This book examines Islam’s relationship to democratization in the
Indian Ocean nation of the Maldives. It explores how and why an
electoral democracy based in a constitution that has many liberal
features but also Islam-based limitations, especially lack of
religious freedom, emerged in the country by 2009. In doing so, the
book interrogates a major approach to Muslim politics that assumes
reformist interpretations of Islam are a positive, and even a
necessary, force for liberalization and democratization in
Muslim-majority contexts. This book shows reformist Islam did play
certain positive roles in democratization in the Maldives. However,
the book suggests reformist Islam may not be an invariably
uncontroversial force in the space of politics. It argues that
modern nation building in the Maldives shaped by political actors
with reformist Islamic orientations, since around the 1930s, has
also completely transformed Islam as a modern institutional and
discursive political religion. These transformations of Islam as a
modern political religion have existed as path-dependent
constraints on the depth of democratization, ensuring
religion-based limitations and intensifying controversy over
religion vis-Ã -vis the state and individual rights. An
original empirical contribution towards a better understanding of
Islam and politics in the Maldives, this book will be of interest
to academics and students working on democracy, and Islam in
particular, and in the fields of political science and area
studies, especially South Asian politics.
General
Imprint: |
Taylor & Francis
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Series: |
Routledge Studies in South Asian Politics |
Release date: |
September 2023 |
First published: |
2022 |
Authors: |
Azim Zahir
|
Dimensions: |
234 x 156mm (L x W) |
Pages: |
198 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-03-202010-5 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-03-202010-5 |
Barcode: |
9781032020105 |
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!