Pascal Buresi, Ph.D. (2000), University of Lyon 2, is Director of research at the CNRS (French National Center for the Research). He has published monographs and articles on Islam, including Géo-histoire de l’islam (Belin, 2005).Hicham El Aallaoui, Ph.D. (2007), University of Lyon 2, is a post-doctoral researcher at the CNRS, within ERC Starting Grant n°263361, entitled Imperial Government and Authority in Medieval Western Islam directed by Pascal Buresi.

'Inventive in its conception and faultless in its methodology, this is a subtle research by two cautious, succinct and profound thinkers on a challenging theme calling for a prismatic perceptive power and bearing fascinating reflections. I can’t recommend this book strongly enough to historians, ethnologists, philosophers of religion, linguists, students of medieval Arab culture, or adherents of the view that human culture and civilisation is a collective product – Hellenic, European, Arab, Jewish.'Stavros Nikolaidis, in Journal of Oriental and African Studies, Volume 22, 2013

Pascal Buresi, Ph.D. (2000), University of Lyon 2, is Director of research at the CNRS (French National Center for the Research). He has published monographs and articles on Islam, including Géo-histoire de l’islam (Belin, 2005).Hicham El Aallaoui, Ph.D. (2007), University of Lyon 2, is a post-doctoral researcher at the CNRS, within ERC Starting Grant n°263361, entitled Imperial Government and Authority in Medieval Western Islam directed by Pascal Buresi.

'Inventive in its conception and faultless in its methodology, this is a subtle research by two cautious, succinct and profound thinkers on a challenging theme calling for a prismatic perceptive power and bearing fascinating reflections. I can’t recommend this book strongly enough to historians, ethnologists, philosophers of religion, linguists, students of medieval Arab culture, or adherents of the view that human culture and civilisation is a collective product – Hellenic, European, Arab, Jewish.'Stavros Nikolaidis, in Journal of Oriental and African Studies, Volume 22, 2013