Delhi Diary: A Discourse On Islam And Democracy In Delhi

By Shakir Husain Bernama's correspondent in New Delhi Shakir Husain shares his take on the happenings in India. NEW DELHI, Jan 18 (Bernama) -- Anwar Ibrahim's India tour last week included a meeting with a group of Muslim intellectuals in Delhi. It was an opportunity for a discourse on Islam, democracy and a host of contemporary issues. As the set of people who engaged with Anwar appeared to borrow from dubious Western assumptions, plenty of time was spent in correcting the misconceptions. One person vehemently criticised Muslim countries for not taking in Syrian refugees. Despite professing a great interest in West Asia, some people seemed unaware that Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon are hosting millions of refugees fleeing the war and persecution in Syria. Anwar in his response pointed out that there were four million refugees in Turkey and the cost of caring for them was phenomenal. Similarly, there was a lack of knowledge about the work Muslim countries are doing to help more than a million Rohingya refugees sheltering in Bangladesh. Malaysia itself has contributed to the relief efforts in Bangladesh and has built a hospital in Cox's Bazar, which has a large concentration of Rohingya refugees. The discussion on doctrinal issues, however, allowed more room for opinion and interpretation. On the question of minority rights in Muslim-majority countries, Anwar's emphasis was on ensuring justice and freedom without discrimination. "Whether you are a Muslim-majority country or a Muslim-minority country, you must make sure that ultimately it is freedom and justice for all," he said. And there was this old chestnut: Is Islam compatible with modernity and democracy? There is no conflict between Islam and modernity, Anwar stated, adding that the issue about Islam and democracy is "the narrative of the West", and people in London and Washington keep asking these questions repeatedly. Anwar had to explain something obvious: Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, is a democracy. India has the second largest Muslim population (or the third largest behind Pakistan, as per more recent data) and Muslims accept democracy. Then we have Turkey and Malaysia as examples of democracy. He said those with the "blinkered view that only the Arab world represents the Muslim world" are not able to see Muslim democracies. So, what the West needs to understand is that most Muslims live in democratic systems and there is a struggle for change in countries where oppressive regimes are in place. While people can debate what an ideal democratic framework is, Anwar said there can be no compromise about certain things. "The Election Commission must be independent, the election must be free, people must be allowed to decide," he said. What about the West's own commitment to democracy? In this context, Western commitment to authoritarian regimes in the Arab world was aptly cited. Contradictions in the West's democracy claims are seen as most glaring in Palestine, where, Anwar stated, they have "no sense of what is justice". While the participants listened attentively to Anwar, their questions and comments were bereft of references to their own experiences of living under a democratic system in India. In that sense, the exchange of views remained rather incomplete. Edited by Rema Nambiar -- BERNAMA