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'Turnout shows Muslims' desire for democracy'
The sight of determined Iraqi voters casting their ballots in polls has strengthened hope Iraq can evolve into a model of democracy.
The sight of determined Iraqi voters casting their ballots in last Sunday's elections has strengthened the hope that Iraq can evolve into a model of democracy in the Islamic world, a new survey says.
The vote in Iraq indicates that support for democracy in the Muslim world observed in surveys was genuine and holds up under challenging conditions and whether Iraq will prove a compelling model for melding Islam and representative government will depend crucially on what happens next, a survey by Pew Research Center says.
As the interim government struggles to quell violence, create jobs and restore public utilities and institutions, Iraq's newly elected National Assembly faces a fast deadline for drafting a new constitution to be submitted by Oct. 15.
"Constitutions are rarely written during calm times," observes Nathan J Brown, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in the new report.
Pew Global Attitudes Project surveys conducted in 2002 and 2003 found receptiveness to democracy in nearly all of the 17 Muslim populations in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa covered by the polls. Surveys suggest support for democracy is shared throughout much of the Muslim world.
The review finds preference for representative over authoritarian government supported by the view that democracy can work in these countries even as religion continues to play a strong, or even strengthened role in political life.
