PM&R Update is a publication for physicians. It highlights trends in physical medicine and rehabilitation procedures and related research at Mayo Clinic.
To contact the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Mayo Clinic for a referral or physician consultation, please call 800-533-1564.


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Apple Daily, pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong, says it will close
By Austin Ramzy and Tiffany May
Apple Daily, a popular newspaper in Hong Kong, has long needled Beijing with its rambunctious support of pro-democracy protesters, aggressive investigations of the city's officials and lampooning of China's Communist Party leadership. Now China has effectively silenced the paper — and along with it, one of its most defiant critics.
Apple Daily said Wednesday that it was closing less than a week after the police froze its accounts, raided its offices and arrested top editors, as the government's escalating campaign against dissent takes aim at the city's once vaunted media freedoms.
The forced closure of Apple Daily struck a blow to the unique character of the city itself and, in some ways, signaled the end of an era. The paper churned out stories on celebrity gossip and lurid scandals, as well as hard-hitting political news and analysis, always with a decidedly anti-government slant and an irreverence antithetical to what the Communist Party would allow in the mainland. Even in the face of advertising boycotts, assaults on its journalists and firebomb attacks, the paper persevered and thrived, living proof of the freedoms Hong Kong enjoyed despite its return to Chinese rule in 1997.
When anti-government protests erupted in Hong Kong in 2019, posing the greatest political challenge to Beijing in decades, Apple Daily was an unabashed supporter of the movement, even printing placards for demonstrators. But when Beijing moved to quash resistance to its rule in the city with a powerful and sweeping national security law that squeezed space for dissent, Apple Daily quickly became a key target.
First, the authorities arrested the paper's pugnacious founder, Jimmy Lai, last year, and charged him with national security offenses that carry a maximum punishment of life imprisonment. While in detention, he was also sentenced to prison for 20 months for involvement in illegal protests.
Then on June 17, hundreds of police officers raided the newspaper's newsroom, hauling off computers, freezing its assets and arresting top editors and executives. Ryan Law, the editor-in-chief, and Cheung Kim-hung, CEO of Next Digital, the paper's parent company, were charged with conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign powers under the security law, and were denied bail.
On Wednesday, police arrested one of the paper's journalists, Yeung Ching-kee, who wrote columns and editorials under the pen name Li Ping. Yeung could see the writing on the wall for his employer after Lai's arrest in August. China's Communist Party and its allies in Hong Kong "have decided to strangle Apple Daily, to kill Hong Kong's freedom of press and freedom of speech," Yeung wrote.
"Even when the democratic world increases the sanctioning actions toward them, they would just intensify the suppression and prosecution against Apple Daily, in the hope that they would succumb to the pressure and surrender or stop publishing," he wrote.
As China's attitude toward Hong Kong hardened over the past year, Lai anticipated that his paper's days were numbered. In a guest essay for The Times in May 2020, he wrote that he had long feared that the Communist Party "would grow tired not only of Hong Kong's free press but also of its free people."
This past week, that fate seemed unavoidable for Apple Daily. As the paper marked its final days, readers flocked to newsstands to snap up copies. Politicians who had been both skewered and celebrated in its pages contemplated a city without one of its biggest, most audacious media voices.
Once a hostage, she's now running for president of Colombia
Blinken will meet with Russia as US pushes for more diplomacy
With a repair ship many days away, Tonga faces weeks of digital darkness

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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William Samuel Bialek (born 1960, in Los Angeles, California) is a theoretical biophysicist and a professor at Princeton University and The Graduate Center, CUNY. Much of his work, which has ranged over a wide variety of theoretical problems at the interface of physics and biology, centers around whether various functions of living beings are optimal, and (if so) whether a precise quantification of their performance approaches limits set by basic physical principles. Best known among these is an influential series of studies applying the principles of information theory to the analysis of the neural encoding of information in the nervous system, showing that aspects of brain function can be described as essentially optimal strategies for adapting to the complex dynamics of the world, making the most of the available signals in the face of fundamental physical constraints and limitations.

Bialek received his AB (1979) and PhD (1983) degrees in Biophysics from the University of California, Berkeley. After postdoctoral appointments at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands and at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics in Santa Barbara, he returned to Berkeley to join the faculty in 1986.  In late 1990 he moved to the newly formed NEC Research Institute (now the NEC Laboratories) in Princeton. He is currently the John Archibald Wheeler/Battelle Professor in Physics at Princeton University, and a member of the multidisciplinary Lewis–Sigler Institute. In addition, he serves as Visiting Presidential Professor of Physics at The Graduate Center, CUNY.

Bialek has made contributions to shaping the education of the next generation of scientists, such as organizing the Princeton Lectures on Biophysics, a series of workshops that provided many young physicists with an introduction to the challenges and opportunities at the interface with biology. The textbook he coauthored, Spikes: Exploring the neural code  has also been similarly used by many young physics students as an introduction to neuroscience.  He is currently involved in a major educational experiment at Princeton to create a truly integrated and mathematically sophisticated introduction to the natural sciences for first year college students.  Most recently, he published Biophysics: Searching for Principles, a textbook based on his course for PhD students.

Honors

Bialek received the 2013 Swartz Prize for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience from the Society for Neuroscience.  A member of the National Academy of Sciences (US), he has also been honored for his teaching with the Phi Beta Kappa Prize and the President's Award for Distinguished Teaching at Princeton. In 2017, he won the Max Delbruck Prize, which is given by the Biological Division of the American Physical Society.

References

External links
 Oral history interview transcript for William Bialek on 25 August; 8 October; 16 October; 23 October; 28 October; 10 November; 2 December, 2020, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives
 Bialek's webpage at Princeton University
 William Bialek: Developing Unifying Theories For Biology

Living people
21st-century American physicists
1960 births
Theoretical physicists
Princeton University faculty
City University of New York faculty
Graduate Center, CUNY faculty
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
Fellows of the American Physical Society

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Оксана Анатоліївна Яковчук (21 квітня 1995, Дашківці, Віньковецький район, Хмельницька область) — українська волейболістка, догравальник. Гравець національної збірної.

Клуби

Примітки

Джерела

Уродженці Хмельницької області
Українські волейболістки
Волейболістки «Галичанки-ТНЕУ»
Волейболістки «Хіміка»
Волейболістки «Кряж-Медуніверситету»
Волейболістки «Аланти»


