Die muslimischen Intellektuellen in Indonesien und die Demokratie

Abstract

In accordance with the trend of globalization, especially following the collapse of the socialist regimes of Eastern Europe, democracy is today becoming an important factor of international relations as well as a subject of intense debates in the Third World and in Muslim countries. Almost all governments in the world, evein authoritarian governments, use the attribute "democratic" to characterize their regimes and their aspirations. Yet not all governments in Muslim countries as well as not all Muslim intellectuals support democracy. Unlike the Islamic international debate on democracy, all Muslim intellectuals in Indonesia, as far as I am able to ascertain, accept democracy and even support it as a system which must be implemented in a Muslim society. They also understand democracy as covering certain universal values, especially equality, freedom and pluralism. In the light of this theological perspective, Muslim intellectuals also respond to the basic concept of Pancasila Democracy and to the process of democratization in Indonesia. In this process they have a strategic role, because they are leaders of the Muslim community which is one of the most influential sectors of civil society in Indonesia.