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Early this week we saw the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi open a Hindu temple built on the controversial site in Ayodhya – an act which some saw as an unofficial start to his re-election campaign. Over in the United States, it would appear that Donald Trump’s relentless political machine and popularity has kept him the favourite to win the republican nomination. His message of `America first’ still resonates with many voters. Both leaders are examples of men who boast a confident and muscular nationalism which their critics say is politically forceful but socially divisive. And both India and America are large democracies. But in a year when nearly half the global population will vote, the rise of strong, mainly male leaders around the world can give the impression that democracy is on the decline while demagoguery is on the rise. The question it seems to me lies in what we think makes a good leader. In Islamic thought, leadership is a moral responsibility based on the concept of Amanah. This is a psychological trust between the leader and the people. It’s an almost sacred bond in which those at the top should prioritise their duty to those they serve, humbled by the knowledge that power is always temporary. Whether Muslim leaders going to the polls this year, nurture that attitude within themselves remains to be seen. I consider myself fortunate to live in a liberal democracy which for all its challenges and contradictions remains for me, a benevolent force. We can be sceptical of how well it works, critical of its aspirations but the principle that everyone should be included in society, that for all our cultural, religious, economic and racial differences, we stand equal before the law – for me this is still a hugely powerful and unifying concept. So, if liberal democracies appear weaker today, the issue may be less about democracy and more about leaders and their values. I think what I want to see most of all from our leaders is evidence that they listen and care. That they have the courage to build a society where we all feel connected, a loyalty to each other and a sense of belonging, even an intimacy that we really are in this together. There’s nothing weak about a leader who speaks with compassion, acts with integrity, and is simply more human with their successes and failures. At a time of shifting international alliances, and so much domestic polarisation, we need leaders whose strength lies in giving us the kind of hope where no one feels left behind.