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Tradition and Modernity in the "Arab Spring"


(Dayan Center-Tel Aviv University) Asher Susser - The "Arab Spring" has in many ways become a launching pad for Islamist political ascendance. With the Islamists so well placed in the countries that are en route to more pluralist political systems, the question arises if Islamism and democracy are necessarily mutually exclusive. The answer is no, provided that the Islamists prove to be willing to accept four key interrelated principles: the nonapplication of the Shari'a as the legal system and the acceptance of its secondary status to the legislation of a democratically-elected legislature; the full and unhindered equality of all religious minorities; the complete and uninhibited equality of women; and the unequivocal acceptance of the principles of freedom of speech, freedom of thought and the freedom of, and from, religious belief. The writer is a senior research fellow and former director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies.
2011-11-18 00:00:00
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