ABSTRACT
The previous chapters have demonstrated that democracy and human values are deeply embedded in and supported by Islam. Islam upholds self-development in responsible relationship with others, the society and most importantly with God. Islam supports the building of a democratic society open to all ethnicities and creeds, a society characterised by equality of dignity afforded to all. This fact about Islam has been discussed from different facets. The remaining question that this chapter investigates is the issue of the origin of violence and terrorism which plague today’s world. Following our explication of the ways Islam leads to democracy and the flourishing of human values, we examined the history of Muslim societies to ascertain why these characteristics are absent in so many cases. In this examination of Muslim history, we argued that this situation does not stem from Islam but has arisen in the absence of Islam’s human values and democracy. It has been in the absence of democracy that oppression, repression and humiliation have taken place in many Muslim countries. In the absence of democracy the accumulated oppression has led to violence on the local and then global stage. Given this, to consider violence and terrorism as a product of a clash of civilisations is wrong.
