EPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. Freedom of religion and belief is crucial to any sustainable development process, yet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) pay little attention to religious inequalities. This book offers a comprehensive overview of how efforts to achieve SDGs can be enhanced by paying greater attention to freedom of religion and belief. In particular, it illustrates how poverty is often a direct result of religious prejudice and how religious identity can shape a person’s job prospects, their children’s education and the quality of public services they receive. Drawing on evidence from Asia, the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, the book foregrounds the lived experiences of marginalized communities as well as researchers and action organizations.

The Muslim Brotherhood is one of the oldest and most influential Islamist movements. As the party ascends to power in Egypt, it is poised to adopt a new system of governance and state society relations, the effects of which are likely to extend well beyond Egypt s national borders. This book examines the Brotherhood s visions and practices, from its inception in 1928, up to its response to the 2011 uprising, as it moves to redefine democracy along Islamic lines. The book analyses the Muslim Brotherhood s position on key issues such as gender, religious minorities, and political plurality, and critically analyses whether claims that the Brotherhood has abandoned extremism and should be engaged with as a moderate political force can be substantiated. It also considers the wider political context of the region, and assesses the extent to which the Brotherhood has the potential to transform politics in the Middle East. "

The Muslim Brotherhood is one of the oldest and most influential Islamist movements. As the party ascends to power in Egypt, it is poised to adopt a new system of governance and state society relations, the effects of which are likely to extend well beyond Egypt 's national borders. This book examines the Brotherhood 's visions and practices, from its inception in 1928, up to its response to the 2011 uprising, as it moves to redefine democracy along Islamic lines. The book analyses the Muslim Brotherhood 's position on key issues such as gender, religious minorities, and political plurality, and critically analyses whether claims that the Brotherhood has abandoned extremism and should be engaged with as a moderate political force can be substantiated. It also considers the wider political context of the region, and assesses the extent to which the Brotherhood has the potential to transform politics in the Middle East.

On December 20, 2011, Egyptian women of all ages and backgrounds—urban and rural, working class and upper class—came out in force to Cairo’s Tahrir Square in one of the largest uprisings in the country’s history. The demonstrators gathered as citizens and likewise as women demanding social change and the right to gender equality. The size and impact of that uprising underscore the vital importance of women activists to what became known as the Arab Spring. In Resistance, Revolt, and Gender Justice in Egypt, Tadros charts the arc of the Egyptian women’s movement, capturing the changing dynamics of gender activism over the course of two decades. She explores the interface between feminist movements, Islamist forces, and three regime ruptures in the battle over women’s status in Egyptian society and politics. Parsing the factors that contribute to the success and failure of activist movements, Tadros provides valuable insight on sustaining social change and a vitally important perspective on women’s evolving status in a contemporary authoritarian context.

In the light of the escalation of sectarian tensions during and after Mubarak's reign, the predicament of the Arab world's largest religious minority, the Copts, has come to the forefront. This book poses such questions as why there has been a mass exodus of Copts from Egypt, and how this relates to other religious minorities in the Arab region; why it is that sectarian violence increased during and after the Egyptian revolution, which epitomized the highest degree of national unity since 1919; and how the new configuration of power has influenced the extent to which a vision of a political order is being based on the principles of inclusive democracy.
The book examines the relations among the state, the church, Coptic citizenry, and civil and political societies against the backdrop of the increasing diversification of actors, the change of political leadership in the country, and the transformations occurring in the region. An informative historical background is provided, and new fieldwork and statistical data inform a thoughtful exploration of what it takes to build an inclusive democracy in post-Mubarak Egypt.

Combines empirical data and original analysis in a uniquely detailed account of Christianity in North Africa and West AsiaThis comprehensive reference volume covers every country in North Africa and West Asia, offering reliable demographic information and original interpretative essays by indigenous scholars and practitioners. It maps patterns of growth and decline, assesses major traditions and movements, analyses key themes and examines current trends.Key FeaturesProfiles of Christianity in every country in North Africa and West Asia including clearly presented statistical and demographic informationAnalyses of leading features and current trends written by indigenous scholarsEssays examining each of the major Christian traditions (Anglicans, Independents, Orthodox, Protestants, Roman Catholics, Evangelicals, Pentecostals/Charismatics)Essays explore key themes such as faith and culture, worship and spirituality, theology, social and political engagement, mission and evangelism, religious freedom, gender, inter-faith relations, monastic movements and spirituality, displaced populations and ecclesiologyContributorsEd Alden, Independent Scholar Sara Afshari, University of Edinburgh Najib George Awad, Hartford SeminaryKatia Boissevain, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)Charles Chartouni, Lebanese University and St Joseph University John Eibner, Christian Solidarity International (CSI)Kristian Girling, Boston College's School of Theology and MinistryAkram Habib, Independent ScholarGabriel Hachem, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK)Hrayr Jebejian, General Secretary of the Bible Society in the GulfTodd M. Johnson, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Paolo Maggiolini, Catholic University of MilanDuane Miller, Saint Mary's University in San AntonioElizabeth Monier, University of CambridgeRima Nasrallah, Near East School of Theology, BeirutDavid Neuhaus SJ, Latin Patriarchal VicarEric N. Newberg, Oral Roberts University in TulsaEwelina Ochab, ADF InternationalAnthony O'Mahony, Heythrop College at the University of LondonAnna Poujeau, National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in FranceMitri Raheb, Dar al-Kalima University College of Arts and Culture in BethlehemDonna M. Rizk, King's College LondonBernard Sabella, al-Quds University George F. Sabra, Near East School of Theology in BeirutYazid Said, Liverpool Hope UniversitySilvia Serrano, Universite d'Auvergne Heather J. Sharkey, University of PennsylvaniaRazek Siriani, lay deacon in the Syriac Orthodox Church of AntiochGeorges Tamer, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-NurembergMariz Tadros, University of SussexSamuel Tadros, Hoover Institution and Johns Hopkins UniversityHratch Tchilingirian, University of OxfordHerman G.B. Teule, Radboud University Nijmegen and University of LouvainIyad Twal, Bethlehem UniversityWafik Wahba, Tyndale University and Seminary in TorontoJack Wald, pastor of Rabat International Church Anastasia Yiangou, Independent ScholarGina A. Zurlo, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

On December 20, 2011, Egyptian women of all ages and backgrounds-urban and rural, working class and upper class-came out in force to Cairo's Tahrir Square in one of the largest uprisings in the country's history. The demonstrators gathered as citizens and likewise as women demanding social change and the right to gender equality. The size and impact of that uprising underscore the vital importance of women activists to what became known as the Arab Spring. In Resistance, Revolt, and Gender Justice in Egypt, Tadros charts the arc of the Egyptian women's movement, capturing the changing dynamics of gender activism over the course of two decades. She explores the interface between feminist movements, Islamist forces, and three regime ruptures in the battle over women's status in Egyptian society and politics. Parsing the factors that contribute to the success and failure of activist movements, Tadros provides valuable insight on sustaining social change and a vitally important perspective on women's evolving status in a contemporary authoritarian context.

Women the world over are being prevented from engaging in politics. Women's political leadership of any sort is a rarity and a career in politics rarer still. We have, however, begun to understand what it takes to create an enabling environment for women's political participation. In this exciting and pioneering collection, writers from Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East are brought together for the first time to talk explicitly about women's participation in the political scene across the global South. Answering such questions as how women can get political apprenticeship opportunities, how these opportunities translate into the pursuit of a political career, and how these pursuits then influence the kind of political platform women advocate once in power, Women in Politics is essential reading for anyone interested in what it means to engage politically.