Islamic Democratic Discourse Theory, Debates, and Philosophical Perspectives by M. A. Muqtedar Khan, ed. (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2006. 271 pages.)

Abstract

M. A. Muqtedar Khan’s (ed.) Islamic Democratic Discourse: Theory,
Debates, and Philosophical Perspectives examines how Muslim thinkers
have and are trying to formulate systems for good and ethical self-governance
and the necessity, therein, for political discourse. The debates in these
essays, which span a wide range of subjects and periods, are held together
by a common principle: political discourse has a long standing in the
Muslim world. Given that the Muslim world’s conventional image is one in
which autocratic regimes prevail, the significance of this argument, presented
here from its theological, legal, and regional perspectives, is of great
importance. For political discourse to be meaningful – that is, for it to be an exercise
in the clarification and exchange of ideas and to lead, in some instances, to
action – requires that it take place both in the public and private sphere. The
public sphere may be more readily recognized as the proper space for
political discourse. However, the slippage of political discourse over to the
private sphere is also of great value in that it indicates two things: first, political
ideas are recognized as important to both a person’s collective and individual
sensibilities and, second, while political discourse is expounded in the
public sphere, its ideas are often first worked out and subsequently reflected
upon in the private sphere ...