Abstract
In recent times, Arabs have shown the world that they are ready for additional democratic reforms. We must nevertheless question what democracy means to them. How do they think about the role of religious leaders in democracy? Does democracy imply extending the rights of women? How do Arabs see the connection between democracy and a prosperous economy? Answers to these and similar questions are important in order to interpret the high levels of support for democracy that are being observed in the Arab world, as well as the possible outcomes of the Arab spring. It is also important to examine whether Arabs have a common understanding of democracy or whether they disagree on the form that democracy should take. Wide variations in the meaning of democracy could retard the process of democratization. In this article, public opinion data from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Morocco are used to develop a detailed image of what democracy means to Arabs.
Highlights
The world recently witnessed the Arab Spring
1) Governments tax the rich and subsidize the poor 2) Religious authorities interpret the laws 3) People choose their leaders in free elections 4) People receive state aid for unemployment 5) The army takes over when government is incompetent 6) Civil rights protect people’s liberty against oppression 7) The economy is prosperous 8) Criminals are severely punished 9) People can change the laws in referendums 10) Women have the same rights as men Welzel (2011), Norris (2011) and other scholars have used this scale in order to examine how people understand democracy
Do you think that having a democratic political system would be a good way of governing your country? Is it important for you to live in a democracy? How democratically is your country being governed today? Many studies have analyzed answers to questions containing the abstract term “democracy” (e.g. Esmer, 2002; Huang, Chang, & Chu, 2008; Massis, 1998)
Summary
Received October 23rd, 2012; revised November 20th, 2012; accepted December 8th, 2012. Arabs have shown the world that they are ready for additional democratic reforms. We must question what democracy means to them. How do they think about the role of religious leaders in democracy? How do Arabs see the connection between democracy and a prosperous economy? Answers to these and similar questions are important in order to interpret the high levels of support for democracy that are being observed in the Arab world, as well as the possible outcomes of the Arab spring. Wide variations in the meaning of democracy could retard the process of democratization. Public opinion data from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Morocco are used to develop a detailed image of what democracy means to Arabs
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