Democracy And Islam: Promises And Perils For The Arab Spring Protests

Purpose - Democracy and Islam are both capable of multiple interpretations and applications. Islam possesses ideological resources that provide justification for a wide spectrum of political models. However, the compatibility of Islam and democracy relies on the critical questions of: "whose Islam" and "what Islam," and "whose democracy" and " what democracy." The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibilities and challenges of the recent democratic transitions in the Muslim world.Design/methodology/approach - The paper is a discursive essay.Findings - Islamic history has demonstrated that there is no monolithic construal of Islam and politics, and in fact history actually provides hope that a more representative and democratic government might result from the uprisings, with healthier, progressive elements of Islam emerging in ways that were not before possible.Originality/value - While other observers have explored the compatibility question of Islam and democracy, very little has been written on the recent political upheavals situating the question within this context.