This collection of 15 essays illuminates the evolution of political Islam from the era of the Prophet Muhammad to the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran. Under the auspices of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa, Joseph Morrison Skelly brings together a team of experts to create a compelling, scholarly investigation of the interrelationship of Islam and politics. Divided into several topical sections, including early origins of Islamic politics, the development of jihad in an age of terror, and contemporary politics, Political Islam from Muhammad to Ahmadinejad: Defenders, Detractors, and Definitions is an in-depth exploration of the various dimensions of political Islam—for the international community, the Islamic world itself, and anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of this phenomenon. Political Islam from Muhammad to Ahmadinejad takes an evenhanded approach in considering competing interpretations of political Islam, successfully broadening the scholarly investigation of the topic. The work assesses political Islam across a broad chronological time frame and includes regional perspectives within the contexts of areas in Africa and the Middle East. Skelly and his colleagues tackle controversial issues head-on and provide an intellectual framework for advancing political Islam into new stages of economic development, intellectual renewal, and accommodation with constitutional democracy and human rights. Each contributor lends a unique and specialized perspective to the discussion on this timely topic.

From the first Arab-Islamic Empire of the mid-seventh century to the Ottomans, the last great Muslim empire, the story of the Middle East has been the story of the rise and fall of universal empires and, no less important, of imperialist dreams. So argues Efraim Karsh in this highly provocative book. Rejecting the conventional Western interpretation of Middle Eastern history as an offshoot of global power politics, Karsh contends that the region's experience is the culmination of long-existing indigenous trends, passions, and patterns of behavior, and that foremost among these is Islam's millenarian imperial tradition. The author explores the history of Islam's imperialism and the persistence of the Ottoman imperialist dream that outlasted World War I to haunt Islamic and Middle Eastern politics to the present day. September 11 can be seen as simply the latest expression of this dream, and such attacks have little to do with U.S. international behavior or policy in the Middle East, says Karsh. The House of Islam's war for world mastery is traditional, indeed venerable, and it is a quest that is far from over.

This book examines the evolution of global terrorism, including the people and groups who have perpetuated the worst attacks and the people and agencies working to stop them. Although it was 9/11 that first awakened many Americans to the very real threat of global terrorism, global terrorism has been a reality for millions of people around the world for many years, with both foreign and "home-grown" terrorists striking fear in their hearts. Whether driven by fanatical religious beliefs or radical political ideologies, the threat of global terrorism has been and will continue to be a serious issue, warranting vigilance from governments around the world. This one-stop resource highlights key points about global terrorism. Furthermore, it discusses the social, economic, religious, and cultural issues that are connected to terrorist activities. It also examines the history of global terrorism more broadly in order to contextualize current events, using tables, primary documents, personal essays, and other illuminating resources.

Describes and analyses the major developments in Iraq from the US-led invasion until 2010. This title provides an important external, international dimension to Iraq's post-war development through discussion of the central role played by the Iranian regime and its deep and multi-faceted involvement in the Iraqi internal scene.

The Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements offers a multinational study of Islam, its variants, influences, and neighbouring movements, from a multidisciplinary range of scholars. These chapters highlight the diversity of Islam, especially in its contemporary manifestations, as a religion of many communities, theologies, and ideologies. Over five sections—on Sunni, Shia, Sufi, fundamentalist, and fringe Islamic movements—the authors provide historical overviews, analyses, and in-depth studies of large and small Islamic and related groups from all around the world. The contents of this volume will be of interest to both newcomers to the study of Islam and established scholars of religion who wish to engage with the dynamic label of Islam and the many impactful movements of the Islamic world.

Militant Islam provides a sociological framework for understanding the rise and character of recent Islamic militancy. It takes a systematic approach to the phenomenon and includes analysis of cases from around the world, comparisons with militancy in other religions, and their causes and consequences. The sociological concepts and theories examined in the book include those associated with social closure, social movements, nationalism, risk, fear and ‘de-civilising’. These are applied within three main themes; characteristics of militant Islam, multi-layered causes and the consequences of militancy, in particular Western reactions within the ‘war on terror’. Interrelationships between religious and secular behaviour, ‘terrorism’ and ‘counter-terrorism’, popular support and opposition are explored. Through the examination of examples from across Muslim societies and communities, the analysis challenges the popular tendency to concentrate upon ‘al-Qa’ida’ and the Middle East. This book will be of interest to students of Sociology, Political Science and International Relations, in particular those taking courses on Islam, religion, terrorism, political violence and related regional studies.

This book offers a critical deconstruction of radicalism as a political category and through this analytical approach seeks to interpret and assess the presidencies of the former Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. It contextualizes radicalism within a broader framework of Western-derived political categories, which are too frequently used to simplify the complexities of Iran's domestic political landscape, generally reducing any comprehensive and objective understanding of Iranian politics. Since the term radicalism is often misrepresented and misused in readings of contemporary Iran, this study examines several analogous Persian and English labels, exploring their different meanings, significances, and varied applications, in order to challenge any fixed and universal interpretations of radicalism as a concept. The political experience of Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who has been widely perceived as a radical politician, provides an ideal case study in this regard, offering valuable insight into how best to frame and interpret radicalism in post-revolutionary Iran. This book will be of particular interest to both scholars and students of Iranian Studies, but also to more general readers who are broadly interested in Middle Eastern studies, political science, and comparative politics.