Islam and the Drive to Global Justice: Principles of Justice Beyond Dominant Ethnic and Religious Communities (Faith and Politics: Political Theology in a New Key)

Islam and the Drive to Global Justice: Principles of Justice Beyond Dominant Ethnic and Religious Communities contributes to the current debate over Islam in a globalizing world by drawing on the contemporary and historical justice discourse within the Islamic traditions, and by examining policies and practices of global powers towards Muslim populations in the Global South. The discussions aim at bringing insights from Islamic authoritative sources and scholarly literature, and to enrich the current deliberation on the universality of modern values and the relevance of the Islamic traditions to advancing more inclusive notion of global justice. The book examines in particular several models rooted in the monotheistic traditions, crucial for overcoming three interrelated challenges facing the dispensation of justice in contemporary society: inclusivity, disparity, and selectivity. The book uses the normative framework it outlines to analyze the connection between European powers and the autocratic regimes in the MENA region. Several chapters in the book illustrate how supporting Arab autocracy contributes to the rise of religious extremism and has already produced failed states in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen that undermine both national and global peace and stability.

MUSTAFA AKYOL is a senior fellow on Islam and modernity at the Cato Institute, and a senior lecturer at Boston College. For eight years, he was a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, covering Islam and contemporary affairs. His earlier books, Reopening Muslim Minds (2021), The Islamic Jesus (2017), and Islam without Extremes (2011) have been reviewed and praised by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and the Economist. Islam without Extremes was long-listed for the 2012 Lionel Gelber Prize literary prize, while being banned in Malaysia for challenging the “religion police.”

Louay M. Safi is professor of political science and Islamic philosophy at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar.