ABSTRACT

This book offers an accessible and comprehensive account of political Islam in the twenty-first century.

Drawing on insights from comparative politics, sociology, international relations and Islamic studies, it explains the complex interaction between political Islam, nationalism, state and society, and globalization. An ideal teaching text, Global Political Islam also provides the necessary historical background and conceptual tools for understanding contemporary Muslim politics. The book contains detailed up-to-date case studies of political Islam in a variety of key settings such as Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Palestine. It also explains the evolution of Islamic radicalism through a detailed account of Al Qaeda and the global jihad movement. Transnational Islamic networking receives considerable attention, as does the role of new media and information technologies in political Islam. Fully illustrated throughout, featuring maps, supplementary textbox case studies, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading, this is the ideal introduction to the crucial rule of political Islam in the contemporary world.

chapter 3|47 pages

State formation and the making of Islamism