---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It just means that for liberal democracy…"
description: "\"“It just means that for liberal democracy to develop in the Muslim Middle East, it will take much more than merely removing autocrats and holding elect..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/john-r-bradley-7263_church-and-state_it-just-means-that-for-liberal-democracy_777702.jpg"
---

#  It just means that for liberal democracy to develop in the…

![“It just means that for liberal democracy to develop in the Muslim Middle East, it will take much more than merely removing autocrats and holding elections. It will take a critical mass of Muslims themselves figuring out how to reconcile traditional Islam and sharia law with notions like universal…” quote by John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/john-r-bradley-7263_church-and-state_it-just-means-that-for-liberal-democracy_777702.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/john-r-bradley-7263_church-and-state_it-just-means-that-for-liberal-democracy_777702.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/john-r-bradley-7263_church-and-state_it-just-means-that-for-liberal-democracy_777702.jpg)

> ““It just means that for liberal democracy to develop in the Muslim Middle East, it will take much more than merely removing autocrats and holding elections. It will take a critical mass of Muslims themselves figuring out how to reconcile traditional Islam and sharia law with notions like universal human rights, tolerance for minorities, separation of church and state, and all the other bedrock principles of liberal democracy. Based on our own experience in Afghanistan and Iraq, the possibility of this sort of reconciliation seems remote.””

[John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Liberal democracy in the Muslim Middle East requires more than regime change; it needs a societal shift reconciling Islam with universal rights and secular governance.

**In simple terms:** Democracy needs cultural and religious reconciliation, not just elections.

Key Takeaway

Promote inclusive dialogue and education.

Themes

politics religion democracy human rights reconciliation

Mood

cautious reflective

Type

analytical political

When to use this quote

- Policy making
- NGO work
- academic research
- community outreach

Key Concepts

Secularism Islamic reform civil society constitutional law

Questions to Reflect On

- How can reformers build a critical mass for change?
- What role can education play in reconciling tradition and rights?

A Different Perspective

Change is slow and may face entrenched opposition.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Church and state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church-and-state/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Democracy Develop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy-develop-5998236/) [Develop Muslim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/develop-muslim-5998235/) [Human rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-rights/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Liberal democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberal-democracy/) [Middle east](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-east/) [Peacebuilding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peacebuilding/) [Separation of church and state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/separation-of-church-and-state/) [Sharia law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sharia-law/)

## Related quotes

> [Christians - at least Christians in a liberal democracy - have accepted, after Thomas Hobbes, that they must obey the secular rule of law;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/christians-at-least-christians-in-a-liberal-democracy-have-accepted/)

[Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/)

> [The great ideas of the West - rationalism, self-criticism, the disinterested search for truth, the separation of church and state, the rule of law,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-warraq/the-great-ideas-of-the-west-rationalism-self-criticism-the/)

[Ibn Warraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-warraq/)

> [To try to turn Iraq into a liberal democracy is absolutely crazy. Islam has no understanding of the separation between church and state because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/to-try-to-turn-iraq-into-a-liberal-democracy-is-absolutely-crazy/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [The Constitution does not require complete separation of church and state; it affirmatively mandates accommodation, not merely tolerance, of all religions, and forbids hostility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-e-burger/the-constitution-does-not-require-complete-separation-of-church-and/)

[Warren E. Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-e-burger/)

> [“Liberalism is a creation of the seventeenth century, fathered by British philosopher John Locke (1632–1704). For Locke, liberalism means limited government, the rule of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-boghossian/liberalism-is-a-creation-of-the-seventeenth-century-fathered-by/)

[Peter Boghossian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-boghossian/)

> [I disagree strongly with the concept of separation of church and state. It was not written into the Constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-buck/i-disagree-strongly-with-the-concept-of-separation-of-church-and/)

[Ken Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-buck/)

> [I questioned the faithful of all communions; I particularly sought the society of clergymen, who are the depositories of the various creeds and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-questioned-the-faithful-of-all-communions-i-particularly-sought-the/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [... happily the Government of the United States... gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/happily-the-government-of-the-united-states-gives-to-bigotry-no/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [Church and state are, and must remain, separate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/church-and-state-are-and-must-remain-separate/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [ I do not make decisions \[as governor\] based on what have I learned through my Bible studies, what have I learned in my religious… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/i-do-not-make-decisions-as-governor-based-on-what-have-i-learned/)

[Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/)

> [Where in the Constitution is the separation of church and state?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-o-donnell/where-in-the-constitution-is-the-separation-of-church-and-state/)

[Christine O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-o-donnell/)

> [Rulers who wished to subvert the public liberty, may have found an established Clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just Government instituted to secure & perpetuate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/rulers-who-wished-to-subvert-the-public-liberty-may-have-found-an/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [“The next time believers tell you that 'separation of church and state' does not appear in our founding document, tell them to stop using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-barker/the-next-time-believers-tell-you-that-separation-of-church-and-state/)

[Dan Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-barker/)

> [“I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. ... These two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-m-completely-in-favor-of-the-separation-of-church-and-state-these/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

## More by John R. Bradley

> [“But if Nasser's gift to the Egyptians was their sense of pride, Mubarak's curse is to have created a cultural climate where the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/but-if-nasser-s-gift-to-the-egyptians-was-their-sense-of-pride/)

[John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/)

> [“However, since the Syrian regime is even less transparent than the NGOs, we have no way of knowing that, either.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/however-since-the-syrian-regime-is-even-less-transparent-than-the/)

[John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/)

> [“After the attack, it was again the image of the country, rather than the well-being of those who had been caught up in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/after-the-attack-it-was-again-the-image-of-the-country-rather-than/)

[John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/)

> [“Because Islam is so tightly bound up with Acehnese exceptionalism, it has since the introduction of Islamic law become the territory’s version of political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/because-islam-is-so-tightly-bound-up-with-acehnese-exceptionalism-it/)

[John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/)

> [“After all, there is in more stable, developed countries like the United States and Britain a quantifiably more vicious culture of child abuse. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/after-all-there-is-in-more-stable-developed-countries-like-the-united/)

[John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/)

> [“After that fateful day of July 23, 1952, the "Paris Along the Nile," as Cairo was lovingly renamed by the foreigners who flocked to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/after-that-fateful-day-of-july-23-1952-the-paris-along-the-nile-as/)

[John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/)

> [“Mansour earned the nickname "Al-Turbiny," from the air-conditioned express trains linking Cairo with Egypt's second city Alexandria, whose roofs were the favored location for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/mansour-earned-the-nickname-al-turbiny-from-the-air-conditioned/)

[John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/)

> [“The situation is complicated, though, in a country like Tunisia, where sudden and dramatic change in favor of Western-style democracy at this juncture does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/the-situation-is-complicated-though-in-a-country-like-tunisia-where/)

[John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/)

> [“Nothing gives your average bored Sunni bigot surfing the web more instant gratification than zooming in on sigeh to condemn the Shia as debauched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/nothing-gives-your-average-bored-sunni-bigot-surfing-the-web-more/)

[John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/)

> [“despite having a thriving gay prostitution scene, Damascus is unlike just about every other Middle Eastern city I have visited in not having any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/despite-having-a-thriving-gay-prostitution-scene-damascus-is-unlike/)

[John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/)

> [“The Arab Spring has been a dismal failure. All indications are that what comes next will be significantly worse than what existed before, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/the-arab-spring-has-been-a-dismal-failure-all-indications-are-that/)

[John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/)

> [“An investigative report by the BBC in July 2007 found that thousands of young Egyptian men try to enter Europe illegally every year. Sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/an-investigative-report-by-the-bbc-in-july-2007-found-that-thousands/)

[John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/)

> [“A secularist but not an atheist, he used the example of the Prophet, who according to tradition did not fast in Ramadan during wartime,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/a-secularist-but-not-an-atheist-he-used-the-example-of-the-prophet/)

[John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/)

> [“Malaysia, then, offers an example of what happens when socalled moderate Islamists are appeased by the liberal elite. They provide cover for their more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/malaysia-then-offers-an-example-of-what-happens-when-socalled/)

[John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/)

