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March 23, 2006
Liberty and Democracy
I've been following the story of Abdul Rahman who converted to Christianity from Islam and is now facing a death sentence for apostasy under Sharia law in Afghanistan. Having been confronted with international pressure, the Afghan court has found a way to save face and save Mr. Rahman's life. While Mr. Rahman's right to be a Christian or whatever else he might choose to be without facing death under the force of law is an important issue in and of itself, a larger issue has do with the roll of democracy in this situation. The people of Afghanistan chose a constitution that embraced Sharia law. And they did it willingly. Likewise, the new Iraq constitution, which says, "no law can be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of Islam," was support by an overwhelming popular mandate.
One thing that needs to be remembered here is not that Mr. Rahman was a Christian but that he was an apostate. He would have faced the same charges and fate had he converted to Judaism or Hinduism or joined his local chapter of the "Freethinkers Society." He had been a Muslim and was now something else. And for that, he deserved death under the democratically supported rule of law.
Ed Brayton at Dispatches from the Culture Wars gets it mostly right,
This, folks, is why liberty is infinitely more important than democracy. In both Afghanistan and Iraq, we installed more or less democratic governments. But in both cases, with wide public support, the constitutions also allow for the imposition of Sharia, or Islamic law, and that insures that no matter how democratic the governments there will be no genuine freedom. There are two perfect examples going on right now that prove my argument.
As several of Ed's commentators pointed out, it is possible to have liberty without democracy but it is unlikely that it can be sustained. What is needed is liberty built into the very structure of democratic institutions and aggressively supported by those institutions. It is for this reason that I worry about any erosion, no matter how seemingly slight, on the protections offered under our Constitution whether they come from the legislature, the executive or the courts. Unlike Ed, I am not a libertarian by political affiliation or disposition, but I do believe that any governmental restraint on what we think, say, believe or with whom we associate and any restraint on the free flow on information and option impinges upon the liberties we enjoy as citizens of this country.
Specifically with regard to religion, I think Mark Twain was spot on when he proposed the following commandment be added to the canon law of all religions,
Ye shall be indifferent as to what your neighbor's religion is.
Not just tolerant but indifferent!
Posted by Duane Smith at March 23, 2006 9:27 AM | Read more on Current Events |
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