---

What motivates some Islamic clerics to advocate political violence? Prof. Richard Nielsen (MIT) talks about the frustrated pathways that many imams — who see themselves as scholars — face. When their intellectual ambition is blocked by actions of the state and other social conditions, one possible pathway is to advocate rebellion.

We are back from a short sabbatical and hope to have more fresh episodes in the offing.

[ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ]

---

Is the global resurgence in public religiosity over the past 40 years linked in any way to the increase in democratic governance over the same period of time? Prof. Dan Philpott (Notre Dame) covers the historical trends of church-state relations and discusses how changes in political theologies and the increasing independence of religious organizations have provided a fertile ground for political democratization in some corners of the world. We examine how and why some religious traditions have been involved in promoting democracy under authoritarian conditions. Our discussion turns toward some speculation about the future of the “Arab Spring” at the end of our interview. This is the first part of a discussion of the book “God’s Century: Resurgent Religion and Global Politics.”

You can help us spread the word by clicking on one of the social media sites below!

[ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ]

---

Prof. Nathan J. Brown of George Washington University and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace details the history and impact of the Muslim Brotherhood. We trace the origins of the Brotherhood back to the 1920s in Egypt through the regimes of Abdel Nasser and Anwar Sadat, and then through the Mubarak regime. Our discussion includes reflections on the role of the Muslim Brotherhood in the protests rocking Egypt in January and early February of 2011.

Subscribe to Research on Religion on iTunes or Zune!

[ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ]

---