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Jim Hudson Jr's avatar

Although Hamid makes some good points, as a Muslim his assessment is based on one huge fundamental false assumption: that “Middle East” equals “Islamic.” I truly wish he had written this book in partnership with a Christian Arab who has similar academic chops. One name that comes immediately to mind is the Reverend Dr. Mitri Raheb, a Bethlehem born and raised Christian scholar and founder of Dar Al Kalima University, the only University of arts and culture in Palestine. Dr. Raheb is also a strong advocate for Palestinian freedom and rights on the world stage.

With Mitri as co-author Hamid’s book would have had at least one significant difference: it would have said that the problem of making Democracy work “in an Islamic majority country” runs up against the difficulties he mentions. Christianity was born in the Middle East , and among the first Christians (read Acts 2) were Arabs, descendants of whom are alive today and living, as the first Christians were, under the iron hand of oppression. And, praise God, the numbers of those in the ME who are learning to make Jesus their model is increasing. And among other things this bodes well for Democracy.

Individualism is not, as Hamid would have it, one of the reasons that makes Democracy work but the Jesus-shaped Christian egalitarian model (our predominantly Christian roots)—not the John Wayne man as a strong island (I intentionally use “man” here) that has been the model since 1980—which submits to the good of all. The reason that, in American at least, democracy is being threatened right now is, as I see it, due in no small degree to so-called Evangelical Christians (there is precious little Evangel-Gospel evident among the current dominant majority) who have strayed and bought into the world’s system of power by force.

‘Nuff said.

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Emmanuel Ntemuse's avatar

Great review Michael, sounds like a really interesting book, I think I will check it out!

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