Islamic Governance and Democracy: Intersection and Separation

During the Iraq War in 2003, the U.S. administration of George W. Bush advocated "democratization of the Middle East region." Also, with the establishment, in Iran, of the Khatami administration in 1997, lively discussions began on the relationship between the Islamic governance of Iran and democracy. This essay will first specify a quasi-official view of Islamic governance. It willl then show some opinions in Iran concerning the quasi-official view. Finally, this essay will explore what aspects and characteristics of liberal democracy can be observed from the viewpoint of Iranian Islamic governance. What is revealed is an aspect of liberal democracy that seeks to bring order to society while approving of the egotism of human beings. In contrast, Islamic governance views human egotism as what should be corrected.application/pd