HAMED ABDEL-SAMAD

Around the world, authoritarian governments are aligning themselves with fundamentalist movements. In the Islamic world, this is not a new development. What is more surprising is the extent to which Putin’s regime is supported by the Russian Orthodox Church.

The developments in the U.S. are shocking. Xi Jinping secures his power in Beijing with the help of Confucianism, while Netanyahu governs with the support of Orthodox lawmakers. In Europe, too, right-wing populists and anti-liberal ideologies are joining forces. Hamed Abdel-Samad’s book is a disturbing assessment of the current state of affairs. He fears that the Enlightenment project—the separation of power and religion—is not only in retreat but is heading toward its end.