A Critique of Salafists Viewing Democracy as Heresy

Inspired by their predecessors, Jihadi Salafists consider democracy as forbidden, a form of associating partner with Allah, heresy and idolatry. They argue that democracy is opposed to oneness of sovereignty or the concept of divine unity and it is also in contravention with what Allah, the Exalted, has revealed in the Quran; it is synonymous with idolatry or Taghut and that is the reason why democracy is viewed by Jihadi Salafists and their followers as heresy. Contrary to them, the proponents of democracy are of the view that by adopting democracy as a procedure – not religion – it is possible to adhere to divine laws and reconcile between Islam and democracy and respond to the antagonistic and spurious arguments put forth by the opponents .