Challenge of Fundamentalism

Bassam Tibi was born in Damascus and is currently Professor of International Relations at the University of Gottingen, Germany. He is the author of several books in English, including Islam between Culture and Politics (2001), Arab Nationalism (third edition, 1996), Conflict and War in the Middle East, 1967-1981 (new edition, 1997), and The Crisis of Modern Islam (1988).

"No less than a clarion call to address what Tibi argues are deteriorating world relations before it's too late, this book urges political and religious leaders to foster cultural and religious tolerance among the world's religions."-Publishers Weekly "Tibi is arguing for greater understanding and communication between cultures, as well as for an Islamic enlightenment."-Charles Tripp, Times Literary Supplement

• Preface to the updated edition Introduction to the updated edition Preface 1. The Context: Globalization, Fragmentation, and Disorder 2. The Study of Islamic Fundamentalism and the Scope of the Inquiry 3. World Order and the Legacy of Saddam Hussein 4. The Sociocultural Background and the Exposure to Cultural Modernity 5. Cultural Fragmentation, the Decline in Consensus, and the Diffusion of Power in World Politics 6. The Crisis of the Nation-State: Islamic, Pan-Arab, Ethnic, and Sectarian Identities in Conflict 7. The Fundamentalist Ideology: Context and the Textual Sources 8. The Idea of an Islamic State and the Call for the Implementation of the Shari'a/Divine Law 9. Democracy and Democratization in Islam: An Alternative to Fundamentalism 10. Human Rights in Islam and the West: Cross-Cultural Foundations of Shared Values Notes Names index Subject index