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The article reports that the claim of Tariq Modood and Simon Thompson to have overcome the contextualist problem of conservatism relies on an underestimation of both conflict in defining context and reason in generating principles. Topics covered include the cost of gains made in avoiding conservatism, how Modood and Thompson define context in a way which underemphasizes conflict and the dilemma in application of principles.

This article argues that deliberative theory provides an important contribution in the debate about the legitimacy of an Islamic influence within the British education system. The contribution is a timely one, in light of the tendency to view issues involving Islam and Muslims through the distorting prism of Islamophobia. The contribution of deliberative theory is developed and explained through a constructive comparison with two positions within debates about the legitimacy of religion and the accommodation of minority claims within education: ethical liberalism and ethical pluralism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debate has grown about the legitimacy of Muslim faith schools within the British education system. At the same time, scepticism has developed towards multiculturalism as a normative approach for dealing with diversity. This article argues that it is worth retaining the normative impetus of multiculturalism by returning to its roots in political philosophy. In particular, we can draw on Will Kymlicka’s distinction between ‘internal restrictions’ and ‘external protections’ as a way to assess the legitimacy of minority claims. Having outlined this distinction, the paper applies it to the case of Muslim Schools. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]