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Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs Bill Limiting California Vaccine Medical Exemptions, Despite Capitol Protests
Ben Adler
Monday, September 9, 2019 | Sacramento, CA
The Senate chamber is brought to a halt by protesters.
Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed two bills that seek to prevent doctors from issuing fraudulent medical exemptions for vaccines. He did so after a flurry of final votes in the Legislature and amid a day of protest and arrests.
SB 276 by Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) would require the state health department to review exemption forms issued by doctors who grant more than five medical exemptions in a year, or in school districts with low immunization rates.
"I thank the Governor for standing with science, and once again making California a leader in safeguarding children and communities from diseases that threaten our public health," Pan said in a statement.
The governor's signature came after lawmakers in both chambers quickly passed a separate but related measure on Monday, Pan's SB 714, which made it through without the usual committee hearing given to bills that are broadly rewritten in the final days of the legislative session.
That measure carries a deal Pan and Newsom reached last week that would grandfather in all medical exemptions prior to January 1, when SB 276 takes effect. However, a student who previously received an exemption would need to obtain a new exemption before entering kindergarten or 7th grade, or when newly enrolling in a school district or school.
"This legislation provides new tools to better protect public health, and does so in a way that ensures parents, doctors, public health officials and school administrators all know the rules of the road moving forward," Newsom said in a statement provided by his office.
Demonstrators earlier sought to block entrances to the Capitol and repeatedly disrupted the Senate and Assembly — a tactic that frustrated lawmakers of both parties, even those who oppose this year's legislation.
As Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino) presided over the Senate debate, she asked the crowd in the gallery to "maintain some civility." After a protester called back, Leyva responded: "There is civility here, sir — on our part, not yours."
A moment later, Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) asked for that protester to be ejected from the chamber.
Lawmakers who spoke during debate on SB 714 were largely in opposition, with supporters limiting their remarks to a formal presentation of the bill's summary.
"I think we all need to go back to the drawing board, sit down at the table and talk about solutions for our most vulnerable citizens," said Asm. Devon Mathis (R-Visalia).
In other activity at the Capitol:
Newsom also signed a bill limiting suspensions for disruptive students. The law eliminates the suspensions for fourth and fifth graders and temporarily bans them for students in sixth-through-eighth grade. Supporters of the legislation say the suspensions disproportionately impact minority and LGBT students.
An effort to create banking opportunities for cannabis businesses stalled. Sen. Bob Hertzberg authored the bill and says he will take it again up next year.
Lawmakers approved a measure to expand the state's gun restraining order law. It currently allows police and family members to file a court petition to temporarily take away an individual's firearms if they are considered a danger to themselves or others. The proposal would also let educators, employers and co-workers file petitions.
A measure that would allow college athletes to profit from their celebrity status passed with no opposition. The NCAA's policy is clear that athletes are not allowed to make money while playing sports. But California's "Fair Pay to Play Act" challenges that rule. It would allow student-athletes to make money from the use of their name and image.
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Becoming Texan: Thank a Farmer!
It has always struck me as an oddity when we pray before a meal, thank God for the food and those who prepared it, and yet forget to thank Him for those who produced the food.
Maybe it is just because I've always been raised around farming, or maybe I'm just hyper-sensitive about giving credit where credit is due. Either way, I ask that tomorrow as you gather with your friends and family for a bountiful meal, remember to thank the farmers and ranchers who produced and raised the food you enjoy.
I make this request because of the reason why I celebrate Thanksgiving. I don't celebrate Thanksgiving for the football, the turkey or as the day before Black Friday. I celebrate Thanksgiving to remember how far we've come as a nation since the Pilgrims and Native Americans held the first Thanksgiving. As a nation, most of us don't have to worry about where we will get our next meal because of amazing agricultural innovations and awesome farmers and ranchers. That's a big difference from a bunch of European settlers who didn't know how to raise corn, and that is something I'm very proud of.
Thank you to farmers and ranchers everywhere!
This is the 23rd post (posted on the 26th day of November) of my 30 Days of Texas Panhandle Agriculture series. To read more, please visit this introduction post. If you have questions or ideas you'd like me to write about concerning Texas Panhandle agriculture, I'd love to hear from you!


In this age of continuous evolution, we at SMGI have been keenly aware to dynamically align the curriculum to the needs and aspirations of the industry so that our students meet the exacting requirements that we have learnt to expect from the organizations that will them.
SMGI is known for its hands-on learning and academic rigor. Concepts taught in the classroom are reinforced by consistent industry interaction.
This prepares the students to be the leaders in the dynamic world of business.
The placement cell of SMGI works under the guidance of Mr. Uma Shankar Sharma an eminent contributor to the placement cell and our Hon. Director. It looks after the interest of the students and the recruiting organizations by acting as a channel of communication between them.
· Invitations are sent to the companies for placements.
· Companies are required to fill up and submit the Response Form attached with the placement brochure.
· A mutually agreed date is decided for Pre-placement talk and summer placements.
· Date and Slot are allotted to the company for Lateral placement / Final placement.
The pre placement talks provide an excellent opportunity for the students to know the company, profile, its offers and the career growth paths available. Companies give a formal presentation which is followed by an interactive session on queries of students.
The selection process is decided as per the rules & regulations of the institute and requirements of individual companies.


TV Review: Gotham - "Into the Woods"
Two episodes ago, "Mad Grey Dawn" used the Riddler's vendetta against Gordon to deliver a genuinely interesting episode of Gotham. One generic prison break episode later, Gotham benefits yet again from the Riddler/Gordon dynamic in "Into the Woods".
The scene in Ed's apartment as Gordon slowly came to the realization that it was Nygma who framed him, only to be outsmarted by Ed, was genuinely gripping. The battle of wits between those two characters, and the full evolution of Ed into the Riddler, has been a high point of the season. And Gordon finally outsmarting Nygma made for a satisfying conclusion to this short saga—and an even more satisfying conclusion to Riddler's long saga that started last year.
Riddler is the second most successful villain on the show, next to Penguin. His story had ups and downs, especially when it was completely tangential. But unlike typical villains of the week, Riddler's story was played as a long game and given great care, and that approach paid off. And kudos to Cory Michael Smith for doing a great job playing him. Hopefully it won't be long before we see the Riddler again.
Aside from a few other good bits (which I'll get to), that's mostly where the positives of this episode end. Gotham is still Gotham, and it can't seem to escape the issues that plague it every episode.
Jim's descent into darkness, though it led to the aforementioned great Riddler mini-arc, was otherwise entirely botched as Gotham still refused to commit to exploring that theme. In fact, Riddler framing Gordon actually worked against that theme, when it should have supported it. Rather than hammering home the notion that Gordon's sins were coming back to haunt him, Gotham instead focused on presenting him as the innocent victim of a setup. The closest we got to diving into Gordon's grey morality was when Riddler confronted him about it, asking what made him so different than the killers he deemed psychopaths and enemies. It was one moment of thematic relevance that was otherwise lost. Because Gordon was set up, dammit, and he wanted to clear his name—and by doing so, wipe away Galavan's murder.
That interminable storyline came to a merciful end this week, which I'll put in the "pro" list for "Into the Woods". After all, I was legitimately fist-pumping when Oswald went full Penguin and his theme started playing. So I'll try to forgive how contrived the plot was to get him there (Leaving the poison in the drawer? Really? Just have him figure it out on his own!) or how the show just had to have Grace point out Penguin's hairstyle, not trusting the audience to notice out that otherwise clever clue on our own. But that aside, it's good to have you back, Penguin.
Finally, Bruce. Another character who seems to have been given a weird side-plot to keep him busy until the finale. (A side-plot that I think should have been kept offscreen and up to the audience's imagination, but that's another story.) But at least the writers came up with a clever way to bring him back into the main plot by having Gordon run into him at Selina's place. Which then led to the typical and frustrating hero trope of him leaving Selina to "protect" her. Nope, nothing to do with the writers stalling until the last few episodes and needing an excuse to bring him back in.
Speaking of which, why is Gordon leaving the police to work on solving the Waynes' murder? Wouldn't he benefit from police resources? Heck, why is he finally returning to a plotline that hadn't been referenced since Season 1? Come to think of it, what on Earth is the endgame for Season 2?
At least Barbara's back. That should be interesting.


