IT is said that one of the reasons for going to war against Iraq is that it will help to bring democracy to the region.

When this kind of thing is said it is often assumed that democracy is something that the Christian West has to offer the Muslim Middle East.

But deep within Islam itself there is a democratic principle. Muslim Middle Eastern countries do not have to look to the West to discover democracy, it is there

from the beginning in the teaching of the Holy Qur'an and in the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.

Over 1400 years ago the Prophet said: "0 people, your Lord is one and your father is one. All of you belong to Adam and Adam is made of earth. There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab or for a non-Arab over an Arab, nor for a person of black skin over any other colour. Rather the noblest among you is the person of piety."

When one considers how old this saying is, it is amazing. It is amazing to think that the seeds of democracy are so openly shown in such an ancient tradition.

If we are all children of one Father, then we must all be brothers and sisters. If there is no priority of race, colour, or creed, then we must all count for one and no one for more than one.

Right at the heart of Islam lies this democratic principle. Of course, principles need working out. Flesh needs to be put on the bones. It is to be hoped that, as Muslim countries rediscover these profound truths, then democracy will come to prevail.

One thing is certain, Islam does not need to receive democracy as a gift from the Christian West, it already has the democratic principle at its heart. In this respect, it is one of the most enlightened of religions.

Like all religions, Islam doesn't always live up to its central principles. Christianity is just the same in this respect. We know the teaching of Jesus, but we prefer to go our own way and to allow custom and tradition to come between us and the truth.

This was Jesus' accusation against the religious leaders of his day. He castigated them for making human traditions more important than the Word of God. In this sense, all people of faith need to be constantly looking at their roots to see if they are genuinely practising their faith. This is just as much a challenge to us in the West as it is to Muslim countries in the Middle East.

Michael Williams

Vicar of Bolton

Parish Church