Overview

Islam has become a potent political force around the world since it reemerged in the late 1960's and 1970's as a religio-political alternative to failed nationalist ideologies. In countries throughout the world, individuals and movements have attempted to reconstruct the political, economic, and social dimensions of their societies along Islamic lines, taking different approaches to the shari`a and to the questions of whether and how to establish an Islamic state. Islam and Politics Around the World is a comprehensive and analytical examination of Islam and politics in a rapidly changing and globalizing world. Its case studies provide overviews of the development and interaction of Islam and politics in North America, Europe, and the Middle East, and across Asia and Africa. Taken together, these essays provide readers with an illuminating and in-depth overview of the state of political Islam today.