or a society determines a collection of uninterpretable values, which are comprehensive and inflexible, there is no ground for democracy, no matter whether or not that accompanying ideology is religious.

[١]

By contrast, if the accompanying ideology, which has received popular support in an association or a society, provides room for uncertainty of values, or supports the pursuit of individual interests, as individuals themselves interpret them, democracy can meaningfully be realised in that society, irrespective of the religiosity of that accompanying ideology.

The Dominant Secular Discourse on Democracy

The concept of democracy is originally a western concept initially emerged and further developed by the Western civilisation.

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As Huntington has demonstrated, the first long wave of democratization originated from the American and French revolutions of eighteenth century, and emerge at the end of nineteenth century in the United States, Switzerland, France, United Kingdom, and some other European countries. Although the second wave of democratisation occurred in late ٠٤٩١ s and early ٠٥٩١ s in other parts of the world,

[٣]

in the Middle of ٠٧٩١ s most democratic regimes in the world were in the Western, rich, and industrial countries.

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In addition to the initial appearance of democratic ideas and practices in the West, democracy both in conceptual isation and practice has experienced considerable development in the West. Consequently, since the Western modern culture is secular, the dominant discourse on democracy as a part of the larger culture is seular.

According to Joffe, modernism as Eurpean cultural heritage occurred between fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, from the late Renaissance to the Age of Enlightenment, and bringing with it three phases of secularisation.( ١ )Rationalism as the first phase has secularised the intellect and rejected

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