The Road to Democracy in Iran (Boston Review Books) (Hardcover)

~ Akbar Ganji (Author), Joshua Cohen (Foreword), (Foreword)
Key Phrases: gender apartheid, secular intellectuals, Islamic Republic, Fundamentalist Islam

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

An Iranian dissident well known to human rights organizations, Ganji has paid the price of his convictions. Imprisoned by the Iranian government from 2000 to 2006, the now-exiled Ganji had been an enthusiast of the Islamic Revolution, so his repudiation of its theocratic outcome should interest observers who detect democratic stirrings in Iran. Gathered here in four lectures and a letter he smuggled out of prison, Ganji’s views uphold basic human rights generally; he specifically refutes clerical interpretations of Islamic law that justify the deplorable status and treatment of women. Maintaining that being a faithful Muslim is compatible with accepting modernism and modern human rights, Ganji urges cultural reformation to break down Iran’s “gender apartheid.” Taking up resentments of the Islamic world toward the West, Ganji indicates their alleviation might come from some form of Christian-Islamic ecumenicalism, perhaps in a world republic of liberal democracies. Tending toward the philosophical more than the programmatic, Ganji’s aspirations––some idealistic, some practical––will resonate with all engaged with the human rights movement. --Gilbert Taylor

Review

"Akbar Ganji writes with the focus of a philosopher, the punch of a journalist, and the credibility of someone who has fought and suffered for the good. His words, which have cost him dearly, are luminous and moving."
—Philip Pettit, Princeton University

"Akbar Ganji's exhilarating and courageous book, both readable and philosophically deep, maps out a blueprint for reform in Iran that focuses on human rights and shows how Islam can support both democracy and sex equality. If there is reason for hope in the current situation, it is because of people like Ganji and books like this."
—Martha Nussbaum, Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics, University of Chicago

"Akbar Ganji's small and readable book is the most intelligent and accessible program for the non-violent creation of democracy and human rights in Iran. Ganji has mastered both Western thought and Iranian cultural possibilities, and is one of the first male Iranians to see the centrality of achieving equal status and treatment for Iranian women, and to appreciate women's struggles and activities. He also shows the self-defeating nature of aggressive threats to Iran by the U.S. and calls for a new U.S. policy toward Iran that might encourage democracy and peace."
—Nikki R. Keddie, Professor Emerita of Middle Eastern and Iranian History, University of California, Los Angeles

"Americans first heard about Akbar Ganji during his decade as a political prisoner. It was thrilling to hear him say, 'My broken face is the true face of the Islamic Republic of Iran.' His face is healed today, and his book, The Road to Democracy in Iran, reveals a powerful and original mind. Not only is he devoted to his country, Iran; he conceives Iran as a prism for seeing the whole modern world. He advances powerful arguments for reform in Islam, but he sees that the struggle for reform is just as urgent in Christianity, in Judaism, and in every other world religion.. He understands this struggle as a permanent condition of modern life. But he argues persuasively that modern men and women have the inner strength to wage this struggle. Akbar Ganji is an exemplary 'public intellectual'. He gives new life to the promise of Martin Luther King, 'We Shall Overcome'."
—Marshall Berman, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, The City College of New York

"In this brief, lucid book Akbar Ganji advocates a gradual, persistent, non-violent effort of reform in Iran leading to a just, egalitarian democracy. What he so clearly describes as a program for Iran is in reality a program for all of us, for no society today lives up to the standards of global human rights that alone will bring peace to the world. This is a book we need to keep by our bedside and read once a month until we get closer to being the kind of society he describes."
—Robert N. Bellah Professor of Sociology, Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley

"Tending toward the philosophical more than the programmatic, Ganji’s aspirations—some idealistic, some practical—will resonate with all engaged with the human rights movement."
— Gilbert Taylor, Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (April 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262072955
• ISBN-13: 978-0262072953
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #244,877 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars informative and concise, August 14, 2009

By	Keyvan Yazdi-zadeh (San Jose/ Silicon Vally, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As Iran was going through post election turmoil, I purchased this book. The amazing part was that Ganji had predicted all that was going on in Iran in 2005 whereas the turmoil was happening in 2009. He knows Iran and Iranian people so well and comes the core of people.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Iranian dissident has a better idea, July 14, 2009

By	Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract.com" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The author of this collection of short essays was imprisoned in his native Iran for advocating universal human rights based on freedom from pain, fear and intimidation. Akbar Ganji, dubbed Iran's "most famous dissident," distills his arguments into a few pivotal points that are openly, clearly idealistic - even more so in light of the policies of Iran's rulers. Ganji's essays are not practical, but philosophical, although he is very down-to-earth when he describes the plight of Iranian women. getAbstract recommends them to those who are interested in finding out more about Ganji and, to a much lesser degree, learning more about Iran's political environment.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short and hopeful, December 23, 2008

By	andris virsnieks (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A telling description of the terrible lack of human rights for women in Iran. And a concise account of the impact of western civilization and modernity on Islam. Mr. Ganji outlines reasons why he thinks Islam can be reformed. He ends by expressing his belief that "liberal democratic humanism" and "global love" can lead to peace.