Rachid Ghannouchi: A Democrat Within Islamism

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Oxford University Press, 2001 - Biography & Autobiography - 268 pages
Tamimi introduces the thought of Sheikh Rachid Ghannouchi, the renowned Islamist political activist who heads Tunisia's most important--albeit banned--Islamist political opposition to the current authoritarian regime of Zine Abidine Ben Ali. Ghannouchi is the leader of a school in modern Islamic political thought that advocates democracy and pluralism. While insisting on the compatibility of democracy with Islam, he believes that because of their secular foundations, contemporary forms of liberal democracy may not suit Muslim societies. Ghannouchi insists, however, that Islam is compatible with Western thought in matters concerning the system of government, human rights, and civil liberties.
 

Contents

From Qabis to Paris
3
The Journey to Democracy
30
The Question of Democracy
63
Secularism
105
Civil Society
125
The Territorial State and the New World Order
154
Islamist Obstacles to Democracy
182
Ghannouchis Detractors
200
Conclusion
215
Notes
221
Bibliography
247
Index
259
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About the author (2001)

Azzam S. Tamimi is at University of Westminster.