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Boston Review — Jan-Werner Müller: Making Muslim Democracies

Boston Review — Jan-Werner Müller: Making Muslim Democracies. This suggestive analogy between Christian and Muslim Democracy is not lost on Western politicians and intellectuals, but many of them have been at pains to reject it. One line of dismissal, pessimistic in its conclusions, argues that European Catholics only turned to democracy under instruction from the Vatican. Because Muslims do not have anything resembling a hierarchy or central institution of faith, the Christian Democratic example is, according to these critics, irrelevant.

You are American if…

You are exactly like me. For those who haven’t heard yet, a Hindu was meant to give the opening prayer in the Senate yesterday, but before he could begin, he was interrupted by “patriots.” (video) (background pieces, 1, 2) I think Anna of Sepia Mutiny has it right that when she says that the pilgrims came for religious freedom. However, we have to understand that religious freedom still meant for those who had the power to exercise it, lest we forget what happened to the Native Americans and great civilizing “crusade” of bringing the Gospels. Her intent is right though.…

Call for Action: Majid Zamani – UPDATED

UPDATE:  Majid Zamani has been released and I have removed the links to the action website. Received from a friend: Dear Friends, It is now 140 days since a good friend of mine, Majid Zamani, has been imprisoned in the aftermath of the elections in Iran. He is not a known political figure and thus his case gets little attention, yet given that he has studied in the U.S. (University of Illinois and Columbia University), we hear he is under pressure to confess to things he has not done such as training for velvet revolution. A group of his friends…