Thread by @AkyolinEnglish

I would say:

Of course, “democracy is good only insofar as it produces good outcomes.”

For there are higher values: freedom, justice, human rights, human flourishing. Any political system, at any time and milieu, is as good as it serves these timeless values.

https://twitter.com/shadihamid/status/1599510486604599296

Put simply, #democracy is about "who governs."

#Liberalism is about "how they govern." (Within rule of law, and without violating human rights.)

So, of course, I value liberalism over democracy. Without it, democracy can collapse into majoritarian tyranny, even fascism.

What is the problem I see in illiberal democracy, which @shadihamid is defending?

I think this recent conversation explains it well: In his view, there is no universal value such as religious freedom. So, it is "the right" of the French electorate to issue bans on Muslim women.

The full conversation, on the recent panel with @radwan_masmoudi and @naderalihashemi, hosted by @CSID_DC, is available at this link:

To his credit, @shadihamid gets one point quite right: One cannot consistently defend the illiberalism of Muslim majorities without also legitimizing the illiberalisms against Muslim minorities — in India, France, etc.

But that is also why I defend freedom on both sides.