Assalamalaykum. The recent unrest and chaos going on in Pakistan is destroying the peace and progress of a country which I considered my second home. I feel sad that the Western world that is the so-called champion of “democracy ” would try to offer their ideology in a totally different culture they do not fully understand. The concept of democracy in the context of the West is not the same as understood by the East. First and foremost Pakistan is not just Pakistan , it is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Islamic refers to the ideals of Islam, the religion of the Pakistanis.
The Islamic tradition based on the teachings of the Holy Qur’an directs Muslims to abide by the Divine Will not simply as individuals but also as a community. As such they have the responsibility for creating a just and moral social order. These injunctions as laid out in the H.Qur’an form the bases of what is known collectively as the Sharia or the “Islamic Way”.
Islam is a perfect and practical religion of equality , liberty and fraternity as defined in the Holy Qur’an. These principles embodied in the concept of democracy are the very core of Islam but in a different context, it recognized that all human activity bears a religious significance. The H. Qur’an has adapted to the circumstances of the modern world as it has adapted fourteen centuries ago. This adaptation clearly demonstrated the universality of the teachings of the surahs. But the interpretations on the principles of liberty tainted by Western thought especially on “democracy” do not do justice to the original Quranic meaning since the Western idea, the “bitter pill” , which they believe is the solution to the problems of this Islamic nation and which is being rammed down the throat of the Muslims are not relevant to the Islamic world.
