Intolerant Religion in a Tolerant-Liberal Democracy by Yossi Nehushtan

Excerpt

The product of decades of research, Yossi Nehushtan’s Intolerant Religion in a Tolerant-Liberal Democracy offers the reader a critical analysis of the normative role of religion in the public and legal spheres against the backdrop of a tolerant liberal society. Nehushtan is unabashedly bold in articulating his premise and expresses his reasoning in an enjoyably readable manner. His main arguments are that illiberal intolerance should not be tolerated; that there are notable relationships between religion, intolerance, and acting upon intolerant views; and that the rule of law in a normative liberal sense should not permit religiosity-based intolerance to occupy a special status in society. Nehushtan’s book comes at an especially relevant time given recent incidents of home-grown terror attacks in the West by members of ISIS, in addition to the oft-repeated anti-Islamist narrative during this past U.S. election. In Europe, Canada, and Australia, national discourses surrounding anti-terror laws prohibiting hate speech, financial and non-material support for terrorism, ethno-racial and most prevalently religious discrimination are similarly informed by Nehushtan’s well-delineated and liberally theorized title. …