THANKS, W:

It says something about progress in the Middle East that top Islamist leaders in Iraq and Tunisia are crying out for democracy in their Muslim countries. Their public faith in individual liberties and rights is a timely counterpoint to the hardening of Islamist rule in Iran and Afghanistan.

In Iraq, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, a highly influential religious authority, has called on voters to shed their apathy and participate "consciously and responsibly" in crucial parliamentary elections Oct. 10. "Make a good choice, otherwise the failures of the previous parliaments and the governments emanating from them will be repeated," he said Sept. 29, referring to political leaders elected after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that planted democracy in Iraq.

The election, he added, is the best path for Iraq to "reach a hopefully better future than the past, and through which the risk of falling into the abyss of chaos and political stalemate will be avoided." [...]

In Tunisia, where a democracy sprang up during the 2011 Arab Spring, the leading Islamist party, Ennahda, has led calls to reverse a power grab by President Kais Saied. In July, the former law professor suspended parliament and seized near-total power, claiming the government was in political gridlock. Although he promised his actions were temporary, he has since cracked down on opposition and added to his powers. Ennahda's leader, Rached Ghannouchi, who is Tunisia's leading Islamist politician and the speaker of parliament, said the president had effectively "canceled the constitution."

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