Judith Miller
Comment
May/Jun
1997
With increasing rights for women, legal reform, and a flexible interpretation of Islam, Oman is opening up, declares Sultan Qabus bin Said in an interview.
Review Essay
May/Jun
1996
Judith Miller knocked in the Middle East, and many doors opened. But her focus on Islamic militancy blinded her to enlightened currents of Islam. Separation of religion and state is not a real option in a region where the faith is central to life, but Muslims can choose what kind of Islam will hold sway.
Essay
Nov/Dec
1994
It is premature to proclaim the end of the militant pan-Islamic movement. Two men - Hassan Abdallah al-Turabi of Sudan and Sheikh Muhammed Hussein Fadlallah of Lebanon - are adapting to modern challenges in ways that reveal much about the power and appeal of Islamic movements in the Arab states. Given the enormous attraction Islam still holds for young Muslims and the lack of any convincing homegrown alternative, the Islamic era may just be dawning.
Essay
Spring
1993
Any individual or government concerned with pluralism, democracy and human rights must not be complacent about the rise of militant Islamic groups. Islam is incompatible with these values--as shown by the continued oppression of women and minorities in Muslim societies. Support for democratic elections in the Middle East is thus contradictory, because radical Islamic fundamentalists, who are most likely to come to power, have no commitment to democracy. Trying to distinguish between good and bad Islamic groups may be convenient for U.S. policymakers, but it is impossible to determine which ones will keep their promises of democracy and human rights. In practice, few do.
