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ISLAMIC MODERNITY AND THE CHALLENGES FOR SECULAR LIBERALISM
Author(s) -
Blancke Stefaan
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
zygon®
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 1467-9744
pISSN - 0591-2385
DOI - 10.1111/zygo.12394
Subject(s) - modernity , islam , criticism , liberalism , secularism , islamic fundamentalism , fundamentalism , blame , democracy , political radicalism , political science , secular state , political economy , sociology , religious studies , philosophy , law , theology , politics , psychology , psychiatry
In his recent book Islam Evolving: Radicalism, Reformation, and the Uneasy Relationship with the Secular West , Taner Edis discusses Islamic responses to the modern world and how the West deals and should deal with them. He argues convincingly that the biggest threat to secular liberalism is not fundamentalism but an Islamic form of modernity. He attributes some of the latter's success to Western neoliberalism and to the failure of secular liberals to come up with persuasive arguments. He thus puts part of the blame on the West. However, although self‐criticism is an essential aspect of a well‐functioning democracy, we should not take it too far. Instead, there exist convincing reasons why a secular liberal society is strongly preferable to a religious conservative one.