Islam, Secularism, and Liberal Democracy - Toward a Democratic Theory for Muslim Societies (Hardcover)

Islam's relationship to liberal-democratic politics has emerged as one of the most pressing and contentious issues in international affairs. This book analyzes the relationship between religion, secularism, and liberal democracy, both theoretically and in the context of the contemporary Muslim world. This book challenges a widely held belief among social scientists that religious politics and liberal-democratic development are structurally incompatible. While there are certainly tensions between Islam and democracy -- Hashemi draws on Iran as an example -- the two are not irreconcilable. He affirms the need for political secularism in order for liberal democracy to flourish, and examines how Muslim societies can develop the political secularism required for liberal democracy when the main political, cultural and intellectual resources that are available are religious. Hashemi argues that democratization and liberalization do not necessarily require a rejection or privatization of religion but do require a reinterpretation of religious ideas about the moral basis of legitimate political authority and individual rights. In fact, he shows, liberal democracy in the West often developed not in strict opposition to religious politics but in concert with it. Hashemi argues that an indigenous theory of Muslim secularism -- similar to what developed in the Christian West -- is possible and a necessary requirement for the advancement of liberal democracy in Muslim societies.

General

Imprint:	Oxford UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	April 2009
First published:	March 2009
Authors:	Nader Hashemi (Assistant Professor of Middle East and Islamic Politics)
Dimensions:	242 x 162 x 22mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	304
ISBN-13:	978-0-19-532124-1
Categories:	Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > General > General Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian religions > Islam Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Ethnic studies > Islamic studies Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political ideologies > General Books > Religion & Spirituality > Non-Christian religions > Islam Books > Religion & Spirituality > General > General
LSN:	0-19-532124-3
Barcode:	9780195321241

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