ABSTRACT
In closing this book, we canvass Islam as a modern political faith, survey the varieties of contemporary Muslim governance, record and defuse the tension between Islam and the West and predict possible future trends for this confrontation. In the fi rst half of this chapter, we explore contemporary Islam with a view to its past and present ambitions; in the second half, we assess the future potential of Islam as political faith. Muhammad as statesman runs as a theme through the chapter.
