Whitaker on Progressive Islam
Brian Whitaker looks at the struggle in the Muslim world between progressives and authoritarians.
He makes the good point:
‘Before jumping to conclusions about why this might be, it is worth noting that the same could have been said of Roman Catholic countries about 35 years ago. A look at the world map then would have shown numerous countries, in Latin America, eastern Europe and elsewhere, that had predominantly Catholic populations ruled by authoritarian regimes. It might have been tempting at the time to suggest a connection between their religion and their politics, but it was more a matter of history and circumstances, and events since then have shown that Catholic countries are as capable of adapting to democracy as any others. ‘
Also do check out Omid Safi’s fine edited book on Progressive Muslims, which Whitaker cites.