Islam, Liberty and Development - Softcover

Khatami, Mohammad

Softcover

ISBN 10: 188305883X ISBN 13: 9781883058838

Publisher: Global Academic Publishing, 1998

Synopsis

This book is a reflection of the intellectual concerns of its author with the demands of religious belief in the modern era, a subject that reverberates today on three different levels in the discourse of the Muslim world, affecting elites and the masses alike.

About this title

About the Author

Seyyed Muhammad Khatami was elected President of the Islamic Republic of Iran on May 23, 1997 with over two-thirds of the popular vote. He was born in 1942 into a middle-class clerical family in the town of Ardakan, located in the province of Yazd in central Iran. His father, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khatami, was widely respected for his piety and progressive views.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"The effect of dogma on our Iranian society, which has a religious identity, is vast. And its negative effect is greater than secularism because dogmatic believers usually project an aura of religious legitimacy...Centuries of art history have been govern not by the conscientious and thoughtful effort of the people of this land, but by autocratic and whimsical rulers...Freedom of thought, which represents the key condition of being present on the stage of destiny and the main impetus for dynamism and growth and social life, has not been respected in our society...Our temperament has not been trained to be receptive to freedom...In the past half century, every time the ground has been ripe for us to experience the freedom, we have squandered the opportunity..."

Edition details

• Publisher: Global Academic Publishing
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 188305883X
• ISBN 13: 9781883058838
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 156