Author: Bugra Kalkan* Religious liberty emerges and survives only in the countries where the rule of law is institutionalized. And to build rule of law in a country requires a neutral government that protects rights of members of political society. Well, this is the central claim and also the central problem of classical liberalism. Why…
Author: Syed Kamall* If you are poor in Britain today, you will find it hard to borrow money for a new venture. Not surprisingly, you also have a lower chance of becoming an entrepreneur. In every country of the UK, the most deprived 2030 per cent are far less likely to be self-employed. For…
by Henry Jackson Society On May 15th, 2017, The Henry Jackson Society welcomed Mohammed Amin MBE, Azhar Aslam and Sheikh Dr. Usama Hasan for an open discussion on their works on Islam and its compatibility with liberal and Western values. Mohammed Amin is the Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum, Azhar Aslam is a…
Author: Bugra Kalkan* Is religious persecution a unique phenomenon in Muslim-majority countries? Of course, not! Christian-majority countries and other-majority countries have also serious religion related violence issues. But this does not mean that there is no problem concerning Muslim-majority countries. As a matter of fact, Brian Grim and Roger Finke show that “religious persecution is…
Mustafa Akyol* At first glance, classical liberalism and Islam may seem not just incompatible, but in complete opposition. Classical liberalism is a political philosophy that aims at maximizing individual freedom. Islam, on the other hand, is a religion that stresses “submission” and “obedience.” Moreover, today’s predominantly Muslim societies are not beacons of liberty — to…
Author: Bugra Kalkan* Even in pluralistic Western Europe countries governments cannot resist to regulate religious affairs. The obvious result of these regulations is the monopolization of the religions. In developed liberal democracies, such as Western Europe, religious pluralism is under surveillance in highly regulated religious markets. Especially the dominant religion in these countries is monopolized…