Democratic Transition in the Muslim World

Alfred Stepan (1936–2017) was the Wallace S. Sayre Professor Emeritus of Government and founding director of the Center for the Study of Democracy, Toleration, and Religion at Columbia University. His many books include Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation: Southern Europe, South America, and Post-Communist Europe (with Juan J. Linz, 1996); Arguing Comparative Politics (2001); and Boundaries of Toleration (Columbia, 2014, with Charles Taylor).

• Foreword by Monica MarksAcknowledgmentsIntroduction by Alfred StepanPart I. Why Different Democratization Outcomes in Tunisia and Egypt? Cross-Ideological Accommodations, Constitutions, Militaries, and the Content of International Assistance1. Ennahda’s Democratic Commitments and Capabilities: Major Evolutionary Moments and Choices, by Rached Ghannouchi2. The Challenges of Democratization in the Arab World: Some Reflections on the Egyptian Case, by Carrie Rosefsky Wickham3. Mutual Accommodation: Islamic and Secular Parties and Tunisia’s Democratic Transition, by Alfred Stepan4. The Roots of Egypt’s Constitutional Catastrophe: The Necessity of Marrying an Analysis of Context, Process, and Text, by Nathan J. Brown5. Purists and Pluralists: Cross-Ideological Coalition Building in Tunisia’s Democratic Transition, by Monica Marks6. Patterns of Civil-Military Relations and Their Legacies for Democratization: Egypt Versus Tunisia, by Hicham Bou Nassif7. The Failure of the International Community to Support Tunisia, by Radwan MasmoudiPart II. Rethinking Other Democracies with Large Muslim Populations: What Policies Helped in Indonesia and India?8. Crafting Indonesian Democracy: Inclusion-Moderation and the Sacralizing of the Postcolonial State, by Jeremy Menchik9. Indian Democracy and the World’s Largest Muslim Minority, by Hilal Ahmed and Sudipta KavirajSelected BibliographyContributorsIndex

In the age of ISIS and growing anti-Muslim bigotry embodied in the rise of Donald Trump, the claim that Islam and Muslim societies are essentially and enduringly antidemocratic has again become mainstream. This book forcefully and convincingly repudiates this proposition. Focusing on the fascinating case of Tunisia and drawing up his vast erudition on the study of democracy, Alfred Stepan makes an important and unique contribution in understanding the relationship between religion and democracy in Muslim societies.