An Analysis of the Western Conception of Democracy and Religious Democracy

Demoracy, which is one of the most important issues in political philosophy, has been interpreted in different ways. In the light of the analysis of the historical understanding of the word"democracy" and explanation of its main elements, democracy can be defined as a kind of government in which people's participation in political affairs, their freedom and equality before the law and their satisfaction with the governing political system are officially recognized. If we study the Islamic doctrines we come to the conclusion that Islam has been concerned with the realization of the elements of the concept of democracy. This idea adduces grounds for providing a new model of democracy, because there has been no pure and genuine democracy throughout the history; rather all types of democracy have some limitations in the framework of different beliefs. Accordingly, the modus operands and mechanisms for realizing democracy have been defined.Accordingly, pure democracy based on Islamic doctrines, in which Muslims believe, can be specified and the mechanisms of its realization be determined. Thus, a new model of democracy, known as religious democracy, has been developed. The present paper elaborates on this subject, using a theoretical approach.