James M. Dorsey is an award-winning journalist, acclaimed scholar and Adjunct Senior Fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. James has reported from all corners of the Islamic world and lived in multiple Muslim and non-Muslim countries as a foreign correspondent for major media, including The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and The New York Times.

“This book is a descriptive account of an ongoing, intensifying contestation by Muslim groups over the semantics of Islam in the twenty-first century. ... This book will naturally appeal to anyone especially interested in international relations, Islamic studies, foreign policy, political economy and theology. The main takeaway here is understanding that the Muslim World is anything but static. Everything is to play for, at the top as well as at the bottom.” (Zeeshan Mahmood, the Muslim World Book Review, Vol. 45 (3), 2025)

• .- Chapter 1 The Battle for the Soul of Islam..- Chapter 2 Islam’s New Kid on the Block..- Chapter 3 The Saudi Sultan’s Scholar..- Chapter 4 Emirati Gold Loses Its Shine..- Chapter 5 Muslim Clerics Battle It Out..- Chapter 6 Turkey Seeks Lost Glory..- Chapter 7 Trouble Brews in Islam’s Backyard..- Chapter 8 Epilogue - The Prabowo Presidency.

James M. Dorsey is an award-winning journalist, acclaimed scholar and Adjunct Senior Fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. James has reported from all corners of the Islamic world and lived in multiple Muslim and non-Muslim countries as a foreign correspondent for major media, including The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and The New York Times.

“This book is a descriptive account of an ongoing, intensifying contestation by Muslim groups over the semantics of Islam in the twenty-first century. ... This book will naturally appeal to anyone especially interested in international relations, Islamic studies, foreign policy, political economy and theology. The main takeaway here is understanding that the Muslim World is anything but static. Everything is to play for, at the top as well as at the bottom.” (Zeeshan Mahmood, the Muslim World Book Review, Vol. 45 (3), 2025)

• .- Chapter 1 The Battle for the Soul of Islam..- Chapter 2 Islam’s New Kid on the Block..- Chapter 3 The Saudi Sultan’s Scholar..- Chapter 4 Emirati Gold Loses Its Shine..- Chapter 5 Muslim Clerics Battle It Out..- Chapter 6 Turkey Seeks Lost Glory..- Chapter 7 Trouble Brews in Islam’s Backyard..- Chapter 8 Epilogue - The Prabowo Presidency.

James M. Dorsey is an award-winning journalist, acclaimed scholar and Adjunct Senior Fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. James has reported from all corners of the Islamic world and lived in multiple Muslim and non-Muslim countries as a foreign correspondent for major media, including The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and The New York Times.

“This book is a descriptive account of an ongoing, intensifying contestation by Muslim groups over the semantics of Islam in the twenty-first century. ... This book will naturally appeal to anyone especially interested in international relations, Islamic studies, foreign policy, political economy and theology. The main takeaway here is understanding that the Muslim World is anything but static. Everything is to play for, at the top as well as at the bottom.” (Zeeshan Mahmood, the Muslim World Book Review, Vol. 45 (3), 2025)

• .- Chapter 1 The Battle for the Soul of Islam..- Chapter 2 Islam’s New Kid on the Block..- Chapter 3 The Saudi Sultan’s Scholar..- Chapter 4 Emirati Gold Loses Its Shine..- Chapter 5 Muslim Clerics Battle It Out..- Chapter 6 Turkey Seeks Lost Glory..- Chapter 7 Trouble Brews in Islam’s Backyard..- Chapter 8 Epilogue - The Prabowo Presidency.