Islam and Democracy - Softcover

Esposito, John L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195108167 ISBN 13: 9780195108163

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1996

Synopsis

Are Islam and democracy on a collision course? Do Islamic movements seek to "hijack democracy?" How have governments in the Muslim world responded to the many challenges of Islam and democracy today?

A global religious resurgence and calls for greater political participation have been major forces in the post-Cold War period. Across the Muslim world, governments and Islamic movements grapple with issues of democratization and civil society. Islam and Democracy explores the Islamic sources (beliefs and institutions) relevant to the current debate over greater political participation and democratization.

Esposito and Voll use six case studies--Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Sudan--to look at the diversity of Muslim experiences and experiments. At one end of the spectrum, Iran and Sudan represent two cases of militant, revolutionary Islam establishing political systems. In Pakistan and Malaysia, however, the new movements have been recognized and made part of the political process. Egypt and Algeria reveal the coexistence of both extremist and moderate Islamic activism and demonstrate the complex challenges confronting ruling elites. These case studies prove that despite commonalities, differing national contexts and identities give rise to a multiplicity of agendas and strategies.

This broad spectrum of case studies, reflecting the multifaceted relationship of Islam and Democracy, provides important insight into the powerful forces of religious resurgence and democratization which will inevitably impact global politics in the twenty first century.

About this title

About the Author:

John L. Esposito is at Georgetown University. John O. Voll is at Georgetown University.

Review:

"The authors weigh in with a nuanced, complex, and well-reasoned argument, and the book is highly recommended for general and academic readers seeking further light on this subject."--Choice

"An excellent book for undergraduate courses on Islam or the Middle East. The authors do a good job of explaining the diversity of Islamic experience."--Nader Entessar, Spring Hill College

"Just the kind of volume one would expect from two of America's leading scholars of Islam, and the timing is propitious."--Arthur L. Lowrie, University of South Florida

"The book's depth of analysis regarding the complex and dynamic relationships between Islamic resurgence and democratization is essential to any understanding of the transformation of Islamic societies in the current global context. Esposito and Voll make their case very elegantly and cogently, and support their arguments with meticulously investigated case studies."--The Review of Politics

"This book should be read by specialists and non-specialists alike. It charts an original course for the study of Islam and politics and offers a healthy skeptical attitude not only towards the study of Islam but also towards the study of the much celebrated Western democracy."--Middle East Journal

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0195108167
• ISBN 13: 9780195108163
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240