The Arab shaykh: authority in Christian and Muslim communities, and questions of social-political reform
Democratic reform in the Middle East has been prominent on the public agenda of several American administrations since the 1990s. The lack of progress on this agenda and the rise of what has been labeled ‘Islamo-fascism’ has led to arguments that Islam is incompatible with democracy and individual r...
| Published in: | Islam and Christian-Muslim relations |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis
[2012]
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| In: |
Islam and Christian-Muslim relations
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| RelBib Classification: | BJ Islam CC Christianity and Non-Christian religion; Inter-religious relations CH Christianity and Society KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history KBL Near East and North Africa |
| Further subjects: | B
Middle East
B neopatriarchy B Millet B Democracy B Sectarianism B Confessionalism |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | Democratic reform in the Middle East has been prominent on the public agenda of several American administrations since the 1990s. The lack of progress on this agenda and the rise of what has been labeled ‘Islamo-fascism’ has led to arguments that Islam is incompatible with democracy and individual rights. Utilizing recent Middle East development reports and sociological studies on the Arab family, this article argues that the traditional authority of the Arab shaykh, as an either benevolent or authoritarian leader, is imbedded deep within Arab culture. The article shows that Arab Christian communities, even those that pride themselves on modern egalitarian views, share cultural modalities of authority with their Muslim compatriots. Consequently, Western democratic ideals based upon individualism do not function naturally within the current Middle Eastern Arab cultural social framework. Any form of national legislative power sharing must take into account the Arab social structure and the common cultural leadership models inherent in both Muslim and Christian communities. |
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| ISSN: | 1469-9311 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Islam and Christian-Muslim relations
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/09596410.2011.634594 |