Robin Wright

Robin Wright, a global-affairs correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and former Middle East correspondent for the Sunday Times of London, challenges the belief that Islam and democracy are incompatible. In the viewpoint that follows, she contends that the tenets of Islam can be interpreted to support a modern, democratic society. Wright, author of Sacred Rage: The Wrath of Militant Islam and In the Name of God: The Khomeini Decade, explains how Islamic reformers are working to clarify the concept of an Islamic democracy and implement democratic ideals within the Muslim world.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. As stated by Wright, what are the two pillars upon which Abdul Karim Soroush’s advocacy of democracy rests"

2. What type of Islamic system does reformer Rachid al- Ghannouchi...