What the President says here is good — it is good to see him explaining why the West offers a better way of life. His words, although framed as criticism of the authoritarian governments of the Islamic world, could also be applied easily to Sharia states.
One important weakness of his argument here, however, is that it is one-sided. Democracy may not be incompatible with Islam, but is Islam incompatible with democracy? Does Islam contain within it a supremacist imperative that would destroy democracy once it attains sufficient power to do so? If Sharia is the law of the supreme deity, and Islam teaches Muslims that they have a responsibility to work to impose it, might there be some believers in Islam who are working in the West to destroy democracy?
And can these questions even be asked in the public sphere?
“President Bush Attends World Economic Forum,” from the White House site, May 18 (thanks to LGF):
There are people who claim that democracy is incompatible with Islam. But the truth is that democracies, by definition, make a place for people of religious belief. America is one of the most — is one of the world’s leading democracies, and we’re also one of the most religious nations in the world. More than three-quarters of our citizens believe in a higher power. Millions worship every week and pray every day. And they do so without fear of reprisal from the state. In our democracy, we would never punish a person for owning a Koran. We would never issue a death sentence to someone for converting to Islam. Democracy does not threaten Islam or any religion. Democracy is the only system of government that guarantees their protection.