Shaul Bakhash and Bruce Lawrence discuss the relationship between the religion of Islam and economic ideas in the Middle East, particularly as played out in the 1980s. Bakhash describes Islamic economic practices, which assert cultural and religious identity, as an indigenous egalitarian alternative to capitalism and Marxism. Lawrence discusses Islamic socialism, using the examples of Egypt, Algeria, and Libya. Bakhash describes the nationalization of the Iranian economy resulting from Iran’s Islamic revolution.
At the time of this interview, journalist and scholar Bakhash was a Fellow at the National Humanities Center (1983-84). Lawrence was professor of religion at Duke University.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
