Islam Fails Muslims by Impeding Democracy and Economic Development

Here is an interesting article by Ohmyrus at Faithfreedom.org that takes a detailed look at the interaction between Islam, Democracy and economic development. It examines several of the main reasons why the combination is difficult at best, and more often, impossible. Here is an excerpt:

Will Muslim Immigration destroy western democracy?

[...] When we talk of democracy, we don't mean just one man one vote. It also must include freedom of speech and freedom to choose one's religion. But according to shariah law, it is death for blasphemy and apostasy. Thus once again, Islam is in conflict with the basic tenets of democracy. That is why Bush's project to transplant democracy to the Middle East is so difficult if not impossible.

So far, we have only looked at how Islam works in theory. How does it work in practice? Lets take a look at the empirical evidence. Of the 55 Muslim majority countries (not counting the Palestinian territory), only 5 are rated as Free by Freedom House. The rest are rated as Partly Free (24 countries) and Not Free (26 countries). That is a poor record. Islam has obviously produced a culture in which it is hard for democracy to take root.

The more Muslims seek to imitate Prophet Mohammed, the harder it is for democracy to function. He was after all a medieval ruler. (The British should be grateful that Henry VIII did not declare himself a Prophet and start a new religion, instead of simply breaking with Rome. Otherwise, they would have similar problems. Unfortunately for Muslims, Prophet Mohammed is seen as the perfect man and role model. Imagine the problems the British will have if they take Henry VIII as the role model.)

Yet western countries are admitting Muslim immigrants whose religious beliefs are not compatible with democracy and whose actual track record in adhering to the basic tenets of democracy is poor. Obviously, the more Muslims there are in a population that gives each person one vote, the more the country will be like what we have in an average Muslim majority country.

Western democracy is at the moment still viable but the Muslim minority is growing fast with its higher birth rate. Already, one quarter of French children are Muslim. By the end of this century, Europeans might be majority Muslim and speaking Arabic. Unless Muslims acquire new values and abandon old ones, democracy will not be viable at some point. But so far, Muslims are not assimilating or acquiring new values that make a liberal democracy possible. A survey taken in Britain for example shows that 40% of Muslims there want Shariah Law. (3) Another survey showed that only one quarter of British Muslims regard Britain as their country. As expected their primary loyalty is to the Muslim Ummah.



I predict that as the Muslim minority grows, social tensions will also grow. Ascerbating the tensions will be the economic disparity between Muslims and non-Muslims. This can be seen in a survey done by Essex University. (5) The survey states that Pakistanis and Bangla Deshis (who are mostly Muslims) are easily the poorest people in the UK with high levels of unemployment and large families.

It should be noted that Indians and Chinese have earnings on par with whites. Thus the under-achievement of Muslims in the UK cannot be due to racial discrimination. After all, the successful Indians (who are mostly Hindus) are racially very similar to Pakistanis and Bangla Deshis.

As I argued in my earlier articles, such as 'How Islam failed Muslims', Islam has impeded the progress of Muslims (8). I argued that Islam is a warrior's religion designed to facilitate Arab imperialism. While it can still produce brave warriors, it cannot produce the sort of people needed for a modern society.

Thus, the culture that Islam produces not only makes it difficult for democracy to work but also impedes economic development. As Muslim leaders like Dr Mahathir Mohammed and Pervez Musharaff have acknowledged, Muslims are amongst the most backwards people in the world (6). This would not be so bad if Muslims are prepared to assimilate and adopt new values. But from the surveys I cited, it appears that so far they are not willing to do that. [...]

There is more to the article, it's a very honest and IMO non-judgmental look at the situation using observable facts. It ends with a great quote from Winston Churchill, who warned that no stronger retrograde force existed in the world than Islam.

What is to be done about it? For starters, we can stop the multicutlural nonsense that demeans our own culture while exalting and encouraging their "sharia law" totalitarianism at the expense of our democracy. We can stop exibiting a "dhimmi" attitude which only encourages them to be more demaning and violent. And perhaps most importantly, we need to recognize the alliance between the western socialist left and the Islamic extremists. Both have totalitarian goals, and while they may aim for different ends, they seek the same path to power.



I see radical Muslims as a symptom of our own weakness; they have been the same for centuries. The only reason they are so bold today, is the same one that made them bold in centuries past: it's because they see us as weak. Socialism and it's useful tools of Multiculturalism and political correctness have helped greatly to bring this about, and make it possible to continue and worsen. Extending liberal tolerance to the completely intolerant is suicide. Europe is ahead of us on this path, and we would do well to learn from their mistakes.



Related Links:

Socialism in Islamic hands: a tool to make the present world order unworkable

How Islam Failed Muslims