ABSTRACT
Is Islam really compatible with democracy? To what extent are they compatible? The answers to these questions vary. Some argue that Islam is congruent with democratic principles. On the other hand, there are those who believe that Islam is not democratic, thus making what constitutes Islamic democracy an unclear or ambiguous theme. Few Muslims, at least in Indonesia, are willing to be characterized as undemocratic, given the ramifications that opposition to democracy carries – authoritarianism, totalitarianism, fascism, absolutism, indecency, dictatorship, non-competitiveness and so forth. But not many Muslims have actually thought through the relationship between democracy and Islam.
