With God on Their Side – The Sinister Alliance of Politics and Religion
The alliance of power and religion is putting liberal democracies under global pressure
Authoritarian governments around the world are joining forces with fundamentalist movements. This is not a new development in the Islamic world. More surprising is the extent to which Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is supported by the Russian Orthodox Church. The developments in the US are also shocking. Xi Jinping has secured power in Beijing with the help of Confucianism, while Netanyahu governs with the support of orthodox deputies. Right-wing populists and anti-liberal religious groups are also joining forces in Europe.
Hamed Abdel-Samad’s new book is a disturbing inventory showing clearly that the legacy of Enlightenment – the separation of power and religion – is not only being reversed but is coming to an end.
- Germany’s leading critic of religion tackles a thorny and internationally-relevant issue that simply has not garnered enough attention until now
- For readers of Yuval Noah Harari, Richard David Precht and Richard Dawkins
Hamed Abdel-Samad
Hamed Abdel-Samad studied English, French, Japanese and Political Science. He has worked for UNESCO and held a professorship in Islamic Studies at the University of Erfurt and at the Institute for Jewish History and Culture at the University of Munich. As a result of his taboo-breaking autobiography an official fatwa was placed on him in 2013. Since then, he has lived under permanent police protection.
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