Islam, Liberty, and the Middle East

In this episode of the Promised Land podcast, Deputy Director of Domestic Policy and Promised Land project lead Peter Copeland interviews Mustafa Akyol, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, where he focuses on the intersection of public policy, Islam, and modernity. Together, they discuss Islam and western civilization, sorting through the tensions that may exist, how those might be overcome, and the extent and limits of reinterpretation and reform in religion. They also cover Islamic extremism, the Israel-Palestine conflict, Mustafa’s new book The Islamic Moses, Islam’s relationship to the other Abrahamic religions, and the role of religion in contemporary society, as many increasingly turn to it in the postmodern era, in search of meaning and values.

Guest Biography:

Mustafa Akyol is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, where he focuses on the intersection of public policy, Islam, and modernity. He is the author of acclaimed books such as Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance, The Islamic Moses: How the Prophet Inspired Jews and Muslims to Flourish Together and Change the World, and Why, As a Muslim, I Defend Liberty. He was a long-time contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and teaches classes at Boston College and Foreign Service Institute. In July 2021, the Prospect magazine of the UK listed him among “The world’s top 50 thinkers.”