The reasons given for imposing some kind of restriction on women’s choice to wear the burqa can ostensibly be grouped into three clusters of assumptions, assertions and arguments. Firstly, there is a set of assumptions that consider the burqa a security and safety issue. Secondly, there are the assertions that the burqa is a means...

The question is often asked 'What will Islamists do to democracy?' But it seems equally valid to ask 'What might democracy do to Islamists?' This Lowy Institute paper examines how three different Islamist movements, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, the Prosperous Justice Party in Indonesia and the Justice and Development Party, have all sought to...

This CDI Annual Address delivered by Dr Surin Pitsuwan, former Foreign Minister of Thailand provides a thought provoking asessment of Islam's ability to promote democracy in the age of globalization and modernity. Dr Surin believes the success of Muslims in Thailand to effectively embrace modernity and globalization was due to the 'openness' and flexibility of...