Cameron on Democracy

By his insensitive excursion to a Middle East aflame with insurrection in an attempt to bolster – of all things – arms sales, David Cameron has shown a complete lack of understanding of feelings in that area. But worse, Cameron exhibits total ignorance of what “democracy” means, arguing that dismissing the Muslim world as unsuited to democracy amounts to “prejudice bordering on racism”.

Democracy is not the mere counting of ballots. By that measure, Adolph Hitler, who was elected democratically and – if the newsreels of the époque are anything to go by – was adored by the German people – was one of the most democratic leaders in history.

No. Democratic governance should reflect the will of the majority while respecting the aspirations of the minority. It is in this sense that democracy is indeed incompatible with Islam. The true Muslim believer can never respect the faiths of his non-Muslim fellow citizens; this is expressly ruled out by the Koran, which relegates such, at best, to ‘dhimmitude’, a subservient position with regard to that of the Muslim. That is why a gathering of two million Egyptians in Tahrir Square, shouting in unison “Together we march on Jerusalem”, cannot be described as a step towards democracy.