Moving Kings: A Novel

Joshua Cohen

Random House]

Islam and the Challenge of Democracy: A Boston Review Book

The events of September 11 and the subsequent war on terrorism have provoked widespread discussion about the possibility of democracy in the Islamic world. Such topics as the meaning of jihad, the role of clerics as authoritative interpreters, and the place of human rights and toleration in Islam have become subjects of urgent public debate around the world. With few exceptions, however, this debate has proceeded in isolation from the vibrant traditions of argument within Islamic theology, philosophy, and law.
 Islam and the Challenge of Democracy aims to correct this deficiency. The book engages the reader in a rich discourse on the challenges of democracy in contemporary Islam. The collection begins with a lead essay by Khaled Abou El Fadl, who argues that democracy, especially a constitutional democracy that protects basic individual rights, is the form of government best suited to promoting a set of social and political values central to Islam. Because Islam is about submission to God and about each individual's responsibility to serve as His agent on Earth, Abou El Fadl argues, there is no place for the subjugation to human authority demanded by authoritarian regimes. The lead essay is followed by eleven others from internationally respected specialists in democracy and religion. They address, challenge, and engage Abou El Fadl's work. The contributors include John Esposito, Muhammad Fadel, Noah Feldman, Nader Hashemi, Bernard Haykel, Muqtedar Khan, Saba Mahmood, David Novak, William Quandt, Kevin Reinhart, and Jeremy Waldron.

Islam and the Challenge of Democracy: A Boston Review Book (Boston Review Books)

Politics & Social Sciences

Deborah Chasman

Khaled, Abou El Fadl

Social Sciences

Princeton University Press

Khaled Abou El Fadl, a prominent critic of Islamic puritanism, leads off this lively debate by arguing that Islam is a deeply tolerant religion. Injunctions to violence against nonbelievers stem from misreadings of the Qur'an, he claims, and even jihad, or so-called holy war, has no basis in Qur'anic text or Muslim theology but instead grew out of social and political conflict. Many of Abou El Fadl's respondents think differently. Some contend that his brand of Islam will only appeal to Westerners and students in "liberal divinity schools" and that serious religious dialogue in the Muslim world requires dramatic political reforms. Other respondents argue that theological debates are irrelevant and that our focus should be on Western sabotage of such reforms. Still others argue that calls for Islamic "tolerance" betray the Qur'anic injunction for Muslims to struggle against their oppressors. The debate underscores an enduring challenge posed by religious morality in a pluralistic age: how can we preserve deep religious conviction while participating in what Abou El Fadl calls "a collective enterprise of goodness" that cuts across confessional differences? With contributions from Tariq Ali, Milton Viorst, and John Esposito, and others.

The Place of Tolerance in Islam

Fadl, Khaled Abou El

Ian Lague

Beacon Press

The acute desire to close American borders to new arrivals, mostly persons of color from developing countries, has surfaced in school board gatherings, town hall meetings, gubernatorial races, even presidential elections. . . . Does America still see itself as the 'land of immigrants'? Why not . . . invest in the survival and progress of all immigrants?--Edwidge Danticat, from the Foreword In this timely book, Owen Fiss examines the paradox of new immigrants being stripped of their rights within a democracy committed to equality. Arguing that it is in the interest of all of us-citizens and citizens-to-be-to live up to the promise of our Constitution, Fiss challenges the courts to invoke the courage they once brought to landmark civil rights cases and to apply it now to preserve a community of equals. Distinguished scholars and activists respond and debate the implications of Fiss's argument. The New Democracy Forum is a series of short paperback originals exploring creative solutions to our most urgent national concerns.

A Community of Equals (New Democracy Forum)

Literature & Fiction

Joel Rogers

Fiss, Owen

Short Stories & Anthologies

Somewhere. . . there is a place of sanity where education is intense and substantive. . . . It's in that place that Deborah Meier has been working all these years. Her voice conveys a life of struggle in the front lines-victories and losses, hopes and disappointments. . . . It's a voice our nation needs to hear. --Jonathan Kozol, from the Foreword Acclaimed educator Deborah Meier offers a fresh take on standardized tests. While others have criticized standards and what they measure, Meier rejects the very idea of a centralized authority that dictates how and what teachers teach. Standardization, she argues, prevents citizens-including teachers-from emerging as thoughtful, responsible adults, seriously engaged with shaping their own schools, classrooms, and communities. As a result, young people can't learn from them how to be thoughtful, responsible adults and good citizens, the primary goal of public education in a democracy. The New Democracy Forum is a series of short paperback originals exploring creative solutions to our most urgent national concerns. "A civic treasure. . . . A truly good idea, carried out with intelligence and panache." --Robert Pinsky

