The radicalization of democracy: conflict, social movements and terrorism

The idea of democracy is being championed across the world, with some fifty new countries embracing this type of political system between 1974 and 2011 (Freedom House, 2016). Simultaneously, however, dissatisfaction has grown due to the perceived incapacity of democracy to deal with collective problems, hence the necessity to reconfigure it and redraw some of its principles. This paper links the analysis of the recent evolution of democratic systems with the trajectory of socio-political conflicts and the changing features of contemporary terrorism. It examines, therefore, two intertwined phenomena, namely the radicalization of democracy and the radicalization of the other. It concludes by stressing that encouraging dissent and heeding contentious claims made by social movements may be one way of mitigating both types of radicalization. Embedded in the tradition of critical criminology, this paper attempts to demonstrate that only by outflanking conventional categories of analysis can the criminological community aspire to grasp such thorny contemporary phenomena

Front-line practitioners versus received theories of crime and terrorism

This paper provides an analytical summary of the findings of a research project into the activities, the causes of, and responses to, organized crime and terrorism. Based on the views of front-line practitioners such as social workers, teachers, law enforcers and other experts, the paper examines their needs, interpretations, uncertainties and perspectives. It then compares these views with those emerging from previous analyses and research, highlighting the assonances and dissonances that typically crowd these areas of investigation

Is Justice Binary?: Absolute and Relative Justice in the Teachings of Said Nursi

AbstractDoes absolute justice exist or not? It may be argued that where absolute justice is impossible to realise, it is only reasonable to expect that the concept of partial or relative justice be invoked. Nursi defines justice either in terms of absolute as opposed to relative, or positive as opposed to negative. In this paper, we explore the binary nature of Nursi’s approach to justice, with the aim of elucidating those areas of his thought which have not hitherto been researched. Focusing on the dichotomous nature of justice in Nursian thought may help to sharpen our understanding of existing theories of justice at the very least; it may even force us to rethink our prejudices and give us greater understanding of the concept of justice itself. Particular focus will be on the implications of human free-will for the concept of justice, both in its ‘relative’ and ‘absolute’ state. The paper raises questions about the possibility of absolute justice. </jats:sec

New Muslim Discourses on Pluralism in the Post-Modern Age

The subject of religious pluralism can provoke a great deal of controversy. One could take the view that all religious knowl­edge is relative and that no one can claim absolute truth for his or her religion. Alternatively one can claim that his religion or understanding is the only truth. Religious pluralism is the theoty that all religions constitute varying conceptions of, and responses to, one ultimate, mysterious divine reality. lt concerns the legit­imacy of religious diversity and the idea that no single religion has a monopoly on religious truth. Some may argue that link­ing religion with pluralism presents a potential threat to their religion.</jats:p