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Ex-Dividend Alert: 3 Stocks Going Ex-Dividend Monday: NYT, EXP, MA
NYT EXP MA are going ex-dividend Monday, Monday, April 7, 2014, 4:00 AM ET
TheStreet Wire and Leslie Serrano
Editor's Note: Any reference to TheStreet Ratings and its underlying recommendation does not reflect the opinion of TheStreet, Inc. or any of its contributors including Jim Cramer or Stephanie Link.
Monday, Monday, April 7, 2014, 4:00 AM ET, 6 U.S. common stocks are scheduled to go ex-dividend. The dividend yields on these stocks range from 0.5% to 2.1%. All of these stocks can be found on our stocks going ex-dividend section of our dividend calendar.
Highlighted Stocks Going Ex-Dividend Monday:
Owners of New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) shares as of market close today will be eligible for a dividend of 4 cents per share. At a price of $16.32 as of 9:36 a.m. ET, the dividend yield is 1%.
The average volume for New York Times Company has been 967,500 shares per day over the past 30 days. New York Times Company has a market cap of $2.5 billion and is part of the media industry. Shares are up 2.7% year-to-date as of the close of trading on Thursday.
STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more.
The New York Times Company operates as a multimedia news and information company worldwide. The company has a P/E ratio of 45.69.
TheStreet Ratings rates New York Times Company as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, expanding profit margins, good cash flow from operations and solid stock price performance. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income. You can view the full New York Times Company Ratings Report now.
See our top-yielding stocks list.
Eagle Materials
Owners of Eagle Materials (NYSE: EXP) shares as of market close today will be eligible for a dividend of 10 cents per share. At a price of $89.39 as of 9:35 a.m. ET, the dividend yield is 0.5%.
The average volume for Eagle Materials has been 685,400 shares per day over the past 30 days. Eagle Materials has a market cap of $4.5 billion and is part of the materials & construction industry. Shares are up 15.3% year-to-date as of the close of trading on Thursday.
Eagle Materials Inc. manufactures and distributes building products used in residential, industrial, commercial, and infrastructure construction in the United States. The company operates in four segments: Cement, Gypsum Wallboard, Recycled Paperboard, and Concrete and Aggregates. The company has a P/E ratio of 40.44.
TheStreet Ratings rates Eagle Materials as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, solid stock price performance, impressive record of earnings per share growth and compelling growth in net income. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows low profit margins. You can view the full Eagle Materials Ratings Report now.
MasterCard Incorporated
Owners of MasterCard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) shares as of market close today will be eligible for a dividend of 11 cents per share. At a price of $74.27 as of 9:36 a.m. ET, the dividend yield is 0.6%.
The average volume for MasterCard Incorporated has been 7.3 million shares per day over the past 30 days. MasterCard Incorporated has a market cap of $85.3 billion and is part of the financial services industry. Shares are down 10.8% year-to-date as of the close of trading on Thursday.
MasterCard Incorporated provides transaction processing and other payment-related services in the United States and internationally. It facilitates the processing of payment transactions, including authorization, clearing, and settlement, as well as delivers related products and services. The company has a P/E ratio of 30.12.
TheStreet Ratings rates MasterCard Incorporated as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, growth in earnings per share, expanding profit margins, good cash flow from operations and solid stock price performance. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company is trading at a premium valuation based on our review of its current price compared to such things as earnings and book value. You can view the full MasterCard Incorporated Ratings Report now.
More About Dividends:
One benefit of owning a stock is the potential that you will be paid a dividend. The distribution of dividend payments is another way for a company to share its profit with you. A dividend means that the company pays you a certain amount of money, either as a one-time payment or more commonly on a quarterly basis, for each share of stock you own.
Many times, dividends come at the expense of greater price appreciation, because the company is distributing its profits to shareholders rather than reinvesting the profits back into the growth of the company. However, companies that pay dividends can be very attractive to investors when they offer a steady stream of income. There are some important terms and dates an investor should be familiar with before purchasing any dividend-paying companies. Let's work through an example to help better explain some of these terms:
On March 1, ABC Widget Company has decided that because it holds excess cash and lacks investment opportunities, it would like to reward shareholders with a regular quarterly dividend payment. The date for this particular announcement is known as the declaration date. It is on this date that the company announces the specific dividend payment along with the holder-of-record date (aka record date) and the payment date. The company announces that a dividend payment of 25 cents per share will be payable March 31, 2012 (the payment date) to all shareholders of record at the close of business on March 16, 2012 (holder-of-record date). What does this all mean? Well the short story is that the company looks at its records on March 16 and anyone listed on the books as an owner of ABC Widget company will be eligible for the dividend payment (on March 31).
The one other important term to remember is the ex-dividend date. The ex-dividend date (typically two trading days before the holder-of-record date for U.S. securities) is the day in which a company begins trading without the dividend. In order to have a claim on a dividend, shares must be purchased no later than the last business day before the ex-dividend date. A company trading ex-dividend will have the upcoming dividend subtracted from the share price at the start of the trading day. Many times, the price of a stock will increase in anticipation of the upcoming dividend as the ex-dividend date approaches, yet will fall back by the amount of the dividend on the ex-dividend date.
See our dividend calendar.
MarketsDividends
Backtracking Fed Puts an End to Market Celebration
After what happened to Microsoft stock on its superb report we now have to be a little concerned.
James "Rev Shark" DePorre
Stocks End Lower Friday Ahead of Busy Earnings Week
Stocks slumped at the close to end down Friday as as investors digested a series of quarterly earnings reports.
Medallia CEO Leslie Stretch joined TheStreet after his company's IPO to discuss its path to profitability, the competitors--or lack thereof--in the space and how it feels to be a publicly-traded company.
Curious about how Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS charitable trust portfolio approaches stocks? Here's his advice to one club member on Cramer's exclusive members-only July conference call.
Mapping the Performance of Each Microsoft CEO: Infographic
How has each of the CEOs of the world's most valuable company fared?
Kevin Curran


Self-esteem is an important aspect of your personality, so you need to have good career. However, you should not remain stagnant. Career advancement will not only offer pride but also financial stability. Job promotion means obtaining bigger salary. Since you obtain more knowledge and skills, you can also earn the respect of people. You need to do some activities that will make you advance in your career. You can only identify some people who want to succeed more. You will surely advance because you take the initiative to acquire those new experiences.
If you want career advancement, you need to follow essential tips. You need to conduct self-assessment. You should assess both your soft and hard skills. Your soft skills include your abilities to communicate well with others and use your emotions for the right situations. Hard skills are what you have when you create ideas or products to make the company move. Before you move up, you need to know the things that you have and the things that you lack. If you lack in experience, it will certainly be difficult to advance in your own career. If you lack knowledge, you can avail online course. You will be guided by St. Bonaventure University Online.
You will find some interesting degrees as you search on St. Bonaventure University Online. There are some steps to follow if you decide to enroll in an MBA through St. Bonaventure University Online. What is good about searching on St. Bonaventure University Online is that it provides program overview. The program curriculum is also available at St. Bonaventure University Online. If you want to get more information, just visit the university online.
It is also essential to build your network. You should decide to build network if you would like to advance in your career. If you have social network, you can simply provide additional details in your resume there. It is also important to maintain positive brand and show it online. Do not add inappropriate images that will destroy your credibility.
You also need to be very patient for the sake of career advancement. Your bosses will see how passionate you are and they will pay attention to the good things that you have done in the company. You should do your best to make your goals possible. If you are focused on your goals, you can achieve them no matter how difficult the circumstances will be. Do not let others distract you from what you want to accomplish. Kindness is also an important ingredient for you to succeed in life. People are intelligent enough to sense who do not show their true colors. Be grateful for the blessings also.


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https://www.fairplanet.org/editors-pick/the-world-has-seen-many-inspiring-advances-in-human-rights/
The world has seen many inspiring advances in human rights
Bob Koigi, Kenya
Despite a difficult operating environment for defenders of human rights, like civil society groups, climate activists, minorities and journalists, there have been major advances in protecting human rights in the past five years. From the introduction of just legislation, the abolition of draconian laws, liberation of activists, to the increased protection of marginalised groups, these welcome developments have occurred across the world in unprecedented ways.
Many examples from around the world stand out as highlights:
In one of the historic cases, eight defenders of water rights and prisoners of conscience in Honduras, dubbed the Guapinol eight, were released unconditionally after spending over two years in prison for their fervent activism.
12 people were convicted in Malawi for the killing of a person with albinism in 2018, representing a push to protect minorities in the country.
Following President Biden's visit to Israel and pressure from the US government, Israel agreed to compensate the family of Omar As'ad, a Palestinian-American who died after Israeli soldiers mishandled him at a checkpoint.
In an historic development, some countries around the world have continued to respect the sanctity and value of life by abolishing the death penalty. From Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea to Equatorial Guinea these countries took the bold step at a time when there has been a global call to find alternative measures to punish even the worst of crimes.
In a major win for women rights, nations have championed laws and reforms that safeguards their sexual and reproductive rights while protecting their safety. Argentina legalised abortion in 2020, while Mexico and Colombia decriminalised the practice.
Last year, Spain's parliament passed a bill with provisions on preventing and prosecuting rape while Finland introduced measures that would make lack of consensual intimacy grounds for rape.
In 2021, same-sex marriage became legal in Switzerland, after almost two-thirds of the population voted in favour of it in a referendum. Slovenia followed suit in October, legalizing same-sex marriage after a constitutional court ruling.
And in a landmark ruling targeting transgender people and their right to family and happiness, South Korea's supreme court ruled that nobody should fail to recognise the legal gender of transgender persons where children of minor age are involved.
But even as the world celebrates these wins, we have a long way to go in upholding and respecting human rights. Environmental activists continue to operate in a world of fear; countries continue to experience thinning democratic spaces; journalists are being gagged and the right to information for all is still being suppressed.
Now more than ever, actors in the human rights space should be inspired to push for more reforms - because human rights for all can be achieved.
Photo by Annie Spratt
Join the fight against human trafficking
Human Rights belong to everyone
Right to live in peace
Protection of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
more picks from our editors
Manual scavengers continue to die while cleaning sewers in India
Hanan Zaffar, India
The practice of manually cleaning sewers and latrines is still common in India and is an affront on human dignity.
Read / Listen
Pakistan's tacit endorsement of the Taliban is backfiring
Shadi Khan Saif, Afghanistan
Despite once supporting the Taliban's rise to power in Afghanistan, Pakistan now finds itself as the victim of the group's aggressions.
Belarus jails journalists to control media
Katarzyna Rybarczyk, Poland
The Belarusian government continues its crackdown on independent media and journalists.


