Publicity, religion, and the revival of politics -- Understanding the revival of politics -- Religion in public -- A republic of arguments -- The music (and din) of the spheres -- Can be heard when worlds collide -- Charting the Islamic way : a guide for the perplexed -- Does arguing matter? -- Arab constitutions, the many voices of the public, and the word of the one god -- The public politics of the private realm -- Arguing about the children; arguing in front of them -- Politics and policy; affect and effect

Arguing Islam after the Rebirth of Arab Politics analyzes the politics of religion in the Arab world after the emergence of new public spheres over the past few decades. The book examines those spheres as they really are, not measuring them against any ideal of democratic deliberation, and show how they are lively and increasingly participatory but also polarizing, divisive, and far from egalitarian. And while they have grown in force, they are not efficacious, leading to a widening gap between regimes and the societies they govern. Focusing on arguments aired in new and old media, neighborhood discussions, and parliaments, Arguing Islam After the Revival of Arab Politics probes in special depth debates over constitution, family law, and education. It shows how these various places where arguments take place are increasingly linked, forming not a uniformed citizenry but instead a badly divided one in which a leader's words to followers are overheard and then lampooned by opponents and various groups become aware of how deeply they differ. Arguments are detached from the authority of the person making them. Without a strong political process to forge agreement and reward coalition building, the reborn Arab politics is exciting and vital but also noisy and rough