The Challenges and Prospects of Democratization in the Muslim World: The case of Pakistan

Abstract

CHARLES UNIVERSITY IN PRAGUE FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Bibliographical Registration Form Master thesis in the programme I E P S 1. Given name and SURNAME of the author: Mazhar Hassan Bari 2. Title of the Thesis: The Challenges and Prospects of Democratisation in the Muslim world: The case of Pakistan 3. Subordinate title: 4. Year of defence: 2019 5. Number of pages: 64 6. Summary of the Thesis (extended abstract): Debate on the compatibility of Islam with democracy has gained momentum between academic circles in the recent years often in the context of a "clash" between Western and Islamic civilization. The main objective of this thesis is to contribute to this debate by trying to identify main challenges and prospects of democratization in the Muslim world. The theoretical framework of this thesis will be based on modernist and reformist theories of Islamic political thought. The concepts of Ijtihad (independent reasoning) and Ijma (consensus or agreement) will be applied in order to answer key questions research "Are the key principles of Islam compatible with core values of democracy?" or "Is Islam inherently authoritarian?". The theoretical outcomes will be applied on the case study of Pakistan, country that has just achieved another significant democratic transition of power through general elections....