Seminar: "Islam, Democracy and Development: Why Islam is not the Problem" by Dr. Louis Cantori - Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy (CSID)

Lecture: "Islam, Democracy and Development: Why Islam is not the Problem"
by Dr. Louis Cantori (October 2004)

Report by Layla Sein, CSID Conference Coordinator

CSID launched its monthly lecture series on October 27th. This series is intended to educate the Washington audience on issues relating to Islam and democracy in the Muslim world and stimulate dialogue among policy makers, politicians and academics.

CSID’s first lecture which was well attended was given by Professor Louis J. Cantori, member of CSID Board of Directors, on “Islam, Democracy & Development: Why Islam is not the Problem.” In his analysis of why “Islam is not the problem” in the promotion of democracy in Arab and/or Muslim countries, Professor Cantori discussed the differences between the concepts of liberal democracy and republican democracy. In so doing, he stated that democracy does not come in “one size fits all,” and that the culture or nature of society has to be consistent with democracy if it is going to work. It is not the absence of democracy in the Arab world that creates the problem, but rather the presence of tyranny and the lack of good governance.

To further illustrate the cultural disconnect between cultural development and political reform, Dr. Cantori raised the 2002, 2003 UNDP Reports and the 2004 Alexandria Conference Report as briefings that were strong in that the writers represented the Arab reformist movement. Criticism fell, however, on the disregard of religion in playing a more dominant role in the popular view. From this, Cantori recommended that Islam does and must be featured in the republican democracy model and should not be categorically excluded from the reformists’ agenda.

One of the questions during the Q & A period raised the issue of how the US is engaged in an ironic contradiction by promoting a strong state on the one hand, and a liberal – individual oriented society on the other. In response to another question about whether or not enough focus was being placed on the property rights of an accountable government, Cantori stated that a political system of state capitalism is more important than property issues. Another comment was made suggesting that a culture of democracy was just as important in the debate on reform, as is the establishment of different systems of democracy.

Lecturer's Background

Dr. Cantori, a member of the CSID Board of Directors (see Cantori bio), and professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County is also a specialist on development who has worked as a consultant for private firms and USAID on water/waste water, reorganization of the waste water sector, local government, roads and power development and scientific cooperation projects in Egypt and Israel. He has been an adjunct professor on the subject in the Center for the Study of Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University. He is the co-editor of Local Politics and Development in the Middle East.

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