Democracy is often considered the ideal political system because it emphasizes individual liberties, participatory decision-making, and accountability for leaders. But is democracy ideal for all nations despite cultural, economic, and other differences? What considerations bear on the moral and political justification of democracy in particular countries?
Join Professors Michael Neblo (OSU) and Khaled Abou el Fadl (UCLA) to explore these questions in a Forum moderated by undergraduate Civil Discourse Fellows, Izza Haq and Camden-Sinclair Miller.
This student-moderated discussion is part of CEHV's "Civil Discourse Forums" series. Forum topics are selected by our undergraduate Civil Discourse Fellows trained in the 4Cs of civil discourse (Be Curious, Be Charitable, Be Conscientious, Be Constructive).
CEHV's Civil Discourse for Citizenship initiative is pursued with generous support from the Derrow Family Foundation and in partnership with Ohio State's Civil Discourse Project.
Speakers
Khaled Abou el Fadl
Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl is the Omar and Azmeralda Alfi Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is one of the world’s leading authorities on Shari'ah, Islamic law and Islam, and a prominent scholar in the field of human rights. He was also formerly the Chair of the Islamic Studies Interdepartmental Program at UCLA. He is the founder of the Institute of Advanced Usuli Studies ("The Usuli Institute"), a non-profit educational institute dedicated to ethics, beauty and critical thinking in the Islamic intellectual tradition. Dr. Abou El Fadl is most noted for his scholarly approach to Islam from a moral point of view. He writes extensively on universal themes of humanity, morality, human rights, justice, and mercy, and is well known for his writings on beauty as a core moral value of Islam. Dr. Abou El Fadl considers whether democracy can be justified from an Islamic perspective. In Islam and the Challenge of Democracy, he argues that democracy promotes a set of social and political values central to Islam.
Michael A. Neblo
Dr. Michael Neblo is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Institute for Democratic Engagement and Accountability (IDEA) at The Ohio State University. His research focuses on deliberative democracy and political psychology. In his most recent book, Politics with the People: Building a Directly Representative Democracy (with Kevin Esterling and David Lazer, 2018), Dr. Neblo develops and tests a new model of politics that connects citizens and elected officials to improve representative government. He was invited to testify before Congress about these findings. His first book, Deliberative Democracy between Theory and Practice (2015), cuts across the deadlock between supporters of deliberative theory and their empirical critics by focusing on the core goals of the larger deliberative political system. His further interests include Congressional reform, applied philosophy of social science, politics and the emotions, race politics, health politics, immigration, politics and technology, and politics and the arts.
Moderators
Izza Haq
Izza is a third-year student double majoring in Journalism and Public Affairs. She is a freelance reporter for The Lantern on the Arts & Life desk. She is the Marketing Chair for the Pakistani American Student’s Association as well as a committee member for Students for Justice in Palestine. In her hometown, she mentors youth at her local mosque. She has also been involved with CAIR-Ohio and recently joined YUSRA (Young United Souls for Revolutionary Action), focusing on advocacy and civic engagement within local Muslim communities.
Camden-Sinclair Miller
Camden is a second-year student from St. Louis, MO, double majoring in Journalism and Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) on the pre-law track. He is a Morrill Scholar and part of the Morrill Scholars Program Living-Learning Community. Around campus, he's involved in PPE Society, The Lantern, and the Undergraduate Black Law Student Association. Camden is a person who listens to understand and is passionate about helping individuals who disagree see eye to eye.