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There exist a number of perspectives on the relationship of Islam and democracy among Islamic political theorists, the general Muslim public, and Western authors.

In 2021, a number of Muslim majority countries are Islamic and secular democracies.

Many Muslim scholars have argued that traditional Islamic notions such as shura (consultation), maslaha (public interest), and ʿadl (justice) justify representative government institutions which are similar to Western democracy, but reflect Islamic rather than Western liberal values. Still others have advanced liberal democratic models of Islamic politics based on pluralism and freedom of thought. Some Muslim thinkers have advocated secularist views of Islam.

A number of different attitudes regarding democracy are also represented among the general Muslim public, with polls indicating that majorities in the Muslim world desire a political model where democratic institutions and values can coexist with the values and principles of Islam, seeing no contradiction between the two.

Traditional political concepts

Quran
Muslim democrats, including Ahmad Moussalli (professor of political science at the American University of Beirut), argue that concepts in the Quran point towards some form of democracy, or at least away from despotism. These concepts include shura (consultation), ijma (consensus), al-hurriyya (freedom), al-huqquq al-shar'iyya (legitimate rights). For example, shura (Al Imran – Quran 3:159, Ash-Shura – Quran 42:38) may include electing leaders to represent and govern on the community's behalf. Government by the people is not therefore necessarily incompatible with the rule of Islam, whilst it has also been argued that rule by a religious authority is not the same as rule by a representative of God. This viewpoint, however, is disputed by more traditional Muslims. Moussalli argues that despotic Islamic governments have abused the Quranic concepts for their own ends: "For instance, shura, a doctrine that demands the participation of society in running the affairs of its government, became in reality a doctrine that was manipulated by political and religious elites to secure their economic, social and political interests at the expense of other segments of society," (In Progressive Muslims 2003).

Sunni Islam
Deliberations of the Caliphates, most notably the Rashidun Caliphate, were not democratic in the modern sense rather, decision-making power lay with a council of notable and trusted companions of Muhammad and representatives of different tribes (most of them selected or elected within their tribes).

In the early Islamic Caliphate, the head of state, the Caliph, had a position based on the notion of a successor to Muhammad's political authority, who, according to Sunnis, was ideally elected by the people or their representatives, as was the case for the election of Abu Bakr, Umar ibn Al Khattab, Uthman, and Ali as Caliph. After the Rashidun Caliphs, later Caliphates during the Islamic Golden Age had a much lesser degree of collective participation, but since "no one was superior to anyone else except on the basis of piety and virtue" in Islam, and following the example of Muhammad, later Islamic rulers often held public consultations with the people in their affairs.

The legislative power of the Caliph (or later, the Sultan) was always restricted by the scholarly class, the ulama, a group regarded as the guardians of Islamic law. Since the law came from the legal scholars, this prevented the Caliph from dictating legal results. Sharia rulings were established as authoritative based on the ijma (consensus) of legal scholars, who theoretically acted as representatives of the Ummah (Muslim community). After law colleges (madrasas) became widespread beginning with the 11th and 12th century CE, a student often had to obtain an ijaza-t al-tadris wa-l-ifta ("license to teach and issue legal opinions") in order to issue legal rulings. In many ways, classical Islamic law functioned like a constitutional law.

Bangladeshi Islamic scholar Khandaker Abdullah Jahangir said in a scholarly interview about Islam and democracy that,

Salafi view
Salafi scholars opine that democracy is haram in Islam, but they legitimize the opportunity to use democracy to come to power and to vote to establish Islamic rule and encourage voting to choose the better between evils, among these scholars are Shaykh Abd al-Aziz bin Baz, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Uthaymeen, Abdullah al-Ghudayyan, Abdullah Quyud, Abdur Razzaq Afifi, Senior Scholars of Saudi Arabia: Grand Mufti Shaykh Abdul Aziz Ash-Shaikh, Shaykh Abdul Muhsin Al-Abbad, Shaykh Wasiullah Abbas and Saudi Arabia's most senior fatwa panel of scholars, "Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta", all echoed similar calls to encourage Muslims to vote.

Khandaker Abdullah Jahangir in his book ("Hadiser Namey Jaliyati") (Forgery in the Name of Hadith) says about the interpretation of Hadith of democratic Islamist parties about Islamic politics ,

Shia Islam
According to the Shia understanding, Muhammad named as his successor (as leader, with Muhammad being the final prophet), his son-in-law, and cousin Ali. Therefore, the first three of the four elected "Rightly Guided" Caliphs recognized by Sunnis (Ali being the fourth), are considered usurpers, notwithstanding their having been "elected" through some sort of conciliar deliberation (which the Shia do not accept as a representative of the Muslim society of that time). The largest Shia grouping—the Twelvers branch—recognizes a series of Twelve Imams, the last of which (Muhammad al-Mahdi, the Hidden Imam) is still alive and the Shia are waiting for his "reappearance".

Theoretical perspectives on democracy

Al-Farabi
The early Islamic philosopher, Al-Farabi (c. 872–950), in one of his most notable works Al-Madina al-Fadila, theorized an ideal Islamic state which he compared to Plato's The Republic. Al-Farabi departed from the Platonic view in that he regarded the ideal state to be ruled by the prophet, instead of the philosopher king envisaged by Plato. Al-Farabi argued that the ideal state was the city-state of Medina when it was governed by Muhammad, as its head of state, as he was in direct communion with God whose law was revealed to him. In the absence of the prophet, Al-Farabi considered democracy as the closest to the ideal state, regarding the republican order of the Rashidun Caliphate as an example within early Muslim history. However, he also maintained that it was from democracy that imperfect states emerged, noting how the republican order of the early Islamic Caliphate of the Rashidun caliphs was later replaced by a form of government resembling a monarchy under the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties.

Varieties of modern Islamic theories
Muslih and Browers identify three major perspectives on democracy among prominent Muslims thinkers who have sought to develop modern, distinctly Islamic theories of socio-political organization conforming to Islamic values and law:

 The rejectionist Islamic view, elaborated by Sayyid Qutb and Abul A'la Maududi, condemns imitation of foreign ideas, drawing a distinction between Western democracy and the Islamic doctrine of shura (consultation between ruler and ruled). This perspective, which stresses comprehensive implementation of sharia, was widespread in the 1970s and 1980s among various movements seeking to establish an Islamic state, but its popularity has diminished in recent years.
 The moderate Islamic view stresses the concepts of maslaha (public interest), ʿadl (justice), and shura (consultation). Islamic leaders are considered to uphold justice if they promote public interest, as defined through shura. In this view, shura provides the basis for representative government institutions that are similar to Western democracy, but reflect Islamic rather than Western liberal values. Hasan al-Turabi, Rashid al-Ghannushi, and Yusuf al-Qaradawi have advocated different forms of this view.
 The liberal Islamic view is influenced by Muhammad Abduh's emphasis on the role of reason in understanding religion. It stresses democratic principles based on pluralism and freedom of thought. Authors like Fahmi Huwaidi and Tariq al-Bishri have constructed Islamic justifications for full citizenship of non-Muslims in an Islamic state by drawing on early Islamic texts. Others, like Mohammed Arkoun and Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd, have justified pluralism and freedom through non-literalist approaches to textual interpretation. Abdolkarim Soroush has argued for a "religious democracy" based on religious thought that is democratic, tolerant, and just. Islamic liberals argue for the necessity of constant reexamination of religious understanding, which can only be done in a democratic context.

