In this exclusive Resetdoc interview, Seyla Benhabib, philosopher and professor of Political Science and Philosophy at Yale, says «When you come to the land of ‘Another’ and your intentions are peaceful, you have a moral and legal claim to be able to stay there. But whether you are permitted to stay when the danger is past, whether you can actually be a member of that society, is a sovereign claim. Citizenship entails being able to fulfil certain kinds of qualifications and conditions if you are a foreigner. There must be an open, transparent, consistent way for the stranger to become a member of a state.»

“We have to distinguish, as Gandhi used to do, between the ideologization and politicization of religion, and the spiritualization of politics, which simply means bringing ethical virtues into politics,” explains philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo in this interview with Resetdoc, “I have a very optimistic view on the post-Islamist movements, such as the AKP in Turkey or civil society and reform groups in Iran. There are younger generations of Muslims who are experimenting with the idea of secularism at the level of laws and human rights. They want to practice the framework of human rights, without at the same time abandoning their religion.”

During the Resetdoc Istanbul Seminars (May 30th – June 4th) prominent Muslim intellectual Tariq Ramadan reacted positively to Giuliano Amato’s call to support the women demonstrating against the Shia Family Law in Afghanistan. Tariq Ramadan has been emphasising the issue of self-criticism for Muslim scholars and has been himself critical of a literal implementation of Shar’ia.