Islamic Political System-its main contours (4)

 In the previous three parts (parts-1,2,3) of this article titled ‘Islamic Political System-its main contours’, we have seen that decision-making in Islamic state has to be made on the basis of majority opinion but majority opinion must not run counter to what has been enshrined in Quran and Sunnah. In other words, majority opinion should be in line with duties to be performed by an Islamic state, and can choose out of the options which are in accordance with Quran and sunnah; majority opinion is not allowed to hold right which has been held wrong by Quran and Sunnah; neither can majority opinion hold wrong which has been held right by Quran and Sunnah.  On the basis of these premises, a model of Islamic political system has been delineated in part (3) of this article titled ‘Islamic Political System-its main contours (3)'.

 

In the succeeding lines we would see how the model of Islamic political system, mentioned above, acts as a security valve against any military dictatorship, a religious group’s dictatorship, and a political party’s dictatorship; and how such a model may be installed.

In any Islamic society like Pakistan, people lack in missionary zeal to remove deficiencies and faults contained in any social system including political system. Because ideologically people believe in Islam (whatever extent they believe in), psychologically any missionary zeal emerging out of people has to be in line with the ideology they believe in. Because social systems including political system in an Islamic society like Pakistan are not in consonance with their ideology, people do not generate any missionary zeal to remove deficiencies found in these social and political systems. The required missionary zeal may be generated among the Muslim masses only for reformation and building of Islamic systems. The result is that un-Islamic social and political institutions adopted and developed in Islamic societies are at the worst in rotten shape and at the best are lagging behind the corresponding western institutions.

The un-Islamic political institution adopted by Pakistan is also devoid of people’s missionary fervor to reform it so that it may deliver according to people’s expectations; the result is whenever this political system is overthrown by the military, people show no love lost for the political system. It is a different thing that people do not see military rule as a panacea of their ills either. If an Islamic political system is adopted by Pakistan (no matter in defective form), people would be keen and struggling enough to reform such political system to make its performance excelling that of western political systems. When people would be whole-heartedly at the back of their political system, military would never think of overthrowing such a political system.

The proposed model of Islamic political system mentioned above would minimize chances of military rule.

This model of Islamic political system would be an effective check on monopoly and dictatorship of any religious group also. According to this model, the shariah scholars members of ‘Shura’ are required to be nominated by the elected members of political parties on the basis of percentage of total votes obtained by the political party. Such shariah scholars/experts would be enjoying international repute because of quality of work produced by them and would be men of high integrity and piety- a quality which may be confirmed by other political parties and other components of ‘shura’ e.g. intelligence agencies and judiciary. These shariah experts would be representing in their proportion all the religious groups found in the country. All these things would negate the chances of dictatorship of any religious group.

This model of Islamic political system would also free the people from tyranny of political party/parties in power. In various shades of  western democracy, a political party alone or along with its allies reigns supreme once gets into power unless it is removed from power through legal tools like no-confidence- a probability which is difficult to happen in most of the cases. As a result, people are obliged, in most of the cases, to tolerate bad governance of its elected government till the end of its term. But the proposed model of Islamic political system negates such a likelihood because ‘shura’-which would represent all political parties on the basis of proportional representational system; which would consist of men of high integrity and piety; which would include judiciary and military; which would include Accountability Institutions- would be authorized to undo parliament’s or assembly’s or any governmental functionary’s any un-Islamic act or omission of act. As per this model, people would not have to wait for end of term of its elected government so that they might be free from its bad governance.

In short, the proposed model of Islamic political system may offer the people such an effective and efficient state apparatus which would save the people, on the one hand, from the tyranny of various powerful social groups, and, on the other hand, would attract people’s loyalty  because this model of political system does not run counter to Islamic Ideology of the people; this loyalty would further enhance the political system’s capability to deliver according to people’s expectations.

Now we dwell on the point how such a model of Islamic political system may be installed. Given the present political scenario in Islamic societies including Pakistan, one cannot expect that all existing powerful social groups- which enjoy political power in existing political set-ups- would allow this model of Islamic political system to be established in their respective Islamic societies. The people having faith in properness of this model of Islamic political system would have to organize whatever people’s and institutional support they have; they do not have to wait for majority people’s support to install this system. Systems are established through organizing institutions, not through availing majority people’s support (plz see my article ‘Rebuttal of Javaid Ghamdi’). In Islam majority opinion is to be respected but only within parameters of Quran and Sunnah. Establishment of Islamic systems is a requirement of Quran and Sunnah and as such this requirement needs to be fulfilled without waiting for majority’s support. People have to install Islamic systems (social, economic, legal, and political) through organizing whatever people’s and institutional support they have. Once people committed to install Islamic systems get into political power, they can organize individuals and institutions to erect Islamic systems through establishing Islamic   institutions including the proposed Islamic model of political system.