Here's more background for 2301's written assignment. There are some who argue that one problem facing Middle Eastern countries that try to become democratic is the there is tension between Islam and democracy. Not that many Islamic countries are currently democratic - some are, its just not common.
Its worth noting that the same argument was made about Catholicism at one point as well. The Catholic church has a hierarchical structure that has a monarchic feel to it. Protestants - especially Puritans - in 17th Century Britain and early America argued that Catholics were far more likely, as a result, to favor monarchies rather than republics. Many - though not all - Protestant churches were congregational in structure, which meant that church decisions were decided by a process that leaned towards democracy.
This lead commentators to suggest, as with Islam today, that Catholicism was incompatible with democracy. Protestant countries were more likely to become democratic. Actually until recent decades, there was evidence that Catholic countries were more likely to be monarchic or run by an authoritarian. That was used to support the thesis, but times have changed and many Catholic countries, Italy and Spain for example, have become democratic.
So things change.
Here are links that touch on the tension between Islam and democracy as things stand now:
- Islam and Democracy.
- MIDDLE EAST: Islam and Democracy.
- Can Islam and Democracy Coexist?
- The practice—and the theory
- CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF ISLAM AND DEMOCRACY