Hans Rustad Den iranskfødte skribenten Amir Taheri ser gryende interesse for demokrati i muslimske land. Debatten dreier seg ikke lenger primært om islam og demokrati er forenlige størrelser, men om at demokrati er nødvendig også i muslimske land. Det at Taliban og det irakiske Baath-regimet ble beseiret så enkelt og raskt, ble en tankevekker og åpnet for nye muligheter. Taheri har noen interessante observasjoner:
«One question that is seldom asked is: Why did the Muslim world witness the demise of the Taliban and the Iraqi Ba’ath with indifference verging on disdain?»
«It is refreshing that, for the first time in more than half a century, the political discourse in the world of Islam is increasingly dominated by the democratic lexicon. It is interesting to see turbaned mullahs discussing Locke and Tocqueville in TV talk-shows beamed from «holy» cities. And to hear military dictators donning the habit of champions of democracy is more than just amusing.
Even in the most closed Muslim societies, words and phrases that denote democratization are being heard, and read: elections, opening, dialogue, participation, consent, pluralism, separation of powers, rule of law, due process, free enterprise, civil society, good governance, human rights, gender equality, accountability and transparency.»
