The Scope and Limits of Employing Militant Democracy in Fighting Religious Extremism The Case Study of Foreign and Non-Traditional Religious Organizations in the Russian Federation
The Scope and Limits of Employing Militant Democracy in Fighting Religious Extremism The Case Study of Foreign and Non-Traditional Religious Organizations in the Russian Federation

Summary/Abstract: This paper addresses the relationship between concepts of militant democracy, secularism, and extremist religious movements in the context of both theoretical and empirical case study analyses of non-traditional religious organizations in the Russian Federation. More precisely, the paper seeks to investigate the extent and the limits of restrictive measures imposed by a self-perceived democratic system in protecting itself against potentially subversive religious movements, while sacrificing the very essence of liberal democracy it was set out to protect. In answering this question, I focus on examining the guarantees which supporters of the militant democracy offer as reasoning for implementing anti-democratic measures (for instance, suspension of certain rights under the excuse of need for self-protection, “tolerance to the intolerant” etc.) as an adequate and necessary preemptive response against potential threats, and the effects that the implementation of these measures might have in undermining the substantive nature of democracy itself.

• Details
• Contents