IS democracy the best defence against terrorism? This was the theme of a forum organised a few weeks ago by the Islamic Renaissance Front.
All the distinguished speakers, including Prof James Piscatori and Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa, agreed that democracy, with all its flaws, is preferable to dictatorships. Democracy has an elective system of government. It allows peaceful change of power. It respects human rights. It allows grievances to be aired. Discussion before decision is an essential prerequisite of a democratic set-up. In contrast, terrorism is a failure or absence of dialogue.
