A Political Theory of Muslim Democracy.

• Author: Khan, Afshan

By Ravza Altuntas-Cakir

Edinburgh University Press, 2022, 306 pages, [pounds sterling]85.00, ISBN: 9781474479547

As someone who has a deep interest in multiculturalist political thought and is a keen observer of Middle Eastern politics, Ravza Altuntas-Cakir offers a fresh and theoretical ground for Muslim democracy. A Political Theory of Muslim Democracy attempts to reconcile the debates among Muslim and Western thinkers and Islamic scholars over the viability of a practical form of democracy that can work best in Muslim-majority countries. In her book, she adopts a comparative political theory approach rather than a theological one.

The book is divided into three parts and comprises six chapters, excluding the introduction and conclusion. The author first highlights the existing debates about the requirement and possibilities of a Muslim democracy among scholars from different traditions in a methodical manner. After evaluating these discussions, the author proceeds to conceptualize and theorize Muslim democracy.

In the introduction, she reminds us that although the idea of a "Muslim democracy" is a recent phenomenon, "the political and philosophical debates on Islam and democracy date back to the early 20th century" (p. 3). Dankwart Rustow and Bernard Lewis cite the case of Turkiye as an exceptional example of a democracy with a Muslim majority. However, the term "Muslim Democracy" was coined by Vali Nasr in his 2005 article. Presenting the ideas of these scholars, the book argues that there is still a need for a systematic political theory of Muslim democracy.

Moreover, the book criticizes the takes on the "Turkish model" for not consisting of the normative notion of what a Muslim democracy entails. To do this, the author reviews secondary source literature. She claims that using Turkiye as an example, the present debate on Muslim democracy mainly addresses the governance aspect, putting aside concerns with "state-religion relations, minority rights, individual freedoms, separation of powers, human rights and justice" (p. 4). A Muslim democracy in the author's definition is a constitutional democratic political system that operates in a predominantly Muslim society "where religion is a significant marker of social, cultural and political identity for sizeable sections of the society" (p. 20).

For a systematic conceptualization, Ravza Cakir examines both the Muslim and the Western multiculturalist traditions of political philosophy and...