Ali Paya (editor) - Iraq, Democracy and the Future of the Muslim World

Iraq, Democracy and the Future of the Muslim World

Iraq, democracy and Islam are powerful global forces which shape not only many aspects of the lives of Muslims, but the lives of other citizens of the world as well. This book explores many of the challenging questions posed by the interconnections between these three forces, concentrating on issues which have global significance and which have been less studied up until now. It contains contributions from many of the leading thinkers and academics from this subject area, including the former President of Iran, Seyyed Mohammad Khatami.

Topics such as the compatibility of Islam and democracy, and the question of whether democracy can be encouraged in the Middle East are looked at carefully. Contributors evaluate the circumstances under which democracy can be imposed by outside force, and ask what forces are driving the confrontation between the West and Islam, before looking at how this confrontation is likely to develop.

This book presents a comprehensive picture of dynamic change in the geopolitics of our time, and offers a timely contribution to research on Middle East Politics and Islamic Studies.

Ali Paya is Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Languages at the University of Westminster, UK, and Associate Professor of Philosophy at the National Research Institute for Science Policy in Iran.

John L. Esposito is Professor of Religion and International Affairs and of Islamic Studies at Georgetown University, USA, and Founding Director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding: History and International Affairs in the Walsh School of Foreign Services.

Iraq, Democracy and the Future of the Muslim World

Edited by

Ali Paya and John L. Esposito

LONDON AND NEW YORK

First published 2011
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
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This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2010.

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2011 Editorial selection and matter, Ali Paya and John L. Esposito.
Individual chapters, the contributors.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced orutilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Paya, Ali.
Iraq, democracy and the future of the muslim world / Ali Paya and
John Esposito.
p. cm. (Durham modern Middle East and Islamic world series ; v.18.)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. DemocratizationIraq. 2. MuslimsIraqPolitics and government.
3. Islam and politicsIraq. 4. Islam and cultureIraq. 5. IraqPolitics
and government. I. Esposito, John. II. Title.
JQ1849.A1P39 2010
320.9567dc22 2009052929

ISBN 0-203-84880-2 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 978-0-415-58228-5 (hbk)

ISBN 978-0-203-84880-7(ebk)