Civil Democratic Islam

Partners, Resources, and Strategies

Cheryl Benard

ResearchPublished 2004

Contemporary Islam is struggling within itself over its values, identity, and place in the world, with rivals contending for spiritual and political dominance--as well as with the "outside" world. In Western eyes, the ideal Islamic community would be democratic, economically viable, politically stable, and socially progressive and would follow the rules and norms of international conduct. But as the international community strives to understand all this and, possibly, influence the outcome, the best approaches--or even whom to approach--are not always easy to determine. As an aid to the process, this report compares and contrasts the subgroups within Islam. The author recommends careful deliberation in deciding how to proceed, taking into account the symbolic weight of certain issues, the meaning likely to be assigned to any positions U.S. policymakers might take on these issues, the consequences for other Islamic actors, and the opportunity costs and possible unintended consequences. With all that in mind, the author then makes her own series of recommendations.

Order a Print Copy

Format
Paperback
Page count
88 pages
List Price
$20.00
Buy link
Add to Cart

Topics

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Available
  • Year: 2004
  • Print Format: Paperback
  • Paperback Pages: 88
  • Paperback Price: $20.00
  • Paperback ISBN/EAN: 978-0-8330-3438-0
  • Document Number: MR-1716-CMEPP

Citation

RAND Style Manual
Benard, Cheryl, Civil Democratic Islam: Partners, Resources, and Strategies, RAND Corporation, MR-1716-CMEPP, 2004. As of September 10, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1716.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Benard, Cheryl, Civil Democratic Islam: Partners, Resources, and Strategies. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2004. https://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1716.html. Also available in print form.
BibTeX RIS

Research conducted by

The research described in this report was sponsored by the Smith Richardson Foundation and performed within the RAND National Security Research Division.

This publication is part of the RAND monograph report series. The monograph report was a product of RAND from 1993 to 2003. RAND monograph reports presented major research findings that addressed the challenges facing the public and private sectors. They included executive summaries, technical documentation, and synthesis pieces.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.