Democracies with Large Muslim Populations, Prof. Alfred Stepan, SOAS University of London

https://www.soas.ac.uk/politics/
This Centenary lecture titled "Democracies with Large Muslim Populations: Reflections on Indonesia, India, Senegal and Tunisia" was given by Professor Alfred Stepan (Wallace Sayre Professor of Government Emeritus, Columbia University, and Fellow of the British Academy) on 18 April 2016 at the Department of Politics and international Studies at SOAS University of London.

More about this event: https://goo.gl/fr8qHN

Many commentators highlight Islamic political, and above all, democratic disasters. In contrast, democratic successes in such Islamic-majority countries as Indonesia, Senegal, and Tunisia have been under-documented and under-theorized. India, with its huge Muslim population, could also be included in the "success" category. In a moment of growing despair and religious conflict, this Centennial Lecture will be an attempt to expand our imaginations about the multiple ways democracy can be crafted.

For example, a close analysis of these four countries may help us rethink what is needed, and what is not needed, concerning secularism and democracy in the modern world. None of the countries is remotely close to two of the main Western models of religion-state relations, the aggressive “laïcité” secularism associated with republican ideas of the French Revolution or the “Wall of Separation” associated with the American Revolution. None of them follow John Rawls’ injunction that religion must be “kept off” the political agenda.

Indeed, in many of them the most progressive of their policies, such as finding ways to increase girls’ education (e.g. in Indonesia), or reducing female genital mutilation (e.g. in Senegal) have involved close cooperation between religious and secular political leaders. Similarly, leading Muslim religious and political leaders in Indonesia, Senegal and Tunisia have played key roles in campaigning successfully against their countries becoming sharia states. Why, how, and with what consequences?

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