"Seen from the perspective of even a decade ago, moderate Muslim reformists seemed to be gaining ground in both Turkey and Iran, as these countries emerged from long decades of top-down imposed secularism. In sensitive and compelling prose, Tezcür assesses the different and not entirely predictable paths that these two countries have taken and suggests the different paths that Muslim reforms can take—and the obstacles they face."

—Dale F. Eickelman, Dartmouth College

"Muslim Reformers in Iran and Turkey combines theoretical innovation with considerable new empirical material, presenting both through a comparative case study that initially seems an unlikely comparison. Tezcür argues that Islamist groups may indeed become more moderate through political inclusion, but this may have surprising consequences for the larger project of advancing democratization. This critical intervention into the expanding debates about inclusion and moderation will be widely cited and debated by scholars and policymakers. "

—Jillian Schwedler, University of Massachusetts–Amherst, author of Faith in Moderation: Islamist Parties in Jordan and Yemen

Moderation theory describes the process through which radical political actors develop commitments to electoral competition, political pluralism, human rights, and rule of law and come to prefer negotiation, reconciliation, and electoral politics over provocation, confrontation, and contentious action. Revisiting this theory through an examination of two of the most prominent moderate Islamic political forces in recent history, Muslim Reformers in Iran and Turkey analyzes the gains made and methods implemented by the Reform Front in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Justice and Development Party in Turkey.

Both of these groups represent Muslim reformers who came into continual conflict with unelected adversaries who attempted to block their reformist agendas. Based on extensive field research in both locales, Muslim Reformers in Iran and Turkey argues that behavioral moderation as practiced by these groups may actually inhibit democratic progress. Political scientist Güneş Murat Tezcür observes that the ability to implement conciliatory tactics, organize electoral parties, and make political compromises impeded democracy when pursued by the Reform Front and the Justice and Development Party. Challenging conventional wisdom, Tezcür's findings have broad implications for the dynamics of democratic progress.