The culture of democracy

in the religious discourse

** * Dr. Mounir Tlili

The Former Minister of Religious Affairs

* Tunisian Republic

Successful and influential speech should impact people's reality while taking into consideration the values that the whole society is struggling to internalize and consolidate. Undoubtedly, the values of democracy, citizenship and human rights constitute a focal point in the struggle of Arab and Muslim people across time. Islamic religious discourse, therefore, should be based on the values of righteousness, honesty, and goodness. These values need to be strengthened and disseminated in order to become a common culture which will concretize democratic rule in the Arab World

Genuine democracy may differ in its forms and manifestations according to cultural and civilizational differences from one country to another, but the core of the democratic system is, as a matter of fact, unmistakeable. It is a system where freedom is the basic and most fundamental value, and allows for the realization of trie sovereignty and autonomy through political pluralism and peaceful transfers of power. A democratic system should be founded upon the guarantee of freedom of conscience, freedom of organization, and freedom of expression, in the presence of effective and well-respected political institutions. A democratic system ought to be headed by popularly elected legislative institutions, an independent judiciary, a government subject to constitutional and popular accountability, and various intellectual and ideological political parties. Inculcating such a culture in the religious discourse will

eventually crystalize Muslim endeavors to pursue progress in all fields of life

Religious leaders articulate a powerful rhetoric and occupy a significant place in the Muslim religious and political

life through their guidance and answers to people's inquiries. However, they often use traditional vocabulary which causes confusion and even obfuscation to the public given their sophisticated jargon. Thus, it is high time that our religious leaders defined the complex notions and simplified their speech in terms of form and style to

make it accessible for the general public

Some political parties are aware of Islamic discourse's impact on the average citizen. They highlight divisive

conflicts and use it as a propaganda platform to serve their agendas, neglecting the great need for facts, progressive ideas, sound information, and high values. Islam is a universal religion whose discourse should not be restricted to narrow political interests

Nowadays, religious discourse needs to address issues such as justice, freedom, equality, participation in decision-making, pluralism, fundamental rights, freedom of conscience, and freedom of expression, while taking into

account the common interest

Some countries have adopted a range of institutions, mechanisms, political and legal guarantees to implement

democracy. Democracy is a form of governance in which all eligible citizens participate on equal footing, either directly or through their representatives, in the decision of their political fate. The term democracy is sometimes limited to a narrower sense to describe a system of governance in a democratic state, or in a broader sense to describe the culture of the community. In its broader understanding, democracy is a distinctive social system containing a range of political and moral concepts related to the idea of periodic and peaceful transfer of power

Democracy as a system of government is not merely reducible to its mechanisms and institutions, but instead represents a whole culture characterized by respecting the other, tolerating diversity, and peaceful, meaningful dialogue

Citizenship is a construction of "home"; a piece of land taken by a group of people to establish life. Home engenders a sense of belonging and loyalty in peaceful coexistence with other fellow human beings. Citizenship entails that everyone is granted rights and freedoms while being committed to duties and moral engagements to form a great community.

According to Holy Qur'an, the successful nation is the one founded upon mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence between its citizens despite differences in religion, ethnicity, or languages. Islam considers the variation of beliefs and thoughts to be a valuable opportunity for cooperation and constructive dialogue. Difference is one of the pillars of the Islamic social system. The first Islamic Nation was established in Medina as declared by the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, when he announced in 627 CE the Charter of Medina, constituting the first Islamic multicultural and multi-religious society where Muslims, Jews, and Christians coexisted peacefully. It declared that Muslims form one nation made of the Muharijun, those who fled persecution in Mecca, and the Ansar, the original residents of Medina. This Muslim nation was open to anyone who willingly wanted to join.

The back up to my claim is found in Surat Al-Hujurat, Verse 14, which reads:

"O mankind, we have created you from a male and a female; and we have made you into tribes and sub-tribes that you may recognize one another. Verily, the most honorable among you, in the sight of Allah, is he who is the most righteous among you. Surely, Allah is All-knowing, All-Aware."

Islam strictly and unequivocally advocates for the protection and proliferation of human rights as it recognizes the right to life, the right to free will, the right to freedom of belief, the right to equality, the right to justice, and the right to respect and protection of the family.

With this brief, though comprehensive introduction into the mindset and beliefs of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, we intend to focus on the following in order to renew Islamic discourse and unite all Tunisians:

1-Adopt a discourse that shifts the focus from Islamic legal formalities to core issues directly related to people's lives, particularly human dignity, human rights, and freedoms.

2- Promote the new Tunisian Constitution.

3-Consider elections as a form of the Islamic principle of consultation (Shura) to guarantee pluralism, peaceful transfer of power, accountability and define of the terms of reference, and promote the electoral process as an Islamic imperative.

4-Advocate a system of fundamental freedoms of thought and opinion while respecting the various religions.

5-Consolidate the values of citizenship, national unity, patriotism, national pride, dignity, and equality regardless of religion or race.

6-Reshape the Muslim citizen to be more active, civically -engaged, and productive in their community.

7-Renounce any type of violence by emphasizing the importance Islam places on dialogue, tolerance, and mutual respect.

8-Restructure the dominant Islamic religious discourse.

9-To renew the religious discourse we must both strengthen unity and cooperation and speak with one voice and one message when it comes to the most pressing social issues of the day.

As God Almighty says in the Holy Qur'an:

"And hold fast, all together, by the rope of Allah and be not divided; and remember the favor of Allah which He bestowed upon you when you were enemies and He united your hearts in love, so that by His grace you became as brothers." (3:104)

This intervention had been delivered during the works of the third annual conference of the Center for the Study of Islam*

*and Democracy March the 29th 2014

For more information, please visit our website at

http://csid-tunisia.org