I want to refer one more time to the democracy movement in Tunisia. It is happening without the help from the USA military.
May 31, 2016
By Noah Feldman
In a major development (click here) for the history of democracy in the Muslim world, Tunisia's successful Islamic democratic party separated its political wing from its social-religious movement last week. This isn't a move to secularism, exactly. But it is a move in the direction of dividing the world into two spheres, one of politics, the other of faith.
The separation was partly good politics: By rebranding itself as a party of Muslim Democrats on the model of Europe's Christian Democrats, the party potentially expanded its base and differentiated itself from Islamist extremists. But the deeper significance of the move lies in the differentiation of political activity from the goal of Islamizing society and social life.
To understand why the separation of party from movement is so important, you have to start with the history of the Islamic democratic movement. Until last Tuesday, the official name of the organization that participated centrally in the constitutional process was the Party and Movement of Ennahda, or Enlightenment....
May 31, 2016
By Noah Feldman
In a major development (click here) for the history of democracy in the Muslim world, Tunisia's successful Islamic democratic party separated its political wing from its social-religious movement last week. This isn't a move to secularism, exactly. But it is a move in the direction of dividing the world into two spheres, one of politics, the other of faith.
The separation was partly good politics: By rebranding itself as a party of Muslim Democrats on the model of Europe's Christian Democrats, the party potentially expanded its base and differentiated itself from Islamist extremists. But the deeper significance of the move lies in the differentiation of political activity from the goal of Islamizing society and social life.
To understand why the separation of party from movement is so important, you have to start with the history of the Islamic democratic movement. Until last Tuesday, the official name of the organization that participated centrally in the constitutional process was the Party and Movement of Ennahda, or Enlightenment....