Secularist views

In the modern history of the Muslim world, the notion of secularism has acquired strong negative connotations due to its association with foreign colonial domination and the removal of religious values from the public sphere. Traditional Islamic theory distinguishes between matters of religion (din) and state (dawla), but insists that political authority and public life must be guided by religious values. Some Islamic reformists like Ali Abdel Raziq and Mahmoud Mohammed Taha have advocated a secular state in the sense of political order that does not impose any single interpretation of sharia on the nation, though they did not advocate secularism in the sense of a morally neutral exercise of state power. The Islamic scholar Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im has argued for a secular state built on constitutionalism, human rights and full citizenship, seeking to demonstrate that his vision is more consistent with Islamic history than visions of an Islamic state. Proponents of Islamism (political Islam) reject secularist views that would limit Islam to a matter of personal belief and insist on implementation of Islamic principles in the legal and political spheres. Moreover, the concept of 'Separation of Powers' was propounded by Ruhollah Khomeini.

Muhammad Iqbal
The modern Islamic philosopher, Muhammad Iqbal, viewed the early Islamic Caliphate as being compatible with democracy. He "welcomed the formation of popularly elected legislative assemblies" in the Muslim world as a "return to the original purity of Islam." He argued that Islam had the "gems of an economic and democratic organization of society", but that this growth was stunted by the monarchist rule of Umayyad Caliphate, which established the Caliphate as a great Islamic empire but led to political Islamic ideals being "repaganized" and the early Muslims losing sight of the "most important potentialities of their faith."

Muhammad Asad
Another Muslim scholar and thinker, Muhammad Asad, viewed democracy as perfectly compatible with Islam. In his book The Principles of State and Government in Islam, he notes:
Viewed from this historical perspective, 'democracy' as conceived in the modern West is infinitely nearer to the Islamic than to the ancient Greek concept of liberty; for Islam maintains that all human beings are socially equal and must, therefore, be given the same opportunities for development and self-expression. On the other hand, Islam makes it incumbent upon Muslims to subordinate their decisions to the guidance of the Divine Law revealed in the Qur'ãn and exemplified by the Prophet: an obligation which imposes definite limits on the community's right to legislate and denies to the 'will of the people' that attribute of sovereignty which forms so integral a part of the Western concept of democracy.

Abul A'la Maududi
Islamist writer and politician Abul A'la Maududi, conceived of an "Islamic state" that would eventually "rule the earth". The antithesis of secular Western democracy, it would follow an all-embracing Sharia law. Maududi called the system he outlined a "theo-democracy", which he argued would be different from a theocracy as the term is understood in the Christian West, because it would be run by the entire Muslim community (pious Muslims who followed sharia), rather than ruled by a clerical class in the name of God.

Maududi's vision has been criticized (by Youssef M. Choueiri) as an
ideological state in which legislators do not legislate, citizens only vote to reaffirm the permanent applicability of God's laws, women rarely venture outside their homes lest social discipline be disrupted, and non-Muslims are tolerated as foreign elements required to express their loyalty by means of paying a financial levy.

L. Ali Khan
Legal scholar L. Ali Khan argues that Islam is fully compatible with democracy. In his book, A Theory of Universal Democracy, Khan provides a critique of liberal democracy and secularism. He presents the concept of "fusion state" in which religion and state are fused. There are no contradictions in God's universe, says Khan. Contradictions represent the limited knowledge that human beings have. According to the Quran and the Sunnah, Muslims are fully capable of preserving spirituality and self-rule.

Javed Ahmed Ghamdi
Religious scholar, Javed Ahmed Ghamdi interprets the Quranic verses as ''The collective affairs of Muslims are run on the basis of mutual consultations'' (42:37). He is of the view that all the matters of a Muslim state must be sought out through consultations.The parliamentary bodies would provide that platform to practice and implement those consultations.

Views of the general Muslim public
Esposito and DeLong-Bas distinguish four attitudes toward Islam and democracy prominent among Muslims today:

 Advocacy of democratic ideas, often accompanied by a belief that they are compatible with Islam, which can play a public role within a democratic system, as exemplified by many protestors who took part in the Arab Spring uprisings;
 Support for democratic procedures such as elections, combined with religious or moral objections toward some aspects of Western democracy seen as incompatible with sharia, as exemplified by Islamic scholars like Yusuf al-Qaradawi;
 Rejection of democracy as a Western import and advocacy of traditional Islamic institutions, such as shura (consultation) and ijma (consensus), as exemplified by supporters of absolute monarchy and radical Islamist movements;
 Belief that democracy requires restricting religion to private life, held by a minority in the Muslim world.

Polls conducted by Gallup and PEW in Muslim-majority countries indicate that most Muslims see no contradiction between democratic values and religious principles, desiring neither a theocracy, nor a secular democracy, but rather a political model where democratic institutions and values can coexist with the values and principles of Islam.

Islam and democracy in practice

Obstacles

There are several ideas on the relationship between Islam in the Middle East and democracy. Waltz writes that transformations to democracy seemed on the whole to pass by the Islamic Middle East at a time when such transformations were a central theme in other parts of the world, although she does note that, of late, the increasing number of elections being held in the region indicates some form of adoption of democratic traditions.

Following the Arab Spring, professor Olivier Roy of the European University Institute in an article in Foreign Policy has described political Islam as "increasingly interdependent" with democracy, such that "neither can now survive without the other".

Orientalist scholars offer another viewpoint on the relationship between Islam and democratisation in the Middle East. They argue that the compatibility is simply not there between secular democracy and Arab-Islamic culture in the Middle East which has a strong history of undemocratic beliefs and authoritarian power structures. Kedourie, a well known Orientalist scholar, said for example: "to hold simultaneously ideas which are not easily reconcilable argues, then, a deep confusion in the Arab public mind, at least about the meaning of democracy. The confusion is, however, understandable since the idea of democracy is quite alien to the mind-set of Islam." A view similar to this that understands Islam and democracy to be incompatible because of seemingly irreconcilable differences between Sharia and democratic ideals is also held by some Islamists.

However, within Islam there are ideas held by some that believe Islam and democracy in some form are indeed compatible due to the existence of the concept of shura (meaning consultation) in the Quran. Views such as this have been expressed by various thinkers and political activists in the Middle East. They continue to be the subject of controversy, e.g. at the second Dubai Debates, which debated the question "Can Arab and Islamic values be reconciled with democracy?"

Brian Whitaker's 'four major obstacles'
Writing on The Guardian website, Brian Whitaker, the paper's Middle East editor, argued that there were four major obstacles to democracy in the region: 'the imperial legacy', 'oil wealth', 'the Arab–Israeli conflict' and ' "militant" Islam'.

The imperial legacy includes the borders of the modern states themselves and the existence of significant minorities within the states. Acknowledgment of these differences is frequently suppressed usually in the cause of "national unity" and sometimes to obscure the fact that minority elite is controlling the country. Brian Whitaker argues that this leads to the formation of political parties on ethnic, religious or regional divisions, rather than over policy differences. Voting therefore becomes an assertion of one's identity rather than a real choice.

The problem with oil and the wealth it generates is that the states' rulers have the wealth to remain in power, as they can pay off or repress most potential opponents. Brian Whitaker argues that as there is no need for taxation there is less pressure for representation. Furthermore, Western governments require a stable source of oil and are therefore more prone to maintain the status quo, rather than push for reforms which may lead to periods of instability. This can be linked into political economy explanations for the occurrence of authoritarian regimes and lack of democracy in the Middle East, particularly the prevalence of rentier states in the Middle East. A consequence of the lack of taxation that Whitaker talks of in such rentier economies is an inactive civil society. As civil society is seen to be an integral part of democracy it raises doubts over the feasibility of democracy developing in the Middle East in such situations.

Whitaker's third point is that the Arab–Israeli conflict serves as a unifying factor for the countries of the Arab League, and also serves as an excuse for repression by Middle Eastern governments. For example, in March 2004 Sheikh Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, Lebanon's leading Shia cleric, is reported as saying "We have emergency laws, we have control by the security agencies, we have stagnation of opposition parties, we have the appropriation of political rights – all this in the name of the Arab-Israeli conflict". The West, especially the US, is also seen as a supporter of Israel, and so it and its institutions, including democracy, are seen by many Muslims as suspect. Khaled Abou El Fadl, a lecturer in Islamic law at the University of California comments "modernity, despite its much scientific advancement, reached Muslims packaged in the ugliness of disempowerment and alienation."

