eBook

Islam, secularism, and liberal democracy : toward a democratic theory for Muslim societies

Hashemi, Nader

2009

Overview

This book analyzes the relationship between religion, secularism, and liberal democracy—historically, theoretically, and in the context of the contemporary Muslim world. The central issue is: liberal democracy requires a form of secularism, yet simultaneously the main cultural and intellectual resources that Muslim democrats can draw upon are religious. A paradox, therefore, confronts the democratic theorist. Challenging the popular belief that religious politics and democratic development are structurally incompatible, three arguments are advanced: In societies where religion is a key marker of identity, the road to liberal democracy must traverse the gates of religious politics. The primary theoretical implication that emerges from this claim is that the process of democratization cannot be de-linked from debates about the normative role of religion in government. While liberal democracy requires secularism, religious traditions are not born with an inherent secular conception of politics. These ideas must be socially constructed. In the context of an emerging democracy, how secularism becomes indigenized as political value is topic that this work explores. An intimate relationship exists between religious reformation and political development. While the first often precedes the second, the processes are interlinked. Democratization does not require a privatization of religion but it does require a reinterpretation of religious ideas that are conducive to liberal democracy. By engaging in this reinterpretation, religious groups can play an important role in the development and consolidation of democracy. Overall, this book argues for a rethinking of democratic theory so that it incorporates the variable of religion in the development and social construction of liberal democracy.

• Publisher: Oxford University Press,Oxford University Press, Incorporated
• Subject: 20th century / Democracy / Democracy -- Islamic countries / Democracy -- Religious aspects -- Islam / Democratic theory / Islam / Islam and politics / Islam and politics -- Islamic countries / Islam and secularism / Islamic countries / Islamic countries -- Politics and government -- 20th century / Liberal democracy / Politics and government / Religion and Politics / Religious aspects / Secularism / Secularism -- Islamic countries
• ISBN: 9780195321241, 0195321243, 0199929076, 9780199929078