Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation [I could be wrong] is moving steadily towards democracy.
i would remind you that Iran is an "islamic republic" and indeed uses elections to vote on a parliamentary body. the structure of a government is only relevant if that nation state rules by law, empowers its minorities to participate in the ruling process, and guarantees equal standing under law to all citizens. islamic republics cannot pass this test no matter whether they are arab or asian. if iraq is headed down this road, we, on the right, might like to re-evaluate what defines victory in this war. removing a great supporter of world terrorism, (saddam) is already a victory. weakening iraq is another. dismantling iraq would have even been better.
a sample of islamic republic thought:
"What we are up against is best illustrated by what the Jews did to the World Trade Centre. Everyone in the Muslim world knows that September 11 was a Jewish plot to pave the way for a joint Israeli-US military operation against not just Osama bin Laden and the Taleban but also Islamic militants in Palestine. On the day of the bombing, 4,000 Jews were absent from the World Trade Centre; they had been tipped off.
I thought this canard had long ago vanished up its own orifice, but it was being retailed with all sincerity by a Pakistani taxi driver last week in New York of all places - which proves nothing except that he is an accurate representation of a now unshakeable Muslim conviction. Millions and millions and millions believe this rubbish, as a Gallup Poll has found after questioning people in nine predominantly Islamic countries - Pakistan, Iran, Indonesia, Turkey, Lebanon, Morocco, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia - representing about half the world's Muslim population. "
Some 67 per cent found the attacks morally unjustified, which is something - why not 100 per cent? - but they were also asked if they believed reports that groups of Arabs carried out the bombings. Only in West-aligned Turkey was the answer Yes, but it was close; 46 per cent to 43 per cent. In all the other eight Islamic countries, the populations rejected the idea that Arabs or al-Qaeda were responsible. Repeat, that is a poll just a couple of months ago, after millions of words from reporters and exultant videos from the Osama bin Laden show. The majorities are overwhelming in Pakistan, Kuwait, Iran and Indonesia - in Pakistan only 4 per cent accept that the killers were Arabs. Thomas Friedman, of The New York Times, reported last month from Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim state, that nobody has any doubt about the Mossad conspiracy.
http://www.cdn-friends-icej.ca/antiholo/lies.html