Religion and politics Books

Book Synopsis‘His parting shot at opposing the storm of fanaticism breaking over our times’ Financial Times Dear Zealots is an essential collection of three essays written out of a sense of urgency, concern, and a belief that a better future is still possible. It touches on the universal nature of fanaticism and its possible cures; the Jewish roots of humanism and the need for a secular pride in Israel; and the geopolitical standing of Israel in the wider Middle East and internationally. Amos Oz boldly puts forward his case for a two-state solution in what he calls ‘a question of life and death for the State of Israel’. Wise, provocative, moving and inspiring, these essays illuminate the argument over Israeli, Jewish and human existence, shedding a clear and surprising light on vital political and historical issues, and daring to offer new ways out of a reality that appears to be closed down.'Concise, evocative... a brilliant book of thoughts and ideas' David GrossmanTrade ReviewA passionate polemic against dogmatism and defeatism... Oz refuses to give up on democracy, on Israel or on justice for Palestinians. -- Louise Adler * The Australian *

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Book SynopsisIn 1844, a young merchant from Shiraz called Sayyid ‘Ali-Muhammad declared himself the ‘gate’ (the Bab) to the Truth and, shortly afterwards, the initiator of a new prophetic cycle. His messianic call attracted a significant following across Iran and Iraq. Regarded as a threat by state and religious authorities, the Babis were subject to intense persecution and the Bab himself was executed in 1850. In this volume, leading scholars of Islam, Baha’i studies and Iranian history come together to examine the life and legacy of the Bab, from his childhood to the founding of the Baha’i faith and beyond. Among other subjects, they cover the Bab’s writings, his Qur’an commentaries, the societal conditions that underlay the Babi upheavals, the works of Babi martyr Tahirih Qurratu’l-‘Ayn, and Orientalist Edward Granville Browne’s encounters with Babi and Baha’i texts.Table of ContentsBiographies Acknowledgments A Note on Transliteration Map Preface 1 The Bab: A Sun in a Night Not Followed by Dawn | Fereydun Vahman · The Bab Discontinues his Formal Education and Begins his Mercantile Work · Epiphany, Piety, and Intuition · The Bab’s Journey to the Sacred Shrine Cities of ʻIraq · The Bab’s Return to Shiraz and Marriage · The Declaration of the Bab’s Cause: The Birth of a New Religion · After the Declaration of the Bab’s Cause · Mulla ʻAli Bastami · The Bab’s Eventful Journey to Mecca · The Bab’s Return from Pilgrimage and the Events of Shiraz · The Bab in Isfahan · From Isfahan to Azarbaijan · The Trial of Tabriz · The Return to Chihriq Prison · The Execution of the Bab in Tabriz · Bibliography 2 The Worldview of the Báb: The Reconstruction of Religion and Society | Nader Saiedi · Reconstruction of the Idea of Religion: Dialectical Logic and Historical Consciousness · Reconstruction of the Idea of the Human Being and Human Identity · Rationalism and Humanism ·· Equality of the Believers and Canceling of the Authority of the Clerics ·· Centrality of the Word and the Rejection of Miracles ·· Reconstruction of Heaven, Hell, and the Day of Resurrection ·· Reconstruction of the Concept of the Occultation and Return of the Imam · Equal Rights, Social Justice, and Ethics ·· Station of Women, Rejection of Patriarchy ·· The Ethical Maxim: For the Sake of God ·· Culture of Affirmation ·· Development and Modernization: Perfection and Refinement · Conclusion · Bibliography 3 The Shaping of the Babi Community: Merchants, Artisans, and Others | Abbas Amanat · The Changing Economy · The Babi Merchants · The Babi Artisans · Converts from the Government Ranks · The Babi Community: An Assessment · Selected Bibliography 4 From a Primal Point to an Archetypal Book: Literary Trajectories through Select Writings of the Bab (1819–50) | Stephen N. Lambden · The Writings of the Bab, Some Preliminary Observations · Bayan/Mubin (“Crystal Clear”) yet “Abstruse, Bewilderingly Abstruse (sa‘b mustasa‘b)”: Exegetical Clarity and Esoteric Depth in the Writings of the Bab · The Shahada (Testimony of Faith) and its Alphabetical Mysteries · Esoterica, the Abstruse, Sciences of the Unseen (‘ulūm alghayb) · The Style, Grammar, and Syntax of the Bab · Personal Letters, “Scriptural Tablets” (Lawh, pl. Alwah) ·· Letters or Scriptural Tablets · The Genesis of the New Shari‘a (Laws), the Khasa’il-i Sab‘a (mid. 1845) · The All-Comprehensive Bayan (Exposition) of the Bab · The Five Modes of Revelation · Devotional Writings of the Bab · Tafsir Sūrat al-Hamd (Praise) or al-Fatiha (“The Opening,” Q. 1) · “We indeed proffered thee al-Kawthar (The Abundance).” · Hadith Commentary · Commentaries on Hadith Texts by the Bab · Sūrat al-Ridwan · Khutbas, Literary Orations · The Khutba al-Jidda (Literary Oration Nigh Jeddah) · The Khutba on ‘ilm al-huruf (On the “Science of the Letters”) · Select Treatises (Risala, pl. Rasa’il), Epistles (Ṣahifa, pl. Ṣuhuf ) and Other Scriptural Communications · The Risala fi’l-nubuwwa al-khassa (A Treatise on the Specific Prophethood of Muhammad) · Epistles, Treatises, Booklets (Ṣahifa, pl. Ṣuhuf ) · The Persian Dala’il-i sab‘a (Seven Proofs) · The Arabic al-dala’il al-sab‘a (Seven Proofs) · Kitab al-asma’/Kull shay’ (The Book of the Divine Names, the “All Things”) · Kitab-i panj sha‘n (The Book expressive of Five Modes of Revelation) · The (Lawh‑i) Haykal al‑din (“Temple of Religion”) (1266/early–mid-1850) · The Late Messianism of the Bab · The Wasiyyat-nama (Will and Testament) Attributed to the Bab · Concluding Summary Note · Bibliography 5 Interpretation as Revelation: The Qur’án Commentary of the Báb, Sayyid ‘Alí Muḥammad Shírází (1819–50) | Todd Lawson · Life of the Báb · The Shaykhí School · Shaykhí Teachings · Tafsír Works ·· Tafsír súrat al-baqara ·· Tafsír súrat Yúsuf · Conclusions · Bibliography 6 The Social Basis of the Bābī Upheavals in Iran (1848–53): A Preliminary Analysis | Moojan Momen · Introduction · The Shaykh Ṭabarsī Upheaval: 1848–49 ·· Total Number of Bābīs at Shaykh Ṭabarsī ·· Rural/Urban Origin of Bābī Participants at Shaykh Ṭabarsī · The Nayrīz Upheavals of 1850 and 1853 ·· Occupations of Bābī Participants in the Two Nayrīz Upheavals ·· Origins of Participants at the Two Nayrīz Upheavals ·· Total Numbers of Bābī Participants at the Two Nayrīz Upheavals · The Zanjān Upheaval: 1850–51 ·· Occupations of Bābī Participants at Zanjān ·· Origins of Bābī Participants at Zanjān ·· Total Numbers of Bābī Participants at Zanjān · The Tehran Episodes of 1850 and 1852 ·· The Seven Martyrs of Tehran, 1850 ·· The Tehran Executions of 1852 ·· Occupations of the Bābīs Executed in Tehran in 1852 · Conclusions ·· A Comparative Analysis ·· The Role of Women ·· Other Social Groups ·· The Social Basis of Babism 7 The Babi–State Conflicts of 1848–50 | Siyamak Zabihi-Moghaddam · Babi Clashes with the State: Neither Social Protest nor Offensive Holy War · Review of the Primary Sources of the Babi Upheavals · An Outline of the Conflict at Shaykh Tabarsi, September 1848–May 1849 · The Objectives of the Babis at Shaykh Tabarsi · The Calm between Storms: May 1849–May 1850 · The Nayriz Conflict of May–June 1850 · An Analysis of the Objectives of Vahid and the Babis in Nayriz · Hujjat and the ‘Ulama’ of Zanjan · The Zanjan Episode of May 1850–January 1851 · An Analysis of the Objectives of Hujjat and the Zanjani Babis · Conclusion · Bibliography 8 From Babi Movement to the Baha’i Faith: Some Observations About the Evolution of a New Religion | Armin Eschraghi · Some General Observations on the Bab’s Sacred Law · Messianism in the Bab’s Writings · The Later Development of the Babi Movement · Baha’u’llah After the Bab’s Martyrdom · Babi Messianism and the Question of Leadership · Some General Observations on Baha’u’llah’s Sacred Law · Some Further Observations on the Baha’i Faith’s Evolution from the