MIDDLE EAST V/S DEMOCRACY

Middle Eastern Government

Many people in North America and Europe have criticized the People of the Middle East mainly for their religion and for their followers. Some critics are of the view that this may be for the fact that the Muslim Nations in the Middle East are unable to produce or encourage a healthy form of democracy. Not only this, some of the existing democracies in the Middle East such as Egypt are also facing a tilt towards the autocratic side.  Although it is seen that most Middle Eastern nations harbor autocratic Governments, it is not necessary that religion is the main reason for the same. Although religion may be one of the reasons, there are many other causes and factors which contribute to the growing autocracy in the Middle East. The most predominant amongst them include the growth of fundamentalism especially post 9/11, a long history of external authority in the region, and the overwhelming backing that many western powers concede in lieu of oil.

Miscellaneous

It needs to be understood that Islam does not encourage autocracy in any form. It is mentioned in the Abu Bakr-as-Siddiq that it is God who has left people to take charge of their own interests in order to select a leader who would serve their affairs. As a matter of fact, many people argue that as compared to Christianity, Islam is clearer to the democratic ideals. It may be noted that authoritarian rules have also been witnessed by most of the western world and that too, with the support of the Christian Church. Till the middle of the 20th century, the European continent was ruled by Monarchs and Dictators. Not only this, the South American continent which is predominantly Christian has also seen its share of pseudo – authoritarian and authoritarian governments.

Overview