Compare And Contrast John Locke Concerning Toleration

6. Some similarities that Joy Samad sees between the dilemmas of the modern liberal-minded Muslim Intellectuals and those faced by John Locke in his Letter Concerning Toleration is that both eras were marked by intense political turmoil. In Locke’s time, the religious wars of the 16th-17th century are comparable to the contemporary Middle East turmoil of religiously motivated protests and failed secularisation efforts, with the rise of the Taliban and the growth of other radical Islamic terrorist groups (Samad). Second similar dilemmas faced by both Locke and Muslim liberals are oppositions from groups with essentialist religious positions. While for Locke it was essentialist religious monarchs, Muslim liberals have to contend to the Islamic
Both Locke and Muslim liberals see the diversity of belief as something that was intentional by God, and not something that should cause conflict. For Locke, that if God had wanted all infidels to be killed, he would have done it himself, rather than allow imperfect human soldiers to wage war on His behalf. While Muslim Liberals cite 5:48 of the Qur’an, which states that if God had wished for it, a homogeneous society with everyone as a believer would have been intended. Further, both argue that the idea of authentic religious belief cannot be forced. For Locke, the government is only meant to be concerned with the protection of citizens’ natural rights (life, liberty and physical property) not the citizen’s souls. Soroush similarly sees religious belief as a mystical phenomenon that flourishes wherever it wishes and cannot be coerced. Soroush advocates plurality of belief for a natural democracy suitable to Islamic society. The last shared approach between the two is the idea that political leaders should not be pushed from their roles on the basis of religion. In Locke’s context, people should not be tolerant to the idea that kings are forced to forfeit their crowns and kingdoms for religion’s