This repression by secularistic Arab rulers has led to the growth of radical Islamic movement groups, as they believe that the institution of an Islamic theocracy will lead to a more just society. These groups tend to be very intolerant of alternative views however, including the ideas of democracy. Many Muslims who argue that Islam and democracy are compatible live in the West, and are therefore seen as "contaminated" by non-Islamic ideas.

Practice

 The Green Algeria Alliance is an Islamist coalition of political parties, created for the legislative election, 2012 in Algeria. It consists of the Movement of Society for Peace, Islamic Renaissance Movement (Ennahda) and the Movement for National Reform (Islah). The alliance is led by Bouguerra Soltani of the MSP. However, the incumbent coalition, consisting of the FLN of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and the RND of Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, held on to power after winning a majority of seats and the Islamist parties of the Green Algeria Alliance lost seats in legislative election of 2012.
 Shia Islamist Al Wefaq, Salafi Islamist Al Asalah and Sunni Islamist Al-Menbar Islamic Society are dominant democratic forces in Bahrain.
 During the Bangladesh Liberation War, the Jamaat-e-Islami of Pakistan opposed the independence of Bangladesh, but established itself there as an independent political party, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami after 1975. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is the second largest party in the Parliament of Bangladesh and the main opposition party. The BNP promotes a center-right policy combining elements of conservatism, Islamism, nationalism and anti-communism. The party believes that Islam is an integral part of the socio-cultural life of Bangladesh, and favors Islamic principles and cultural views. Since 2000, it has been allied with the Islamic parties Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and Islami Oikya Jote.
 The Party of Democratic Action is the largest political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Party of Democratic Action was founded in May 1990 by reformist Islamist Alija Izetbegović, representing the conservative Bosniaks and other Slavic Muslim population in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the former Yugoslavia.
 In the 2011–12 Egyptian parliamentary election, the political parties identified as "Islamist" and "democratic" (the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, Salafist Al-Nour Party and liberal Islamist Al-Wasat Party) won 75% of the total seats. Mohamed Morsi, an Islamist democrat was the first Islamist president of Egypt, stemming from the Muslim Brotherhood.
 Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah are two very influential Islamic social movement in Indonesia. United Development Party and the opposition Prosperous Justice Party are major Indonesian Islamist parties, active in country's democratic process.
 The Islamic Action Front is Jordan's Islamist political party and largest democratic political force in country. The IAF's survival in Jordan is primarily due to its flexibility and less radical approach to politics.
 The Islamic Group is a Sunni Islamist and Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist political party in Lebanon.
 The Justice and Construction Party is the Muslim Brotherhood's political arm in Libya and the second largest political force in the country. National Forces Alliance, largest political group in country, doesn't believe the country should be run entirely by Sharia law or secular law, but does hold that Sharia should be "the main inspiration for legislation". Party leader Jibril has said the NFA is a moderate Islamic movement that recognises the importance of Islam in political life and favours Sharia as the basis of the law.
 The United Malays National Organisation is the dominant party of Malaysia since that county's independence in 1957. UMNO sees and defines itself as a moderate Islamist, Islamic democratic and social conservative party of Muslim Malays. The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party is a major opposition party and is relatively more conservative and traditionalist than the UMNO.
 The Moroccan Justice and Development Party has been the ruling party in Morocco since November 29, 2011. The Justice and Development Party advocates Islamism and Islamic democracy.
 The Muslim Brotherhood of Syria is a Sunni Islamist force in Syria and very loosely affiliated to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. It has also been called the "dominant group" or "dominant force" in the Arab Spring uprising in Syria. The group's stated political positions are moderate and in its most recent April 2012 manifesto it "pledges to respect individual rights", to promote pluralism and democracy.
 The Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan is Tajikistan's Islamist party and main opposition and democratic force in that country.
 The Ennahda Movement, also known as Renaissance Party or simply Ennahda, is a moderate Islamist political party in Tunisia. On March 1, 2011, after the government of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali collapsed in the wake of the 2011 Tunisian revolution, Tunisia's interim government granted the group permission to form a political party. Since then it has become the biggest and most well-organized party in Tunisia, so far outdistancing its more secular competitors. In the Tunisian Constituent Assembly election, 2011, the first honest election in the country's history with a turn out of 51.1% of all eligible voters, the party won 37.04% of the popular vote and 89 (41%) of the 217 assembly seats, far more than any other party.

Pakistan
Early in the history of the state of Pakistan (March 12, 1949), a parliamentary resolution (the Objectives Resolution) was adopted, stating the objectives on which the future constitution of the country was to be based. It contained the basic principles of both Islam and Western Democracy, in accordance with the vision of the founders of the Pakistan Movement (Muhammad Iqbal, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Liaquat Ali Khan). It proclaimed:

This resolution was included in the 1956 constitution as preamble and in 1985 it was inserted in the constitution itself as Article 2 and Schedule item 53 (but with the word "freely" in Provision shall be made for the religious minorities to freely profess and practice their religions and develop their cultures, removed.). The resolution was inserted again in the constitution in 2010, with the word "freely" reinstated.

However, Islamisation has proceeded slowly in Pakistan, and Islamists and Islamic parties and activists have expressed frustration that sharia law has not yet been fully implemented.

Indonesia
Officially, Indonesia does not have a state religion, and is in many respects a secular democracy. The constitution of Indonesia gives its people the freedom of worship, according to their religion or belief. This is based on the state ideology of "Pancasila" whose first tenet, Ketuhanan yang Maha Esa, translates as "The One and Almighty God", implying that there is a supreme God that unites the nation. It does not specify any religion, though this is also sometimes mistranslated as an endorsement for monotheism. As a result, Indonesians do have a religion column in their identity card; however, it is not mandatory (an empty column will indicate not having a religion) and is only used for census (which is a Dutch colonial legacy). The 5th points of practice of the Butir-butir pengamalan Pancasila states "Religion and belief in God Almighty are private matters that concerns the human relationship with God Almighty." Sukarno's conception of Pancasila's ideology is not 'secular' in the Western sense, although he agreed with Mahmud Esad Bay and Mustafa Kemal Ataturks' view that Islam should be free of government control. In his speech titled "Islam Sontoloyo" or "Foolish Islam", he was critical of Islamic leaders misuse of authority to justify wrong actions. According to Yudi Latief, Indonesia's founding leaders, while thoroughly educated and motivated as secularists of the time, cannot comprehend an Indonesian society without religion. Indonesian nationalist leaders characterized the country as a "religiously neutral state", in which Islam would be separated from the state and that Islamic affairs should be managed by Muslims without the help of the state. Preliminary meeting based on Hatta's initiative agreed that Islamic laws can be used for family laws that is signed through the People's Representative Council, but only if it relates to Muslims. Whereas the 'secular' national criminal code are not allowed to be changed because it applies to all regardless of religion. Sukarno also banned the most popular Islamic party at the time of Masjumi, as they were allegedly involved in the PRRI rebellion. On 27 January 1953, Sukarno delivered a speech in Amuntai, South Kalimantan, a region with a strong Islamic community. There was a banner reading "Indonesia a Nation State or an Islamic State?" Commenting on the banner, Soekarno said:  Sukarno have also disagreed on Aceh adopting Islamic criminal laws as its form of sharia bylaws, stating that "Indonesia is a nation state with the ideology of Pancasila, not a theocratic country with a certain religious orientation" and "Muslim's habit of reading the Quran" are also a form of obedience towards sharia. According to Sukarno, religion is a private matter between oneself and god, that could only be regulated through personal or family matters. During the Suharto era, Islamic parties are even more controlled by his government, through the state formation of the United Development Party. Not only that, Islamic veils were banned. Nurcholis Majid, one of the prominent young Islamic thinkers at the time, in his speech "The Need for Reform in Islamic Thinking and the Problem of Ummah Integration",  considered Indonesian Muslims to be stuck in ideological dogmatism, and as a result lose dynamism. As a result, he coined the famous slogan: "Islam Yes Islamic Party No". Most of his colleagues considered this to be an endorsement of secularism. However, as noted by Abdurrahman Wahid and his contemporaries, the fourth president of Indonesia explained Indonesia's case as "mild secularism". Neither of them considered themselves to be secularist and prefer to use 'secularisation', acknowledging the reservation that secularism as an ideology can become a new closed world view which functions like a new religion.

