An Analysis of Democracy in Vilayat-e Faqih Government in Imam Khomeini’s View

One of the objections made to the theory of religious democracy is that anthropological foundations of democracy are based on modernist concepts such as humanism and secularism, while such a government has no common ground with a religious one which is based upon monotheist thoughts; thus a religious government cannot be coupled with democracy. With regard to this misconception, it is important to note that religious democracy is made of two layers of form analysis and content. Democracy has to do with the form of the government and religion has to do with the content. In other words, in the objection democracy and liberalism have been put in place of one another misleadingly. What Islam disagrees with is liberalism not democracy. Democracy is a way of ruling with a methodological nature but liberalism has an ontological nature. Implementing democracy in Vilayat-e Faqih guarantees the use of reason in social affairs which has special place in Imam Khomeini’s political thought. One of the obvious manifestations of the use of reason in handling society is the structure and tool making by government which includes the implementation of Democracy in Vilayat-e Faqih government.