Will Standards Save Public Education

Education & Teaching

Meier, Deborah

Schools & Teaching

Juliet Schor breaks a taboo by exposing Americans' shopping habits to moral society. Schor disapproves of unfettered private consumption, not only because we already use up so much, but also because overspending to bolster a sense of self does not lead to happiness. Along with her critique, Schor suggests intriguing ideas for making 'status' goods accessible for all--for example, imposing high taxes on expensive items to subsidize lines of affordable 'luxury' goods. A firestorm of responses follow from economist Robert Frank and others. The New Democracy Forum is a series of short paperback originals exploring creative solutions to our most urgent national concerns. "A civic treasure. . . . A truly good idea, carried out with intelligence and panache." --Robert Pinsky

Do Americans Shop Too Much? (New Democracy Forum)

Business & Money

Schor, Juliet

Economics

A bold commitment to experiments and new ways of thinking about how we might save this earth is long overdue. If you care about the environment, you need to be in on this debate.--Hunter Lovins and Amory Lovins, from the Foreword When we think of environmental action, we draw upon images from the disaster of Love Canal or from A Civil Action-stories of lone activists fighting the government or some corporation against all odds. In their provocative essay, Sabel, Fung, and Karkkainen demonstrate that an effective alternative is emerging. Before environmental disasters occur, citizen groups are collaborating with experts, business leaders, and local and federal governments to figure out what is best for their own neighborhoods. These examples point to more than successful environmental action; they represent a model of grassroots democracy that can be applied to the needs of any community. The New Democracy Forum is a series of short paperback originals exploring creative solutions to our most urgent national concerns. "A civic treasure. . . . A truly good idea, carried out with intelligence and panache." --Robert Pinsky

Beyond Backyard Environmentalism (New Democracy Forum)

Science & Math

FUNG, Archon

Sabel, Charles

Karkkainen, Bradley

Biological Sciences

In this election year, health care again proves to be one of our nation's most urgent issues. Daniels, Kennedy, and Kawachi shift the focus of the debate, forcing us to take a closer look at how our health is affected by social injustice and inequality. Arguing that it isn't enough to increase access to doctors, they call for improving social conditions-such as poverty, lack of education and affordable housing, and harmful work environments-that damage our health. By urging us to work toward equality of opportunity for all, the authors situate health care reform among the larger social problems we must face. The authors' argument for reform in early childhood development, nutrition, work environment, and distribution of income is certain to spark debate. The editor of The New England Journal of Medicine and World Health Organization officials respond. The New Democracy Forum is a series of short paperback originals exploring creative solutions to our most urgent national concerns. "A civic treasure. . . . A truly good idea, carried out with intelligence and panache." --Robert Pinsky

Is Inequality Bad For Our Health? (New Democracy Forum)

Daniels, Norman

Kennedy, Bruce

Ichiro Kawachi

Jody Heymann takes on the American belief that creating a better life for your children is simply a matter of working hard. She argues that poor parents don't have a fair chance. Because our nation fails to provide essential supports, it is virtually impossible for these individuals to succeed at work while caring well for their children. Because of the twin demands of work and family that poor parents face, the health and education of their children suffer. These kids often lack adequate preschool childcare or school-age care, which reduces their own potential to succeed. Heymann shows how intergenerational poverty is perpetuated by outdated labor policies and suggests what must be done to help families. A wide range of thinkers respond. The New Democracy Forum is a series of short paperback originals exploring creative solutions to our most urgent national concerns. "A civic treasure. . . . A truly good idea, carried out with intelligence and panache." --Robert Pinsky

Can Working Families Ever Win?

Heymann, Jody

The future of America is the future of our cities. Restoring their health and wealth is the key to advancing racial justice, to raising and equalizing wages, to promoting equal opportunity, to saving our environment....I urge you to read and consider Metro Futures.--The Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., from the Foreword Metro Futures shifts the discussion of urban issues from despair over inner-city problems to solutions that link urban and suburban well-being. With its specific state and federal policy recommendations, Metro Futures offers timely hope for meaningful change. "The New Democracy Forum series is a civic treasure....A truly good idea, carried out with intelligence and panache."--Robert Pinsky The New Democracy Forum is a series of short paperback originals exploring creative solutions to our most urgent national concerns.

Metro Futures: Economic Solutioins for Cities and Their Suburbs (New Democracy Forum)

Rogers, Joel

Luria, Daniel D.

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Books by Joshua Cohen