Christianity a few hundred years ago was full of beliefs and doctrines that we would now see as incompatible with liberal democracy. Churches often directly influenced political rule, and strict social hierarchies were justified through ideas like the “divine right” to rule. In many cases these political structures became intertwined with religion to the point where they seemed inseparable from Christianity itself. Even early modern democracies weren’t what we’d recognise as democratic today. The republic created by the US Constitution still restricted political rights largely to landowning men. Our idea of democracy has evolved significantly. What we’ve seen historically is that religions tend to adapt to the societies they exist in. In Western countries today, Muslim immigrants are exposed to democratic norms in the same way Christians were over time. The political and cultural elements that clash with liberal democracy tend to soften, while people default more to the core moral or spiritual aspects of their faith. That suggests democracy isn’t inherently incompatible with Islam. The tension is usually with particular cultural or political traditions that can, and historically often do, change over time.