'Informed Comment' publishes column by Anouar Majid on 'Greek Lessons for the Arab Spring'

Anouar Majid, Ph.D., UNE associate provost for global initiatives and director of the Center for Global Humanities, contributed a column on Feb. 15, 2012 to Informed Comment titled "Greek Lessons for the Arab Spring."

Majid writes: "Ancient Greece and Rome, much like 18th-century America and modern Europe, have understood that democracy and religion cannot mix in public affairs. Islam doesn’t make such distinctions and neither do many Muslims calling for democracy today. If you believe that God’s truth is final and nonnegotiable, you will have a hard time listening to others with different beliefs. My sense is that Muslims and Arabs crave social justice but would care less about democracy, properly understood. Yet, without a culture of religious pluralism and cultural diversity, the life of the mind, which is the prerequisite for progress, cannot reach its full potential."  Read the entire column.

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