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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Leading The Ummah Chapter 8: Is The Shiite View On Imamate Against The Principles Of Freedom? Liberty and freedom are among the sweetest and most delicate words that man has ever used and heard. The very word “freedom” with its fabulous tone, brings forth in man gaiety and happiness and excites wonderful feelings in him.

The most exalted aspiration for man is to unlock the chains of bondage and slavery and to struggle against colonialism in order to arrive at the lofty mount of freedom. Man's enthusiasm for freedom has forced him to give many sacrifices. We must now try to establish which one of the two views concerning Imamate is compatible with the principles of democracy.

Should an Imam be elected through elections, the Islamic High council or should he be appointed directly by God and the Prophet without people's involvement. Some assume that the first view is compatible with the principles of freedom. If we consider the position of the Prophet's successor to be an elective one then we can be proud of the fact that the principles of liberalism and freedom have been acted out by Muslims.

Some Sunnite scholars criticize the Shiite view of the appointment of the Prophet's successor, arguing that such a view is incompatible with today’s world[^1] . A Solution The most fascinating logic for electing an Imam is to claim that such a view is compatible and harmonious with today's social ideologies.

To provide an answer to such a view, we should consider three basic points: (a) The issue of appointing the position of Imam is distinct from the issue of dictatorship; (b) Western democratic regimes, which are based on the majority of votes, are among the most unjust systems to which man has referred to without his will; c) On the supposition that such a pprocedure is quite correct for choosing a governor, the question is: Was this system used at the advent of Islam when electing Caliphs?

All these three issues especially the second and third deserve more elaboration. However we will briefly refer to them here: A) The issue of appointing the position of Imam is distinct from the issue of dictatorship Dictatorship is the most unjust way of government. This domination has been in use since antiquity and has taken different forms throughout the course of history (from tyranny by tribe leaders to absolute hegemony of self-centered dictators).