Islamic democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply
Islamic principles to
public policy within a
democratic framework. Islamic political theory specifies three basic features of an Islamic democracy: leaders must be elected by the people, subject to
sharia and committed to practicing "shura", a special form of consultation practiced by Muhammad, which one can find in various hadiths, with their community. Countries which fulfil the three basic features include
Iran,
Pakistan and
Malaysia.
Saudi Arabia,
Qatar and the
United Arab Emirates are examples of countries that do
not adhere to the principles of Islamic democracy despite being Islamic countries, as these countries do not hold elections. The expression of Islamic democracy is different in the Muslim majority countries, as sharia interpretations vary from country to country, and the use of sharia is more comprehensive in countries in which sharia forms the basis for state laws.