Islam and Politics

Islam and Politics is an accessible and comprehensive account of political Islam in the contemporary world.The book provides a broad introduction to all major aspects of the interface of Islam and politics, combining an accessible style with sufficient depth for the academic classroom. Drawing on insights from comparative politics and Islamic studies, it explains the complex interaction between Islam, society, the state, and transnational forces. Preserving the previous editions’ strong focus on key concepts from Islamic history as they relate to contemporary political Islam, this new edition includes coverage of important developments and updated country overviews from the Middle East, Central and South Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe and North America.Features include:• A new full case study of Indonesia• Exploration of the origins and development of ISIS, Al-Qaeda and various regional affiliates of the global Salafi-Jihadi movement.• Discussion of major theoretical debates in the literature on political Islam, including the debate on Islamic exceptionalism and whether Islamist politics can be understood using the conventional tools of comparative political science and International Relations.• Extensive new material on Islam, women and gender integrated throughout the text.These updates ensure the book remains the single best introduction to the topic of political Islam for students and scholars, foreign policy professionals and the general reader.