Introduction
Many versions of comments and debates have been taking place in regard to Islam and Muslims right from their religious radicalism to their stringent laws regarding democracy. As politics of countries around the world takes different dimensions, democracy has taken the world by a whirlwind which has taken Islamic. This paper analyzes whether the Islamic Republic of Iran is a democracy or a theocracy.
Theocracy and Democracy
Theocracy is a government much influenced by dominant religion in a particular country. All operations of government are controlled by religious principles. Democracy as President George Washington is the government by people, for people and with people. Democracy in Islamic countries has been a nightmare for the reason that it has brought about so many political and social conflicts. Many citizens of these Islamic countries in particular Iran feel that western democracy has been imposed on them and the approach has not been friendly to the traditional ways of its governance. Iran is a country that is sometimes difficult to define by the version of its governance but many people understand it as a theocracy. However (Kesselman, Krieger and Joseph) agree that, “democracy has gained remarkable acceptance in Iran even though theocracy takes a bigger share of governance…610”. Elections take place regularly but there are no potential political parties which play their part as opposition.