However, there is another political movement centered in universities students small groups called "liqo", started in 1970, which is directly inspired by Hasan al-Banna's Muslim Brotherhood, the proponent of which is Hilmi Aminuddin, which advocates for a gradual change to become more ideal Muslim. This coalesced in the formation of KAMMI in 1998, which is alongside of Abdurrahman Wahid's Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Amien Rais' Muhammadiyah as student leaders formed the groups of student protests against Suharto's government. After the fall of Suharto, KAMMI become the political party Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), while NU and Muhammadiyah chose not to be involved in practical politics of winning elections and instead forming independent political parties which are aligned but independent of their Islamic organization, in the form of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and National Mandate Party (PAN). The democratic reformation gave impetus to the adoption of Islamic sharia law in the form of adoption of the Jakarta Charter was pushed to the national legislative body (MPR) in 2002, however it was rejected with even PKB and PAN rejecting it.

This is because the two largest Muslim organizations of Indonesia, NU and Muhammadiyah, very much accepted the pancasila 'secularism' basis of the country. NU and its most associated party PKB (Abdurrahman's party), is member of centrist democrat international which also contain famously German's CDU as well as Hungary's Fidesz party, it is more common with Christian Democrat politics in the West. There are parties associated with the Muslim Brotherhood in the form of PKS but even they have to commit to the state ideology, which means they are pluralist. Islamic groups that stray from and tried to change Pancasila such as HTI (Indonesian branch of Hizb ut-Tahrir) is banned even though they 'participated' in a democracy.

In a practical sense, in central government levels, Indonesia has 6 recognized religions, as these are the recognized majority religions of most Indonesians and received state support.

In the Ministry of Religions there are separate religious leaders administrators for each of the 6 major religions. Sometimes the president or government members in a formal speech will greet in all 6 religious greetings. Example of which in President Joko Widodo's speech on March 26, 2021. In which he used all religious greetings including:

"Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh" for Muslims
"Salam Sejahtera" and "Shaloom" for Christians and Catholics
"Om Swastyastu" for Hindus
"Namo Buddhaya" for Buddhists
"Salam Kebajikan" or "Wei De Dong Tian" (惟德動天) for Kong Hu Cu (Confucians)

Some Indonesian Muslims in its history had always had problems with the implementation of sharia law, seeing it as not necessary and infringing on the non-Muslim population, while others see the implementation of some sharia-based laws as a solution to a failed and corrupt democratic process, while also inspired by Aceh successful push for local sharia law to be adopted. Indonesian history had a rebellion in the 1960s known locally as "Darul Islam" rebellion which tried to forcefully form an "Islamic State of Indonesia" although they were eventually defeated, its regional offshoot based in Aceh advocating for independence, however they managed to continue an insurgency for a separate Islamic Aceh country, as a result of the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 and negotiations facilitated by the Swedish government (Hasan di Tiro had a Swedish passport and lived there in exile) as well as Finnish government, Helsinki MoU was signed. Indonesia would allow Aceh to adopt its own version of shariah law called Qanun, and Aceh would stop fighting for independence and adopt special autonomy law. Still it would be wrong to describe Indonesia as an Islamic country as it would refer to that rebellion and denote Indonesia's official religion as Islam or describe Indonesian society as "Islamic". This was a common misconception by foreign journalists to describe Indonesia as such or Indonesia as "the Muslim democracy" which is also inaccurate. A better description of Indonesia would be a "democracy with a Muslim-majority population".

Iran

Theory
Since the revolution in Iran, the largest Shia country, Twelver Shia political thought has been dominated by that of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder and leader of the revolution. Khomeini argued that in the absence of the Hidden Imam and other divinely-appointed figures (in whom ultimate political authority rests), Muslims have not only the right, but also the obligation to establish an "Islamic state". To that end they must turn to scholars of Islamic law (fiqh) who are qualified to interpret the Quran and the writings of the imams.

Once in power and recognizing the need for more flexibility, Khomeini modified some earlier positions, insisted the ruling jurist need not be one of the most learned, that Sharia rule was subordinate to interests of Islam (Maslaha—"expedient interests" or "public welfare"), and the "divine government" as interpreted by the ruling jurists, who could overrule Sharia if necessary to serve those interests. The Islamic "government, which is a branch of the absolute governance of the Prophet of God, is among the primary ordinances of Islam, and has precedence over all 'secondary' ordinances."

The last point was made in December 1987, when Khomieni issued a fatwa in support of the Islamic government's attempt to pass a labor protection bill not in accordance with sharia. He ruled that in the Islamic state, governmental ordinances were primary ordinances, and that the Islamic state has absolute right () to enact state commandments, taking precedence over "all secondary ordinances such as prayer, fasting, and pilgrimage".

Were the powers of government to lie only within the framework of secondary divine decrees, the designation of the divine government and absolute deputed guardianship (wilayat-i mutlaqa-yi mufawwada) to the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his progeny) would have been in practice entirely without meaning and content. ... I must point out, the government which is a branch of the absolute governance of the Prophet of God is among the primary ordinances of Islam, and has precedence over all secondary ordinances such as prayer (salat), fasting (sawm), and pilgrimage (hajj).

The idea and concept of Islamic democracy has been accepted by many Iranian clerics, scholars and intellectuals. The most notable of those who have accepted the theory of Islamic democracy is probably Iran's Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who mentions Islamic democracy as "Mardomsalarie Dini" in his speeches. Nevertheless, Khamenei openly expresses his opposition to liberal democracy, having said, "Islam naturally stands against liberal democracy."

There are also other Iranian scholars who oppose or at least criticise the concept of Islamic democracy. Among the most popular of them are Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi who have written: "If not referring to the people votes would result in accusations of tyranny then it is allowed to accept people vote as a secondary commandment." Also Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi has more or less the same viewpoint.

Practice
Some Iranians, including Mohammad Khatami, categorize the Islamic Republic of Iran as a kind of religious democracy. They maintain that Ruhollah Khomeini held the same view as well and that's why he strongly chose "Jomhoorie Eslami" (Islamic Republic) over "Hokoomate Eslami" (Islamic State).

Others maintain that not only is the Islamic Republic of Iran undemocratic (see Politics of Iran) but that Khomeini himself opposed the principle of democracy in his book Hokumat-e Islami: Wilayat al-Faqih, where he denied the need for any legislative body saying, "no one has the right to legislate ... except ... the Divine Legislator", and during the Islamic Revolution, when he told Iranians, "Do not use this term, 'democratic.' That is the Western style." Although it is in contrast with his commandment to Mehdi Bazargan. It is a subject of lively debate among pro-Islamic Iranian intelligentsia. Also they maintain that Iran's sharia courts, the Islamic Revolutionary Court, blasphemy laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Islamic religious police violate the principles of democratic governance. However, it should be understood that when a democracy is accepted to be Islamic by people, the law of Islam becomes the democratically ratified law of that country. Iranians have ratified the constitution in which the principle rules are explicitly mentioned as the rules of Islam to which other rules should conform. Khomeini fervently believed that principles of democracy can't provide the targeted justice of Islam in the Sharia and Islamic thoughts.(Mohaghegh. Behnam 2014)
This contrast of view between the two Iranian head leaders of this Islamic country, as above mentioned about Khatami's and Khomeini's views have provisionally been being a case of disaffiliation of nearly half a country in most probable political coincidence, so the people cognizant of this heterogeneous political belief shall not be affiliated by newly formed views of democratic principles.(Mohaghegh, Behnam 2014)

A number of deviations from traditional sharia regulations have been noted in Iran

 ... the financial system has barely been Islamized; Christians, for example, are not subject to a poll tax and pay according to the common scheme. Insurance is maintained (even though chance, the very basis for insurance should theoretically be excluded from all contracts). The contracts signed with foreigners all accept the matter of interest.

Indices of democracy in Muslim countries
There are several non-governmental organizations that publish and maintain indices of democracy in the world, according to their own various definitions of the term, and rank countries as being free, partly free, or unfree using various measures of freedom, including political rights, economic rights, freedom of the press and civil liberties.

The following lists Muslim-majority countries and shows the scores given by two frequently used indices: 2022 Democracy Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit and Freedom in the World (2018) by the US-based Freedom House. These indices are frequently used in Western media, but have attracted some criticism and may not reflect recent changes.

