Is there any truth to the argument that Islam is incompatible with democracy? The Indonesian example would suggest otherwise. Indonesia underwent a major political transition that started with the toppling of a 32-year-old authoritarian regime during the reform movement of 1998. What took place was similar to the situation developing in Tunisia and Egypt today. The successful Indonesian transition to a more democratic system did indeed indicate that Islam, as both a religion and a culture, is compatible with democracy. The support for the concepts of democracy and the nation-state by Muslims in Indonesia contradicted the notions of those scholars and publicists who believe that Islam and democracy are incompatible and, therefore, who argue that Muslim-majority countries are somehow doomed to being led by autocratic rulers.
Although some Muslim-majority countries have been troubled by radical Islamic political groups, Indonesia has experienced a peaceful consolidation of its political environment. This has included the emergence of groups with a variety of political platforms. In the Indonesian Parliament, for instance, the Prosperous Justice Party, which is considered to be the largest post-reform Islamic political party in the country, has tackled various items of importance to the national agendas together in collaboration with secular parties.
Indonesia has faced demands by some groups to implement strict interpretations of Islamic law in various regions, most notably in the province of Aceh. However, a majority of Indonesian Muslims hold dearly to the religious rights of all groups as protected under the national Constitution and, as a result, have not endorsed the formal implementation of a conservative interpretation of Islamic law.
While this proves that Islam and democracy can coexist in Indonesia, does it necessarily mean that we should reach a similar conclusion when it comes to the future of the countries of the Middle East and North Africa?
Robert W. Hefner, an anthropologist from Boston University, credits large Indonesian Islamic organizations such as the Nahdlatul Ulama and the Muhammadiyah, each having approximately 80 million and 14 million members respectively, with making a difference when it comes to Indonesia. Their social activities, which involve such things as establishing schools, hospitals, orphanages and other social institutions, have set an example for how to balance Islamic principles, democracy, and nation-building. The activists of these movements have also been engaged in activities such as the anti-corruption movement, creating good governance, and helping develop public policies and budgeting in local governments.
Some scholars credit the Indonesian cultural tendencies of conflict avoidance. For example, the Indonesian scholar Taufik Abdullah says that the large sizes of Islamic organizations in Indonesia, as opposed to the splintering that would accompany the dissemination of smaller organizations, have made Indonesian Muslims appear more unified.
An Islamic scholar from Indonesia, Azyumardi Azra, has said that the Muslims in Indonesia emphasize the accommodative nature of Islam. This, he believes, is why they easily accepted democracy, human rights and other relatively new ideas.
The Indonesian experience offers two insights for what is prospectively the emerging democracies in the Middle East and North Africa. First, the presence of Islamic civil society organizations allows these organizations to play an active role in strengthening democratic states; and second, the diversity within Islam can be a strength that encourages the acceptance of change and societal differences. This, in turn, inspires not only individual piety and political ideals, but also the type of humanitarian initiatives that are necessary for nation-building.
