History wise Akbar is a good example of toleration towards people of all faiths (despite the fact that he was somewhat of an egomaniac). The Middle East has never had a significant non people of the book population so it is difficult to tell.

However the Muslim population in Egypt for instance has lived peacefully with Coptic Christians. Throughout North Africa, the Jewish community has and is treated with due respect.

Btw, completely agree with your toleration and democracy point. Have you read Fareed Zakaria’s book? He argues very very persuasively that freedom has to become democracy for a state to develop successfully.

“religious tolerance has a long history in the Middle East ”
Wasn’t/Isn’t islamic toleration restricted only to People of the Book though and very much “We let you do what we do not object to your doing?”?
Toleration and democracy don’t necessarily go together- the Athenians democratically, after a fair trial, convicted Socrates of blasphemy and condemned him to death.

yea the hosepipe ban here in the South East is ridiculous.

I wanted to add something else. This ‘democracy is a flawed western concept’ is an argument that I’ve seen religious fundamentalists use a lot of time, which is another reason not to subscribe to that view.

Hizb ut Tahrir for example trot out this line all the time, forgetting that religious tolerance has a long history in the Middle East (albeit not today).

In Abraham Eraly’s Gem In The Lotus, a fantastic book, he talks about how 6th century India was a hive of debate where the public would pay to watch philosophers and religious evangelicals (the most popular being Buddha, Mahavir – founder of Jainism, and Hindu philosophers) slug it out openly. The money would then go to the winner etc.

Having since become insecure about their religion, most countries in the eastern world have since then shut off any rigorous debate.

In the Name of Identity: Violence and the Need to Belong
Amin Maalouf

Maalouf is a lebanese writer living in France and he wrote a favourite book of mine the excellent Samarkand too which is concerned with Islams golden age (or one of them), Omar Khayyam and fundamentalism.

Unlike New Labour, who want to ban everything.

Good post btw Roger I will hunt down the Karl Popper book

So what are they, universally applicable ideas, or part of the Western sphere that nobody else may be a part of without bowing their head to the white man?

I know the answer – and the opposite makes crude the whole question and the person who questions it.

India has Westminster style democracy. So it is not a question of ‘Western arrogance’, and as Taseen points out the Westminster model is something that is followed in India, Bangladesh etc

I think that the point which Uncle Amartya makes is that there are democratic and secular traditions in non Western societies – and I think his observations are addressed as much to those who refute that both in the West and in countries in say, the middle East and Asia. Those kleptocrats and dictators and scoundrels and even occasionally who say that democracy is not for ‘their people’

The Argumentative Indian is a brilliant book – put it high on your list of ‘to reads’ please. I might write some more posts on Amartya Sen when his new one comes out. He has specifically turned his attention to what is happening in the UK and what he thinks is wrong with the current ‘multicultural’ model and his voice is badly needed. Pickled Politics should do all it can to promote his voice at this time, especially when the new book comes out and he will be doing interviews and articles.

We should think of him as our Uncleji