Key: ‡ – Disputed territory (according to Freedom House)

Islamic democratic parties and organizations
This is a list of parties and organizations which aim for the implementation of Sharia or an Islamic State, or subscribe to Muslim identity politics, or in some other way fulfil the definitions of political Islam, activist Islam, or Islamism laid out in this article; or have been widely described as such by others.

See also
 Institute on Religion and Democracy
 Dialogue Among Civilizations
 The Clash of Civilizations
 Freedom deficit
 Islamic ethics
 Islamic revival
 Islamism
 Islam Yes, Islamic Party No

References

Bibliography
 Mahmoud Sadri and Ahmad Sadri (eds.) 2002 Reason, Freedom, and Democracy in Islam: Essential Writings of Abdolkarim Soroush, Oxford University Press
 Omid Safi (ed.) 2003 Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender and Pluralism, Oneworld
 Azzam S. Tamimi 2001 Rachid Ghannouchi: A Democrat within Islamism, Oxford University Press
 Khan L. Ali 2003 A Theory of Universal Democracy, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
 Khatab, Sayed & G. Bouma, Democracy in Islam, Routledge 2007

External links
 Liberal Democracy and Political Islam: The Search for Common Ground
 Islam and Democracy: Perceptions and Misperceptions by Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq
 Democracy and the Muslim World
 Islamic Democracies (article)
 Preview of the Seoul Conference on The Community of Democracies: Challenges and Threats to Democracy
 Marina Ottoway, et al., Democratic Mirage in the Middle East Carnegie Endowment for Ethics and International Peace, Policy Brief 20, (October 20, 2002).
 The Muslim's world future is freedom Book review, with some controversial content.
 Expect the Unexpected: A Religious Democracy in Iran
 Iranian President Mohammad Khatami Vows to Establish Religious Democracy in Iran
 Recent Elections and the Future of Religious Democracy in Iran
 Democracy Lacking in Muslim World

Sharia
Religion and politics


When should I review or change my Will?
You get married or divorced (a change in marital status may void your Will).
One of your beneficiaries gets married, divorced, or passes.
You may have family issues that weren't present when you wrote your Will.
You are unmarried but have a new partner whom you want to include or exclude.
The amount of money and/or property you own significantly changes.
Your executor (or a significant beneficiary) in your Will dies or is no longer able to serve.
You want to name a new executor of your Will.
There is a birth or adoption of a child in your family.
The property you own changes significantly and you've made specific gifts of that property.
Your child dies, leaving children that weren't named in the Will.
Your spouse or partner passes.
The person you named as personal guardian for your minor children or manager for their property is no longer able to serve.
A witnesses to your Will moved away, dies or is no longer competent. (A new Will is not necessary if you made your Will self-proving).
Your Will remains valid unless revoked. You can revoke a Will by destroying it or making a new Will.
Once you (or your attorney) registers your Last Will with The U.S. Will Registry, be sure to update your account right away in the event you revoke your Will, or have a new location for your Will. This will assure you and your family that we have the most up-to-date information.


But the preaching is just…. Only Dylan knows, and frankly, only Dylan needs to. The E-mail message field is required. This provocative work examines both the long tradition of folk music in its American political context, and the lives of those troubadours who wrote its most enduring songs. That question could be asked of almost every move Dylan has ever made.
The folk singers under attack -- The great folk scare : the revival of folk music -- The runaway prophet : Bob Dylan's romance with folk music -- The very sound of hope : the legacy of the sad-eyed prophets. In a certain way, a Dylan obsessed with divine judgment and the book of Revelation jibes with his pursuit of the arcane and the mystical, with his consistently apocalyptic vision, prophetic mumblings, and tendency to moralize. But the personal tales of these guitar-toting idealists were often more tangled than the comparatively pure vision their art would suggest. This provocative work examines both the long tradition of folk music in its American political context and the lives of those troubadours who wrote its most enduring songs. What with his love of ambiguity, of occult symbolism and symbolist poetry, and his resolute contempt for convention, Dylan has always struck me as more of an ancient Gnostic than a modern Bible thumper.
Many singers produced work in the midst of personal failure and deeply troubled relationships, and under the influence of radical ideas and organizations. . Many American folk singers have tried to leave their world a better place by writing songs of social protest. This provocative work examines both the long tradition of folk music in its American political context and the lives of those troubadours who wrote its most enduring songs. What I find fascinating about the many layers of Bob Dylan is not how much they tell me about the man, who has the right to change his mind, or not, as often as he likes, but how much they reveal about his strange lyrical themes. But the personal tales of these guitar-toting idealists were often more tangled than the comparatively pu Many American folk singers have tried to leave their world a better place by writing songs of social protest. Musicians like Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, and Joan Baez sang with fierce moral voices to transform what they saw as an uncaring society.
Musicians like Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, and Joan Baez sang with fierce moral voices to transform what they saw as an uncaring society. His beliefs are his business, but his public expressions of faith have given his fans much to puzzle over, reading the lyrical tea leaves for evidence of a solid rock center amidst the shifting sands of Dylanology. Musicians like Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, and Joan Baez sang with fierce moral voices as they tried to relieve human suffering and transform what they saw as an uncaring society. Musicians like Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, and Joan Baez sang with fierce moral voices to transform what they saw as an uncaring society. Many American folk singers have tried to leave their world a better place by writing songs of social protest. ? But the personal tales of these guitar-toting idealists were often more tangled than the comparatively pure vision their art would suggest.
Many American folk singers have striven to leave their world a better place by writing songs of social protest. Was it a stunt or a genuine, if perhaps overzealous, expression of deeply held beliefs? Many singers produced work in the midst of personal failure and deeply troubled relationships, and under the influence of radical ideas and organizations. I mean, not even Dylan's friend, the deeply devout Johnny Cash, used his musical platform to harangue audiences about the Bible. The Left discovers folk music -- The endless hootenanny : the birth of the folk song movement -- Are you now or have you ever been. Many produced work in the midst of personal failure and troubled relationships, and under the influence of radical ideas. But the personal tales of these guitar-toting idealists were often more tangled than the comparatively pure vision their art would suggest.
Many singers produced work in the midst of personal failure and deeply troubled relationships, and under the influence of radical ideas and organizations. . . . .


text:
Q: SQL Server Express cannot connect error: 28 - Server doesn't support requested protocol I cannot connect to my local SQL Server Express (2012, but the version shouldn't matter) from my server (Windows 2008 R2) to use a tool on it (APEX SQL Data Diff if you are wondering). I can browse the network servers fine, and select my local instance from the dropdown of available servers, but when I go to search tables on the server, it times out with this error message (same is true of SSMS).

A network-related or instance-specific error occurred while establishing a connection to SQL Server. The server was not found or
  was not accessible. Verify that the instance name is correct and that
  SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections. (provider: SQL
  Network Interfaces, error: 28 - Server doesn't support strong text
  requested protocol) (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: -1)

I have enabled the firewall - that's not it.
I have allowed remote connections - that's not it.
SQL Server Browser service is on and passed through the firewall - that's not it.
I can connect fine with the same tools TO the server, but FROM the server it fails.
Any ideas?

A: SQL Configuration Manager:

The picture has the wrong group selected on the link panel: it should be SQL Server Network Configuration → Protocols for SQLEXPRESS.

A: Thanks to this article for getting me somewhere with the error message.
The issue is the necessary network protocols are disabled by default in SQL Server Express. I had to go to Sql Server Configuration Manager locally and turn on "Named Pipes" and "TCP/IP".
After that, you need to restart the SQL Server Browser and SQL Server(instance) services.

While I did not have to, you may also need to check in "SQL Server Network Configuration" under "Protocols" for settings that need adjusted there.

A: Don't forget to also check under "SQL Server Network Configuration" -> Protocols for YourInstance. I was a bonehead and forgot to look there too.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


…so now i'm being accused of "attacking the [alterous] community as a whole" because i pointed out the overlapping usage of two concepts/terms and expressed concern over how things are being worded/conceived by some people while being "non aro" and "non alterous". great.
all of that aside, i do not understand how they are unable to see how off-putting they're being. if i was at all leaning towards using alterous for myself personally, i am much less inclined to do so now with these two standing at the gates of the alterous community.