Last week, during a book tour in London, I spoke to a large group of British Muslims on Islam and liberty. A few of the questions that I received from the audience indicated why discussion on this topic is much needed. “If the state gives the people the freedom to do what they want, then [...]
Intense theoretical debates about the virtues of democracy have been taking place over the past months as we attempt to analyse events in the Arab world. Democracy, most conclude, should be the goal: it is the best political system, one in which citizens can see that their political choices are respected, their freedoms and rights [...]
The ‘Arab Spring’ shows that the Quran burning riot in Afghanistan had little to do with Islam itself. The recent violent protests in Afghanistan - a reaction to the burning of the Quran by a small church in the United States last month - recalled an inescapable reality. Extremists on all sides - whether in free, democratic America, or in corrupt, occupied [...]
