Written by Don Byrd
Church-state columnist Charles Haynes says Egypt demonstrates why democracy must include individual freedoms to do any good.
One on the key lessons of the current crisis in Egypt is one familiar to students of past revolutions:
Democracy without safeguards for individual rights is a recipe for tyranny of the majority.
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The Muslim Brotherhood may have won the vote. But for democracy to work in the best interests of all citizens, fundamental human rights must be protected from majority rule.
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A “democracy” where the government – including a popularly elected government – is empowered to violate religious liberty, freedom of expression and other basic rights, is a form of tyranny.
Haynes goes on to remind that the American Constitution needed the addition of individual freedoms to address concerns of Baptists and others that a new religious majority could one day “impose itself on the country.” Democracy is a necessary step toward freedom, but is only one step.
