I think that they may have had a majority elect them, but hallmarks of democratic societies are not a repression of freedoms; namely speech, religion, and the press. What are your thoughts? What does that make them?
2006-08-14 13:50:00 · 8 answers · asked by 6 in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
Getting elected is one thing. True democracy is when you give up power when you lose.
2006-08-14 14:06:58 · answer #1 · answered by Brand X 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That makes them democratically elected, and a legitimate government.
It does not make them free, or make them value the rights of the individual, or make them value religious freedom - those things are separate and must be vigorously defended for their own right. There is no package of rights that goes with a voting booth. Many societies do not value freedom.
In our country as much as half the population scorns the Civil Liberties Union and I have read of surveys in which a majority signed a petition to revoke the bill of rights when it was worded in a way to keep the meaning but disguise the source.
Look around in our own country over the years and see the push against freedom and the pull to get it back. It is in constant ebb and flow, even here, where freedom is our national identity.
2006-08-14 21:04:11 · answer #2 · answered by oohhbother 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Democracy is might-makes-right, majority rule.
That majority doesn't always have to have freedom of expression, and freedom of religion has nothing to do with it.
A country can be completely free, where every person has maximum liberties and no government restraints, and still run by a (benevolent) dictator-for-life.
A country can have no personal freedoms, no right to privacy, no right to express your opinions publicly, and one church can be the primary source of law, and it can still be a democracy. Democracy only requires that the people have the ability to choose their leader, not that they get to talk about it openly or criticize the resulting choice.
Two independent issues, freedom of expression (liberty) and how the leader gets picked.
2006-08-14 20:54:15 · answer #3 · answered by coragryph 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bush is also a fundamentalist who claims he was democratically elected. For the record I am a white American male. That makes them dictators who are also manipulators, of press, of public opinion, etc etc.
And also I have a lot of Muslim friends. It is unfair to be racist against Islam.
All Christians are not the self-beating fanatics of Opus Dei. Nor all Muslims, terrorists.
2006-08-14 20:56:35 · answer #4 · answered by Mr. Fancy Pants 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think the process used to democratically elect Islamic fundamentalists was democratic. I think then the Islamic fundamentalists pervert that democracy into fascism.
2006-08-14 21:08:26 · answer #5 · answered by hedddon 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bush wasn't democratically elected either. As far as I remember he got almost 2 Million less votes in 2000.
2006-08-14 20:55:24 · answer #6 · answered by miketorse 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are referring to Hamas in the Palestine, then we should respect and honor the right of the Palestinian people to elect their own leaders. However, if other countries observed that the Hamas leadership still engages in or supporting terroristic activities, then they have also the right to withold their financial support to that government and defend their countries against terrorist threats. And we must also respect and honor those rights.
2006-08-14 21:03:45 · answer #7 · answered by Coring 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Palestinian Christians voted for Hamas and some were elected on Hamas list
2006-08-14 20:56:43 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