Democracy in Muslim Societies: The Asian Experience / Edition 1

by Zoya Hasan

Overview

This book explores the character of the political transformation and democratic transition in the Asian Muslim world. It asks whether democracy is appropriate and desirable as a political system for non-Western societies, and assesses the extent of actual democratization in each of the countries studied, namely, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761935667
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	10/30/2007
Series:	ORF Studies in Comtemporary Muslim Societies Series , #4
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.79(h) x 0.79(d)

About the Author

Zoya Hasan is Professor, Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. She is the author and editor of eleven books and has published over two dozen articles. Her recent books include Quest for Power: Oppositional Movements and Post-Congress Politics in Uttar Pradesh; Unequal Citizens: A Study of Muslim Women In India(co-authored); Party Politics in India (edited), India’s Living Constitution: Ideas, Practices and Controversies (co-edited); Transforming India: Social Dynamics of Democracy (coedited); and In a Minority: Essays on Muslim Women in India (co-edited). She has also edited the third book in our ‘Readings in Indian Government and Politics’ series, Politics and the State in India (Sage, 2000).

Table of Contents

Foreword - Hamid Ansari
Introduction - Zoya Hasan
The Struggle for Democracy in Bangladesh - Amena Mohsin and Meghna Guhathakurta
The Indonesian Experience in Implementing Democracy - Adriana Elisabeth
The History of the Democratic Movement in Iran in the 20th Century - Sadegh Zibakalam
Islam and Democracy in Malaysia - Abdul Rahman Embong
Functioning of Democracy in Pakistan - Mohammad Waseem
Interaction of Democracy and Islam in Turkey - Korel Göymen

Editorial Reviews

The book has…well-argued, well-researched papers….The subject of Madrasa education is too complex to be dealt with in one seminar. Nevertheless, the attempt is commendable.

Free Press Journal

Democracy, has taken all the newly-freed countries by storm. The book under review Democracy in Muslim Societies sheds some light on how democracy affected the Muslim societies. The editor and the co-editors have done their jobs quite well in collecting the relevant data, which makes the book higly-readable.

The News

The book…makes a valuable contribution to the subject of Islam and democracy….The chapter on Pakistan by Mohammad Waseem is not only the most important from our point of view, but also the most insightful.

South Asian Survey

This Book is a helpful guide to politics in the Muslim nations and could go a long way in undoing certain misconceptions….From the essays it is evident that the misuse of religion will continue to hold up change in the societies for some more time.

The Telegraph

The book argues, the social and political practice of Islam is neither purely text-driven nor is it informed by an immutable essence. It is, instead informed by historical trajectories and social, economic and political contingencies that arise partly from historical fortunes. This volume examines the Asian experience of Islam as a political variable specifically because the essentialisation of Islam, and for its supposed incompatibility with democracy, uses West Asia as a default template.

Hindustan Times