Democracy in Muslim Societies: The Asian Experience

by Zoya Hasan (Editor)

This book explores the character of the political transformation and democratic transition in the Asian Muslim world. It asks whether democracy is appropriate and desirable as a political system for non-Western societies, and assesses the extent of actual democratization in each of the countries studied, namely, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey.

268 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2007

Reviews

[Arjun Mishra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This survey of Asian democracies concludes that as far as Asian Islam goes, democracy is compatible as a political system. It uses the case studies of I believe six Asian Muslim democracies, ranging from Turkey to Malaysia. The democracies are flawed - some quite badly - but I do believe the authors are correct in distinguishing Asian Islam from Middle Eastern Islam. Democratization is ongoing and democracy is a work in progress in these nations, but Asian democracies have a future.