ABSTRACT
ISLAM and the Muslims are so often seen as monoliths that the specialist on these topics finds himself repeatedly called upon to stress their diversity. Islam, he tirelessly points out, varies widely between Sunni and Shi'i, between premodem and modem, between the West and the East, between rural and urban, and between the 'ulama and the Sufis; and Muslims vary even more widely than does their faith. So often do the experts have to correct the notion of a single Islamdom that they tend to lose sight of the real issue here. Of course Muslims in Morocco and Indonesia differ. Indeed, what is remarkable is not their dissimilarities but that they share so much. To the extent that Muslims do have anything in common across time, place, sect, social background, and political outlook, Islam exerts an extraordinary influence over its adherents. This study approaches Islam in the realm of politics from the perspective of emphasizing and evaluating these similarities.
