God Arises
The Challenge of The Qur’an
~ 330 ~
tyrannise the entire population of a country or
countries. Although democracy had wide popular
support, it has also been subjected to sharp criticism
on a theoretical plane. The entire basis of
democracy is the belief that people are born equal,
with equal rights and that they are free. But the
problems afflicting democracy are alluded to in the
very first lines of Rousseau’s
Social Contract:
‘Man
was born free and everywhere he is the chains.’
The literal meaning of democracy—a word of Greek
origin—is rule by the people. But in practice it is
impossible to establish rule by all the people. How
can all the people govern and be governed at the
same time? Furthermore, man is said to be a social
animal. Far from being alone in this world with the
liberty to live as he pleases, he is part of the body of
society. On philosopher puts it like this: ‘Man is not
born free. Man is born into society, which imposes
restraints of him.’
How, then, can a popular government be formed,
when all the people cannot have power at the same
time? Various theories have been propounded, the
most popular of which is Rousseau’s i.e. that it
