Fatima.Mernessi_The-Forgotten-Queens-of-Islam-EN

The Medina Democracy 183
tinguishing truth from error. If the reader really wants to reflect on
what we are talking about, let him cast his eyes on the assemblages
of scholars; he will find them replete with men of the elite in whom
shine forth discernment, virtue, and intelligence. On the other hand,
let him examine the 'amma in the places where they repair and
congregate. He will only find them gathered around a bear trainer
or a buffoon who makes monkeys dance to the sound of his drum.
He will notice that they go where pleasure and frivolity are found;
there they make frequent visits to a juggler, a conjurer, a charlatan;
there they lend their ears to the lying tales of a popular preacher. 8
This contemptuous harangue by the historian Mas'udi against the
people, the like of which is found in the speeches of many Muslim
leaders, is deeply rooted in the mentality of today's officials. The
definitive statement of it, since become proverbial, came from
Caliph 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib, who also fell to the dagger blows of a
rebel. He was asked what he thought of the 'amma. 'It is a herd of
beasts following any loudmouth,' he replied, 'never seeking the light
of knowledge. Thus it is with reason that the epithet "cloud of
grasshoppers" is applied to the crowd.' 9 All the crusades that certain
reactionary Muslim politicians wage today against the West and its
parliamentary democracies, considered alien to the spirit of Islam,
stem from the fact that parliamentary democracy totally destroys
their idea of political power, which, as we have seen, has nothing
to do with the ideal of the caliph at the beginning of the Hejira.
This was a conception of an imam enlightened by the shari'a and
attentive to his people, who were close to him in a mosque without
barriers. And it is in this ideal of a political Islam which 15 centuries
of despotism failed to shake that the miracle, the enigma, and the
challenge of modern times is to be found.
One may speak of a miracle because the dream of the ideal defies
history and shows itself to be completely impervious to its lessons.
One may also speak of an enigma because for 15 centuries the
people have been constantly rising up against the despotism of their
leaders without their anger and sorrow finding any way out of the
circle of violence. Finally, one may speak of a challenge because
since national independence, universal suffrage - borrowed from
the secular West, it is true - has become institutionalized, however
limited it may be. It is interesting to note that in today's Muslim
world there is no longer any debate about the legitimacy of universal
suffrage. Nowadays it is about the degree of falsification of election
results. This is a big step forward toward the acceptance of the
people as the source of sovereignty. And yet, there is nothing