BEVERLEY MILTON-EDWARDS is a Reader at the School of Politics and International Studies at Queens University in Belfast, UK. She is author of numerous books including Islamic Fundamentalism Since 1945 (2005), Contemporary Politics in the Middle East (1999) and Islamic Politics in Palestine (1996). She is also a national teaching fellow and former e-tutor of the year.

"Post 9/11 readers have been inundated with books on Islam, violence and terrorism, many of mixed value by 'instant experts'. Beverley Milton-Edwards' Islam and Violence in the Modern Era is the antidote. A must read for an insightful, incisive analysis that addresses and answers many of the critical questions and choices we face today.' - John L. Esposito, University Professor of Religion & International Affairs, Georgetown University, USA 'Studded with interviews with leading figures from Islamist groups...Milton-Edwards draws out the whys and wherefores of Islamic violence and its devastating effects not just on the West but [also] on Muslim communities...' - Nations and Nationalism

• Preface Introduction Religion and Violence: A History of Entanglement The West's Terror of Islam Islam and Violence Sacred Violence Holy Terror: Representation of Violence in a Modern Era Conclusion Notes Glossary Bibliography Index