hint; do a little research on the Copts in Egypt.