Secularism, Religion and Multicultural Citizenship
"What, exactly, is liberal about passing restrictive policies designed to defend liberalism from the claims of religious populations? Nothing, is the answer given in this challenging and provocative book. In fact, many of the authors of these essays contend that European states have responded to the rise of Islam in their midst with a peculiar form of cultural and political sectarianism that has, at times, been glaringly illiberal. This book is sure to shape debate on a classic theoretical question that now resides at the heart of contemporary European politics." - Tim Byrnes, Dept of Political Science, Colgate University"For Levey and Modood, the key challenge is to tease out a thorough understanding of what might constitute 'secularism' and to reflect on the variety of social locations in which previous attempts at this task have been made. In pursuit of this task they have gathered many of the world's leading students of religion, state and the civil sphere. Rich in history, acknowledging the impact of global migration flows on debates regarding the core precepts of liberalism, citizenship and ethnicity, the book also benefits from case studies recent and not so recent." - Thinking Faith: The Online Journal of the British Jesuits"A challenge... faces the authors... whose ambition is to bring to bear theoretical rigor, historical insights, and cultural analysis upon questions of political theory that ate as timely as they are weighty, namely the just boundary between Islam and the state, the risks associated with secularism, and the compatibility of Islam and western liberal democracy. Under the direction of editors Geoffrey Brahm Levey and Tariq Modood, the authors rise to the occasion with originality, aplomb, and a refreshing pragmatism that makes this a book well worth reading." - Richard Albert, Boston College Law School, Journal of Church and State"One of the ways to calm the turbulent skies is to write and read books like this one." -Catholic Herald