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| | Start Date: Mar 1, 2008
| Last Update: May 4, 2008
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| | Description: Welcome to Ibn_Sina's Commentaries. The author vehemently invites constructive criticism!
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| | | | | A Theory of Universal Democracy | | | In modern times, the concept of democracy has always been associated with post-renaissance Western civilisation. Although a particular type of system of governance, which we now call direct democracyexisted in ancient Roman cities, they were undemocratic in many respect. It excluded women and slaves from the decision-making process and most importantly, its feasibility in the 21st century nation states cannot even be considered. Nonetheless, such vibrant and concensus-based decision-making systems can possibly be implemented in village-level politics, where regional population is relatively small.
To consider the very first sentence of this entry, it should be stressed that Western democratic values (e.g. equality, freedom of speech, human rights etc) are not universal. When the West was in darkness, the Islamic Civilisation flourished to such an extent that Muslim scholars dominated numerous academic and practical fields such as physcis, chemistry, biology, theology ethics, philosophy, technology, law, medicine, arts, literature, astronomy, market economy etc. For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_golden_age
Count Leon Ostorog, a French jurist, wrote the following on classical Islamic law in 1927:
"Those Eastern thinkers of the ninth century laid down, on the basis of their theology, the principle of the Rights of Man, in those very terms, comprehending the rights of individual liberty, and of inviolability of person and property; described the supreme power in Islam, or Califate, as based on a contract, implying conditions of capacity and performance, and subject to cancellation if the conditions under the contract were not fulfilled; elaborated a Law of War of which the humane, chivalrous prescriptions would have put to the blush certain belligerents in the Great War; expounded a doctrine of toleration of non-Moslem creeds so liberal that our West had to wait a thousand years before seeing equivalent principles adopted."
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_ethics
As we can see, democratic values are not exclusively Western.
This, however, is not an attempt to reclaim old glories of Islam. Any student or academic of historical studies should know that the contribution of Islam to medieval and modern civilisation cannot be explained in one blog entry. Similarly, Western civilisation deserves full credit for taking innovation and technological advancements to the next level.
What I wanted to discuss here, is that it is quite apparent that a democratic system organised around western values is simply one feature or face of democracy. A concept of democracy simply cannot be narrowed or reduced to that extent. That is why, distinguished professor Ali Khan's A Theory of Universal Democracy is an extremely important academic text. Professor Khan argues that democracy can exist within non-Western cultural frameworks. In fact, non-Western countries can democratise their constitutions without imposing Western values over their citizens.
For more information on Ali Khan's book:
http://books.google.co.za/books?id=M...with-thumbnail |
| Iranian election 08! | | | Is 2008 the year of election boom? So far we have seen the Russian election, Spanish election, US primaries... What about the Iranian election?
Some things need to be said about the Iranian election. The Western media has been criticising the Guardian Council for not giving some of the reformists green light to contest in the parliamentary election. Media criticism of Iran is not unusual. It remains as biased and speculative as it has been since the fall of the corrupt Shah.
On the election:
Firstly, although the actions of the Guardian Council may seem undemocratic, nobody has a right to say so. In the US, the so-called beacon of democracy, George Bush had cheated to win both elections, and you don't need to watch a Michael Moore documentary to believe it. Everybody knows it. They just don't say it public.
Secondly, these reformists are political polygamists too. I won't be too harsh and call them traitors. However, their goals are not only misleading but also dangerous. The Iranian nation was built upon the glorious foundations of the Revolution, and it should remain that way. The dissidents showed on television are a minority. They are interviewed solely because of the fact that they oppose the government.
Thirdly, those Westerners that are saying reformists must take over from conservatives in Iran are hypocrites. Iran does not say whether the democrats or the republicans should be in power in USA. Iran does not dictate whether the Labour party or the Conservative party should be in power in the UK. Similarly, the Iranian people sign the social contract by choosing their rulers and other nations must learn to deal with it. |
| Ibn_Sina likes Obama! | | | Before I proceed with my entry, I must ask, shouldn't USA focus more on fixing the controversial electronic voting system (which allowed Bush to cheat in 2000 election) before calling every Islamic, Russian or African election "rigged and undemocratic"?
It is very clear by now that Barack Obama is the most popular candidate of the three around the world. If the world could vote, he would win the election by some distance. People from Thailand to Indonesia, India, Illinois love Obama. But why? I will state why I think Obama is the right man for the job.
1. John MacCain is an American "hero" and if the november election is framed in terms of national security an experience, he has a better chance of winning. However, all that experience taught him nothing. Proof? He wants troops to stay in Iraq for 100 years if necessay. His judgement is questionable.
2. Hillary Clinton is a power hungry woman. She will do or say anything to win the election. She not only supported Iraq war but also changes her opinion (NAFTA statement) when it suits her. Obama exposed this.
Barack Obama might be inexperienced but he was shown better judgement. His foreign policy strategies aren't "soft" but calculated and moderate, which can only enhance America's global image in a positive light. Iraq war only INCREASED terror!
Go Obama! Yes, you can! |
| The Genocide Against Palestinian Women and Children! | | | It is incredibly sad to see that Israel has launched a genocide campaign against innocent Palestinians. When news reporters used to go on about daily killings of one or two gunmen, extremists or Hamas militants, they were still believable. However, recent atrocities against defenceless Palestinians, especially the death of women and children, clearly exposes the real objective of the Israelis.
The "90 rockets from Gaza" is an outright lie. If Hamas really launched 90 rockets, why do we never see them on TV?
The Israelis have labelled this latest genocide campaign as "self-defence against terrorism". If that was true, why did only one Israeli die as opposed to 100 Palestinians? The Holocaust against Palestinian women and children needs to stop. Do the Israelis not see beyond their own religious and racial identities, and observe that these Palestinians are also humans beings? |
| Welcome everyone! | | | I feel truly honoured and blessed to welcome Volconvo users and all the inhabitants of cyberspace to my most compelling, original and revolutionary blog: Ibn_Sina's Commentaries.
Athough I have noticed that most Volconvo users are Americans (many of whom are allergic to some of my most sensible comments), this blog remains objective, thoroughly reviewed and apolitical. Furthermore, in a cyber planet, a diversity of opinions and plurality of views must be encouraged all the time. That is why, I think I can offer a different perspective on some of the heatly debated topics (e.g. conflicits in the Middle East).
To conclude, I would like to say that watch out for my blog entries. Thank you, my friends. |
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