Is Islam compatible with liberal values, like human rights and gender equality? Mustafa Akyol, my guest today, believes so: but only if Islam itself becomes more liberal. In other words, there is a theological argument to win first. I think Mustafa is one of the most important Islamic intellectuals at work today. In our conversation, we focus on his brand-new book, Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance. 

We talk about the "road not taken" towards Islamic Enlightenment after the “Islamic golden age”, marked by a strong sense of cosmopolitanism and Greek philosophy; meet some   some of the key liberal figures from liberal Islamic history, especially Ibn Rushd, the man who introduced Aristotle to the West; and discuss how to interpret the three key strands of Islamic teachings, namely the Qurʼān, the hadiths (sayings attributed to the Prophet Mohammed) and Sharia Law. 

But we start with how Mustafa's work has impacted him personally, including in his home country of Turkey, and how after giving a speech in Malaysia arguing that you can't police religion, he was arrested and jailed: by the Religion Police. This led to what he says was the worst night of his life. 

Mustafa Akyol

Mustafa Akyol is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity and a contributing writer to the New York Times. Previously, he was a Senior Visiting Fellow at Wellesley College’s Freedom Project and has written three books exploring the intersection of Islam and modernity. Originally from Turkey, Akyol spent many years as a journalist for two popular newspapers. 

More Mustafa

• Read his new book Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance

Also Mentioned

• Our joint article in Foreign Policy on the Hagia Sophia, which we also did a podcast on

The Dialogues Team

Creator: Richard Reeves

Research: Ashleigh Maciolek

Artwork: George Vaughan Thomas

Tech Support: Cameron Hauver-Reeves

Music: "Remember" by Bencoolen (thanks for the permission, guys!)