The conundrum of democracy

ScottSA · April 29, 2007

I assume everyone is familiar with the tension in Turkey between secular and Islamic forces over the coming election, and with the Turkish army's threat to interfere on the side of secularization if the Islamists win.

On one hand, the Islamists threaten to diminish the seperation between church and state and install an Islamic system, thereby for all intents getting rid of democracy. On the other hand, the Islamists may come to power through democratic means.

A point or two here for the kneejerk leftists:

A ) Islam is a system that does not, as Christianity does, recognize Caesar and God as seperate entities. Islam sees human society as something to be regulated by religion, hence the fact that "Islamic state" refers to a theocracy and not a government and a church as seperate.

B ) A win by the Islamists over the secularists is not merely an election similar to one in the west between the conservatives and the liberals; it is likely to be the precursor to a regime change; as fundamental a shift as that between the Caliphate and Ataturk. It will be as if the Marxist-Leninist Party won a majority in Canada, promising to herald a revolution of the proletariat.

What is odd is the EU's position. It claims it is awaiting the outcome of the election as proof that Turkey is a democratic nation worthy of joining the EU. It is also warning the Turkish army to butt out, AND pushing Turkey to demilitarize. In effect then, it is backing the Islamists over the secularists, under the banner of "democracy".

This is not a simple "democracy vs militarism" dichotomy. Anyone familiar with Turkish history knows that this tension between secularism and Islam has been going on for over 100 years and is as stark in nature as the dichotomy between capitalism and communism or fascism and democracy was in the west during that period. In a sense, to borrow from Ataturk, it is the tension between European values and Asiatic values, and transcends both politics and religion in Turkey.

So who is right? Keeping in mind that Hitler came to power through democratic means, should the army allow an Islamic state to come into power? Does democracy trump secularism even if democracy is threatened? Does democracy really contain the seeds of its own demise?