Episode 50: Islam, Keto, and the Problem of Evil

In another sprawling episode, Shadi and Damir talk about Germany's decision to surveil one of its leading political parties and what this says about modern liberalism. They also discuss Shadi's Islam-as-Keto metaphor, the EU's legitimacy problem, and how theodicy relates to democracy.

Required Reading:

• “Germany Places Far-Right AfD Party Under Surveillance for Extremism,” by Katrin Bennhold (New York Times)

• “German Court Suspends Right to Surveil Far-Right AfD Party,” by Melissa Eddy (New York Times)

• “Goodbye to Europe,” by Luuk van Middelaar (London Review of Books)

• “Keto is basically ‘the Islam of diets,’ which probably explains why it’s so effective,” by Shadi Hamid (Twitter)