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Conclusion
An
Islamic state is a dialectical condition between socio-political
structures and the Ummah's consciousness. Both support each other,
and neither is effective without the other. An Islamic consciousness
neutralized by an alien superimposition and a political regime
governed by external principles constitute, therefore, the
two-pronged dominative foundations of the Western discourse.
The
potency of this discursive formation does not derive solely from its
confrontational practice, but more so from its subtle nature and
euphemistic language. Its intricacies make it extremely difficult
for other than an elaborate deconstructive approach to expose its
theoretical and practical meanings and implications. With the
exception of Iran, this discourse has been largely successful in
neutralizing the dialectical process of politics and consciousness
in most Islamic countries.
As
long as those two poles are kept apart, liberal democracy as a
dominative project will continue to slice irresistibly through the
Ummah's consciousness irrespective of the nature of its ruling
regimes. As a promise of salvation rooted in a Western discourse, it
will displace political Islam. Unless this veil of salvation is torn
down, the Muslim Ummah will remain in a perpetual state of spiritual
and material defeat.
For
all practical purposes, liberal democracy may have freedom to offer
to the West; for the East, however, it has only domination to offer.
The East and the West, after all, are much more than mere
geographical poles.
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