There has been a great revival of interest in recent years in the concerns of Islamic political economy after several hundred years of hiatus in its long history. The independence of Muslim countries and the revival of Islamic movements around the world have been among the factors encouraging new interest among the Muslims and others in how economies and economic theory can be brought into line with the Islamic vision of a just society. This text attempts to show that the contribution which Islamic political economy can make requires a study first of epistemological principles, about the purpose and sources of knowledge, the role of reason and the relationship between self and social interest in human affairs. The conclusions which arise from this analysis about the role and limits of markets, the goal of combining efficiency and equity and the means of doing so with state provision of welfare everywhere in crisis will prove illuminating all of those interested in Islamic studies and political economy as well as to other observers and analysts of contemporary society.

In The Politics of Islamic Law, Iza Hussin compares India, Malaya, and Egypt during the British colonial period in order to trace the making and transformation of the contemporary category of ‘Islamic law.’ She demonstrates that not only is Islamic law not the shari’ah, its present institutional forms, substantive content, symbolic vocabulary, and relationship to state and society—in short, its politics—are built upon foundations laid during the colonial encounter. Drawing on extensive archival work in English, Arabic, and Malay—from court records to colonial and local papers to private letters and visual material—Hussin offers a view of politics in the colonial period as an iterative series of negotiations between local and colonial powers in multiple locations. She shows how this resulted in a paradox, centralizing Islamic law at the same time that it limited its reach to family and ritual matters, and produced a transformation in the Muslim state, providing the frame within which Islam is articulated today, setting the agenda for ongoing legislation and policy, and defining the limits of change. Combining a genealogy of law with a political analysis of its institutional dynamics, this book offers an up-close look at the ways in which global transformations are realized at the local level.

"In 2012, the year 1433 of the Muslim calendar, the Islamic population throughout the world was estimated at approximately a billion and a half, representing about one-fifth of humanity. In geographical terms, Islam occupies the center of the world, stretching like a big belt across the globe from east to west."--P. vii.

A concise and authoritative introduction to Islamic political ideas In sixteen concise chapters on key topics, this book provides a rich, authoritative, and up-to-date introduction to Islamic political thought from the birth of Islam to today, presenting essential background and context for understanding contemporary politics in the Islamic world and beyond. Selected from the acclaimed Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought, and focusing on the origins, development, and contemporary importance of Islamic political ideas and related subjects, each chapter offers a sophisticated yet accessible introduction to its topic. Written by leading specialists and incorporating the latest scholarship, the alphabetically arranged chapters cover the topics of authority, the caliphate, fundamentalism, government, jihad, knowledge, minorities, modernity, Muhammad, pluralism and tolerance, the Qur'an, revival and reform, shariʿa (sacred law), traditional political thought, ‘ulama' (religious scholars), and women. Read separately or together, these chapters provide an indispensable resource for students, journalists, policymakers, and anyone else seeking an informed perspective on the complex intersection of Islam and politics. The contributors are Gerhard Bowering, Ayesha S. Chaudhry, Patricia Crone, Roxanne Euben, Yohanan Friedmann, Paul L. Heck, Roy Jackson, Wadad Kadi, John Kelsay, Gudrun Krämer, Ebrahim Moosa, Armando Salvatore, Aram A. Shahin, Emad El-Din Shahin, Devin J. Stewart, SherAli Tareen, and Muhammad Qasim Zaman. A new afterword discusses the essays in relation to contemporary political developments.

This book is intended to introduce students to the study of politics, and make them aware of their civil rights and responsibilities as responsible citizens. This primer focuses on issues in the hope that the excitement of politics will interest students to learn more about politics. It also examines the nature and purpose of government, in particular the Malaysia government, the responsibility of a citizen, the nature of law, and the prospects of development through elections, political parties and leadership. One of the chapters discusses some of the well-known thinkers which political science beginners would find familiar. This primer shows the relevance of politics to Islam as a way of life. It also examines 14 issues of importance and concludes with a chapter on the various dimensions of the government and politics in Malaysia.

The most authoritative anthology of Islamist texts This anthology of key primary texts provides an unmatched introduction to Islamist political thought from the early twentieth century to the present, and serves as an invaluable guide through the storm of polemic, fear, and confusion that swirls around Islamism today. Roxanne Euben and Muhammad Qasim Zaman gather a broad selection of texts from influential Islamist thinkers and place these figures and their writings in their multifaceted political and historical contexts. The selections presented here in English translation include writings of Ayatollah Khomeini, Usama bin Laden, Muslim Brotherhood founder Hasan al-Banna, and Moroccan Islamist leader Nadia Yassine, as well as the Hamas charter, an interview with a Taliban commander, and the final testament of 9/11 hijacker Muhammad Ata. Illuminating the content and political appeal of Islamist thought, this anthology brings into sharp relief the commonalities in Islamist arguments about gender, democracy, and violence, but it also reveals significant political and theological disagreements among thinkers too often grouped together and dismissed as extremists or terrorists. No other anthology better illustrates the diversity of Islamist thought, the complexity of its intellectual and political contexts, or the variety of ways in which it relates to other intellectual and religious trends in the contemporary Muslim world.

There has been a great revival of interest in recent years in the concerns of Islamic political economy after several hundred years of hiatus in its long history. The independence of Muslim countries and the revival of Islamic movements around the world have been among the factors encouraging new interest among the Muslims and others in how economies and economic theory can be brought into line with the Islamic vision of a just society. Masudul Alam Choudhury shows that the contribution which Islamic political economy can make requires a study first of epistemological principles, about the purpose and sources of knowledge, the role of reason and the relationship between self-and social-interest in human affairs. The conclusions which arise from this analysis - about the role and limits of markets, the goal of combining efficiency and equity and the means of doing so with state provision of welfare everywhere in crisis - will prove illuminating to all of those interested in Islamic studies and political economy as well as to other observers and analysts of contemporary society.