> [“Saudi Arabia’s media and schools spew constant anti-Semitic venom, but the Al-Saud regime loathes Tehran much more than Tel Aviv. In Egypt, for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/saudi-arabia-s-media-and-schools-spew-constant-anti-semitic-venom-but/)

[John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/)

[Explore all 92 John R. Bradley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/)

## More Church and state quotes

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. ... These two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-m-completely-in-favor-of-the-separation-of-church-and-state-these/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [Blasphemy and sedition (meaning the truth about Church and State).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/blasphemy-and-sedition-meaning-the-truth-about-church-and-state/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [“The next time believers tell you that 'separation of church and state' does not appear in our founding document, tell them to stop using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-barker/the-next-time-believers-tell-you-that-separation-of-church-and-state/)

[Dan Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-barker/)

> [Rulers who wished to subvert the public liberty, may have found an established Clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just Government instituted to secure & perpetuate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/rulers-who-wished-to-subvert-the-public-liberty-may-have-found-an/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [Where in the Constitution is the separation of church and state?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-o-donnell/where-in-the-constitution-is-the-separation-of-church-and-state/)

[Christine O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-o-donnell/)

> [ I do not make decisions \[as governor\] based on what have I learned through my Bible studies, what have I learned in my religious… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/i-do-not-make-decisions-as-governor-based-on-what-have-i-learned/)

[Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/)

> [Church and state are, and must remain, separate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/church-and-state-are-and-must-remain-separate/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [... happily the Government of the United States... gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/happily-the-government-of-the-united-states-gives-to-bigotry-no/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [“We establish no religion in this country, we command no worship, we mandate no belief. Nor will we ever. Church and state are, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/we-establish-no-religion-in-this-country-we-command-no-worship-we/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [I questioned the faithful of all communions; I particularly sought the society of clergymen, who are the depositories of the various creeds and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-questioned-the-faithful-of-all-communions-i-particularly-sought-the/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [I believe in a wall between church and state so high that no one can climb over it. When religion controls government, political liberty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-ervin/i-believe-in-a-wall-between-church-and-state-so-high-that-no-one-can/)

[Sam Ervin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-ervin/)

> [I disagree strongly with the concept of separation of church and state. It was not written into the Constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-buck/i-disagree-strongly-with-the-concept-of-separation-of-church-and/)

[Ken Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-buck/)

> [“Liberalism is a creation of the seventeenth century, fathered by British philosopher John Locke (1632–1704). For Locke, liberalism means limited government, the rule of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-boghossian/liberalism-is-a-creation-of-the-seventeenth-century-fathered-by/)

[Peter Boghossian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-boghossian/)

> [The Constitution does not require complete separation of church and state; it affirmatively mandates accommodation, not merely tolerance, of all religions, and forbids hostility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-e-burger/the-constitution-does-not-require-complete-separation-of-church-and/)

[Warren E. Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-e-burger/)

[Browse all 439 Church and state quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church-and-state/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It just means that for liberal democracy to develop in the Muslim Middle East, it will take much more than merely removing autocrats and holding elections. It will take a critical mass of Muslims themselves figuring out how to reconcile traditional Islam and sharia law with notions like universal human rights, tolerance for minorities, separation of church and state, and all the other bedrock principles of liberal democracy. Based on our own experience in Afghanistan and Iraq, the possibility of this sort of reconciliation seems remote.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John R. Bradley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/it-just-means-that-for-liberal-democracy-to-develop-in-the-muslim/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Church and state"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/it-just-means-that-for-liberal-democracy-to-develop-in-the-muslim/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/john-r-bradley-7263_church-and-state_it-just-means-that-for-liberal-democracy_777702.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/john-r-bradley-7263_church-and-state_it-just-means-that-for-liberal-democracy_777702.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/john-r-bradley-7263_church-and-state_it-just-means-that-for-liberal-democracy_777702.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It just means that for liberal democracy to develop in the Muslim Middle East, it will take much more than…” — John R. Bradley",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "John R. Bradley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It just means that for liberal...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/it-just-means-that-for-liberal-democracy-to-develop-in-the-muslim/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/it-just-means-that-for-liberal-democracy-to-develop-in-the-muslim/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```