Religious Freedom in Islam

Here is an informed, honest and nuanced study on the freedom deficit in the contemporary world of Islam. Unlike the Islamophobes who have an agenda against the faith, and the apologists who do not acknowledge the troubles within it, Philpott examines the tensions between Islamic law and religious freedom while not neglecting secular aspects of the problem. His comparisons to the Catholic tradition are particularly insightful, as the case for freedom can be similar in different traditions. * Mustafa Akyol, Senior Fellow on Islam and Modernity at the Cato Institute * In this book, Daniel Philpott explores various views about 'Religious Freedom in Islam' and offers practical recommendations for expanding freedom of religion and belief in the Muslim World. He forcefully argues against the notion that the world's 1.6 billion Muslims are incapable of religious freedom while at the same time pointing out the dearth of religious freedom in many majority Muslim countries. This book is an outstanding contribution to the literature dealing with the challenge to pluralism and tolerance by extremists. * Farahnaz Ispahani, author of Purifying the Land of the Pure: A History of Pakistan's Religious Minorities * Is Islam hostile to religious freedom? On the surface the answer would seem obvious - yes. But in this thoughtful and thorough book Dan Philpot provides data, rigor, and analysis to present a picture that is nuanced and complex. Some of his conclusions are surprising, all are deeply insightful. * Fareed Zakaria, host of Fareed Zakaria GPS *