Islam, Justice, and Democracy

"[A] timely arrival that fills an important gap in comparative democratization literature. Grounded in the concept of justice, this volume advances the debate on Islam and democracy by shedding light on individual-level microfoundations of attitudes that support democratic ideals to begin with.... The book successfully presents a more nuanced and deeper causal mechanism that explains the complexity of Muslim attitudes toward democracy.... This book [is] useful, timely, and compelling as an invaluable addition to the scholarship on Muslim politics and comparative democratization."—Political Science Quarterly

"This impressive and innovative book enriches the study of Islam and democracy by demonstrating the need to incorporate conceptions and trajectories pertaining to justice to account for variance in individual-level political preferences. Ciftci makes intelligent use of survey data but also draws on the works of leading Islamist theorists and an insightful discourse analysis of Islamist texts. Islam, Justice, and Democracy is an outstanding mixed-method study.”—Mark Tessler, Samuel J. Eldersveld Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan, and author of Islam and Politics in the Middle East: Explaining the Views of Ordinary Citizens

“This original and captivating study provides a definitive, timely, instructive analysis about how the Islamic conception of justice as well as institutional and constitutional frameworks of legal practices and codes influence, shape, and motivate the citizen’s understanding of democracy, liberation, and rights. Ciftci’s book will be of particular interest to readers who seek to comprehend the role of religious ideas in daily practices, social movements, political networks, and acts of civil disobedience, as well as uprisings, insurgencies, and rebellions. He identifies the spectrum of conditions under which specific Islamic ideas are most likely to promote systems that portend to become either democratic or authoritarian. This is an insightful, timely book for addressing issues that often have not been as widely explored in depth as they must be in the current geopolitical environment.”—M. Hakan Yavuz, Professor of Political Science at the University of Utah, and author of Islamic Political Identity in Turkey

"[A] comprehensive account of how Muslim societies frame their understanding of democracy around social justice ideals within Islamic beliefs…. A major contribution to the research about these movements is that Ciftci concentrates on how the concept of justice is framed within Islamism…. Overall, Ciftci provides a focused and well-written account of Turkish experiences with democracy and justice."—Contemporary Sociology

"Islam, Justice, and Democracy indeed is a unique work on many fronts. Ciftci has made a career being one of the rare Political Scientists to have a genuine concern with understanding the traditional Islamic worldview held by devout Muslims along with a solid grasp of recent Islamic political thought as well as the ability to apply rigorous empirical, mixed methodological analysis to the data he collects to analyze this worldview. This work is a continuation of this invaluable approach to Islam and politics."—Politics, Religion, and Ideology