| Religious Secularity: A Theological Challenge to the Islamic State Contributor(s): Ghobadzadeh, Naser (Author) |
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ISBN: 0199391173 ISBN-13: 9780199391172 Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA OUR PRICE: $128.25 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: December 2014 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Religion | Islam - Shi'a - Religion | Religion, Politics & State - Political Science | Political Freedom |
| Dewey: 320.557 |
| LCCN: 2014011636 |
| Physical Information: 0.9" H x 6.2" W x 9.1" (1.15 lbs) 288 pages |
| Themes: - Religious Orientation - Islamic |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Fundamentalism and authoritarian secularism are commonly perceived as the two mutually exclusive paradigms available to Muslim majority countries. Recent political developments, however, have challenged this perception. Formerly associated with a fundamentalist outlook, mainstream Islamist groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Nahda, have adopted a distinctly secular-democratic approach to the state re-building process. Their success or failure in transitioning to democracy remains to be seen, but the political position these Islamic groups have carved out suggests the viability of a third way. Naser Ghobadzadeh examines the case of Iran, which has a unique history with respect to the relationship of religion and politics. The country has been subject to both authoritarian secularization and authoritarian Islamization over the last nine decades. While politico-religious discourse in Iran is articulated in response to the Islamic state, it also bears the scars of Iran's history of authoritarian secularization-the legacy of the Pahlavi regime. Ghobadzadeh conceptualizes this politico-religious discourse as religious secularity. He uses this apparent oxymoron to describe the Islamic quest for a democratic secular state, and he demonstrates how this concept encapsulates the complex characteristics of the Shiite religious reformation movement. |