Nader Hashemi on Islam, Secularism, and Liberal Democracy: A Philosophical and Genealogical Critique
Degree
BS (Social Sciences & Liberal Arts)
Faculty / School
School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)
Department
Department of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts
Date of Award
Fall 2023
Date of Submission
2024-09-12
Advisor
Dr. Irfan Muhammad, Visiting Faculty, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi
Project Type
SSLA Culminating Experience
Access Type
Restricted Access
Keywords
Islam, Secularism, Liberal Democracy, Genealogy, Compatibility
Abstract
Nader Hashemi’s insightful comments on the relationship between Islam, Secularism, and Liberal Democracy have been well-received in the scholarship on democratization in Muslim societies. This study critically examines his views on the compatibility of liberal democracy and Islam. Through philosophical analysis, the philosophical anthropology underlying Hashemi’s conception of liberal democracy is extracted and compared with that of Islam. In a similar manner, the scope of Hashemi’s comparative historical arguments is clearly delineated and the underlying philosophy of history is made explicit to gauge whether his historical arguments are valid, or they risk the fallacy of False Equivalences since Hashemi may have ignored relevant factors to advance his arguments for the introduction of liberal democracy in Muslim societies. Some of the significant challenges to contemporary Western societies are identified, their roots are traced to the Reformation, and the complicity of Liberalism in the process is evaluated in a genealogical analysis. The results of the study demonstrate that Hashemi’s conception of Liberal Democracy conflicts with Islam on a deeper level; the scope of the historical comparative method is too narrow to allow relevant factors to be properly assessed and, hence, Hashemi commits the fallacy of False Equivalences; and, finally, the genealogy of the contemporary Western society shows the complicity of Liberalism in the challenges it is facing. The study proposes the alternative of Islamic revival rather than Islamic reformation to effectively cope with the challenges of modernity Muslim societies are experiencing.
Pages
iii, 84
Recommended Citation
Ali, H. (2023). Nader Hashemi on Islam, Secularism, and Liberal Democracy: A Philosophical and Genealogical Critique (Unpublished undergraduate project). Institute of Business Administration, Pakistan. Retrieved from https://ir.iba.edu.pk/sslace/320
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