Islamic ethics and liberal democracy share deep common ground in justice, dignity and equality. But selective commitment to those principles now risks eroding the freedoms that once made democratic societies a refuge.

For generations, Islamic teachings and Western democratic values have shared more common ground than many care to admit. At their core lie principles of justice, human dignity, accountability, equality before the law, and the protection of human rights.

Islam commands fairness in trade, compassion in society, and the defence of the oppressed. Liberal democracies speak of freedom of thought, freedom of expression, equal opportunity, and the rule of law. These are not opposing ideas. They are overlapping moral languages describing the same human aspirations.

This shared ethical foundation is precisely why so many Muslims fleeing persecution and injustice in parts of the Muslim world sought refuge in Western democracies. They did not come to abandon their faith. They came because these societies allowed them to practise it peacefully........

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