The essays in this collection examine the emergence of Islam as a force intodays international political arena. Driven by a concern to understandfactors leading... » 

The essays in this collection examine the emergence of Islam as a force intodays international political arena. Driven by a concern to understandfactors leading to and the implications of this heightened political profilethe contributors go beyond polemics and apologetics. The book criticallyexamines some of the major events movements and trends in the Islamic worldover the past fifty years and their impact on the international scene.Reflecting the diversity and heterogeneity of the Muslim world the book coversissues including the challenge of Islamism to the Muslim world the use ofIslam as a political tool on the international scene Islams contribution tothe theory and practice of global finance Islams role in gender discourse Islams articulations in the Indian Subcontinent Southeast Asia Central Asiaand the Arab world. Very little of the current literature deals with politicalIslam globally and very few books go much beyond the Middle East and itsterrorist groups. This volume fills that gap providing a compelling crossnational cross cultural and interdisciplinary analysis of Islam as a potentpolitical force. «