Understanding Islam

"[Professor John Kelsay who teaches at Florida State University] explained there are three types of Muslims.
Militants, like al-Qaida members, want to restore God’s law. Because they believe all human beings are born Muslim, they think their actions are for the good of mankind, Kelsay said.
The second group, which is the vast majority of Muslims, supports an Islamic state but objects to how groups like al-Qaida try to establish it. They believe the problems that plague the West are based on too much freedom and a lack of a moral compass; the fruit of not having a religious establishment, Kelsay said.
The third group, which is the smallest, is Muslim democrats."

Nwfdailynews.com, February 27th, 2008

Of course, the problem here is that the so-called moderates (i.e. the middle group) still seem to long for a caliphate of sorts. As of now, they seem to be fence-sitters, but they need to realize that there are many more problems plaguing the East than the West and that it is they who should fix their own dysfunctional moral compasses. Incidentally, if they do so, I think the West will have less problems too.
The Muslim democrats need all the support they can get, of course.

Here's a video of the professor speaking too:

Here's an improvement on democracy

"Consider some dates. Native Americans got the vote in the United States in 1924. Spanish women were given the same privilege in 1931, French women in 1944. Lords of the Realm in the United Kingdom could not vote in parliamentary elections until 1999. Although democracy began in Athens two and a half thousand years ago, it was for centuries a fragile flower and has blossomed only recently.
Democracy, we tell ourselves, is a hallmark of “the West”, the treasure that the rest of the World envies and that accounts for the pre-eminence of Europe and North America in economic progress, intellectual dominance and moral freedoms.
But it's not the case when you examine the chronology. The rise of the West had much less to do with democracy than with the rise of secularism. The West's advance was chiefly related to the decline in the influence of religion that sought the truth by “looking in” to see what God had to say, and its replacement by looking out, deriving authority from observation, experimentation and exploration."

Peter Watson, The Times, December 1, 2007

It's very true. Democracy rests on the idea that the population can rationally discuss and select the best options. But what if people aren't rational?

We have every right to oppose God's law

I don't usually post excerpts from discussion forums, but I thought this post was quite illuminating. (It's picked up from CARM / christiandiscussionforums.org where you unfortunately have to register to read.)

"Essentially, it's just a simple argument from democracy. Since God acts as ultimate authority, and defines the law for us, he is, by definition, a dictator. If we believe in the principles of democracy, chiefly that the law is only legitimate if it has the consent of the governed, God's law is illegitimate. None of us voted for it, so it is unjust, illegitimate, and we have every right to oppose it. Furthermore, we are not at all deserving of punishment, as we have not given consent to the laws we've allegedly broken. God simply acts as a dictator, and as moral beings who believe in the principles of democracy, we are completely justified in opposing him."

BenTheBiased, christiandiscussionforums.org, 17. August. 2007

Church is trying to impose its will through back door

"Priests make bad politicians. Do the cardinals and bishops of the Roman Catholic Church realise what a hornets' nest they are stirring up when they say that Roman Catholic MPs should follow the church's teaching when voting on abortion? They are messing with the democratic process - and Roman Catholic MPs could pay the price."

The Herald, June 05 2007

[Stats] What Happens When a Country Gives Up Religion: as Spain Shows, Nothing Much

"During Franco´s dictatorship Spain was a very Catholic country. After three decades of democracy, as the Catholic Church likes to say, Spain is not a Catholic country anymore.

[...]

If anything, Spain proves that societies do not fall apart when they give up religion and almost everything that was illegal for religious reasons, becomes legal. Moreover I believe that if Spain had not given up on religion it would not have been the success that it is now, as the Catholic Church in Spain was deeply involved in most state activities and acted as a deterrent for progress. For those, mostly in America, who believe that religion somehow makes countries more ethical Spain proves just the opposite."

Huffingtonpost.com, 03.09.2007

[Stats] Nearly Half of Europeans Don't Rate Religion

"A survey of 30,000 people in 27 European Union member countries found that nearly half of them -- 46 percent -- attach no importance at all to religion. The report came from the statistical agency of the EU, Eurostat (Luxembourg).

[...]

When asked what values they "cherish above all", respondents overwhelmingly chose "peace" (52 percent) and "respect for human life" came second (43 percent). Democracy got 24 percent. Way down at the bottom -- 11th out of 11 -- was "religion" with a meager seven percent."

Humaniststudies.org Mar. 7, 2007

So much for morality's dependance on religion!