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In this article, we discuss the current trend of authoritarianism in the Islamic world, especially as embodied in the institution of taqlîd, whereby a lay person blindly follows a religious scholar. We will compare this to the mystical tradition of Ibn ‘Arabî as well as the early esoteric Shî’ite tradition, where a much more “rebellious” type of Islam was offered and provided purviews of pluralism and universalism that challenge authoritarian closures of interpretation in relationship with God. By way of further comparison, we will also attend to the writings of some liberal and pluralistic thinkers in the Muslim world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Max Weber is perhaps the most troublesome figure in twentieth century social and political thought His work has been the subject of widely differing interpretations and evaluations, from varying political and sociological standpoints. But while a myriad of critics and analysts have been at work, even more has happened during the intervening decades since his death. Few of those attempting to reconstruct Weber's work have expended as much energy as Wolfgang Schluchter. His most recent work about Weber, "Paradoxes of Modernity," is the occasion for the present remarks. The first part of the book is composed of two chapters discussing Weber's "philosophy," his distinctive way of relating the competing challenges of science, politics and ethics. The second part contains one chapter which reconstructs the basic outlines of Weber's uncompleted work on Islam and a second important one on Weber's theory of the rise of Western European modernity, with special emphasis on the role of Western Christianity in this process. The keynote in Schluchter's interpretation of Weber is unity and comprehensiveness. While others have identified a considerable fragmentation in Weber's life and thought, or wanted to treat his work in more manageable segments, Schluchter's aims are more synthetic.

The themes of nationalism, religion, politics and human values are the foci of this issue. Uncertainties about the future order of Europe are addressed by Adam Michnik and others. Michnik explores the decline of traditions of dissent and the rise of religious, economic and chauvinistic fundamentalisms in the former communist nations of Eastern Europe. Islam is a major factor in regional as well global affairs. Two essays address aspects of this multifaceted issue. Ali Banuazizi points to disarray in the Iranian state, its isolation from the community of nations and, ironically, the vibrancy of its civil society.