Babi Movement ·· Messianism ·· Ritual Impurity (najasah) ·· Holy War and Religious Legitimization of Violence · Conclusion · Bibliography 9 “The hand of God is not chained up”: Notes on Two Salient Themes in the Prose Writings of Ṭáhirih Qurratu’l-‘Ayn | Omid Ghaemmaghami · Introduction · Progressive Revelation · Love, Friendship, and Forbearance · Bibliography 10 Babi-Baha’i Books and Believers in E. G. Browne’s A Year amongst the Persians | Sholeh A. Quinn · Introduction · Terminology and Identifications · Isfahan · Shiraz ·· Books in Shiraz ·· Reading in Shiraz · Yazd · Kirman · Conclusion · The Texts Browne Encountered in Iran · Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe Arab revolutions of 2011 were a transformative moment in the modern history of the Middle East, as people rose up against long-standing autocrats throughout the region to call for 'bread, freedom and dignity'. With the passage of time, results have been decidedly mixed, with initial success stories like Tunisia contrasting with the emergence of even more repressive dictatorships in places like Egypt, with the backing of several Gulf states. Focusing primarily on Egypt, this book considers a relatively understudied dimension of these revolutions: the role of prominent religious scholars. While pro-revolutionary ulama have justified activism against authoritarian regimes, counter-revolutionary scholars have provided religious backing for repression, and in some cases the mass murder of unarmed protestors. Usaama al-Azami traces the public engagements and religious pronouncements of several prominent ulama in the region, including Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Ali Gomaa and Abdullah bin Bayyah, to explore their role in either championing the Arab revolutions or supporting their repression. He concludes that while a minority of noted scholars have enthusiastically endorsed the counter-revolutions, their approach is attributable less to premodern theology and more to their distinctly modern commitment to the authoritarian state.Trade Review‘[An] important study, the first comprehensive account of its kind.’ -- Asian Affairs‘Compelling.’ -- Middle East Policy'Al-Azami's book should be of great help to those interested in the religious dimensions of the Arab Spring debates. It provides important insights into the modes of argument and analysis of contemporary political discourse that is explicitly Islamic.' -- The Middle East Journal'Ten years after the Arab Spring, little attention has been given to the important role of religious scholars. Al-Azami's excellent book provides an extensive analysis of a myriad of discourses and political alliances. A must-read for researchers of modern Islam and Middle East studies.' -- Heba Raouf Ezzat, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Ibn Haldun University'Literature on the Arab Spring is vast, but a novel perspective and original dimension is rare. Al-Azami's book accomplishes both. He succinctly illustrates that the Arab Revolutions were also an epistemological battle, in which the ulama played a pivotal role. A quintessential read.' -- Wadah Khanfar, former director general of Al Jazeera Media Network and President of the Al Sharq Forum'A comprehensive account and analysis of how the events of the Arab Spring unfolded among the ranks of the ulama. Indispensable for anyone wanting to understand the fault lines which will dominate the Muslim world for years to come.' -- Jonathan A. C. Brown, Professor of Islamic Civilization, Georgetown University

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Book SynopsisMany Christians are nervous about politics - isn't the political world murky and sleazy, a den of deceit and backstairs deals? At the same time, the image of Christians in politics isn’t great either – often seen as judgemental hypocrites, intolerant and hateful control freaks... shouldn't this mean that faith and politics should be kept firmly apart? In A Mucky Business, Tim Farron, former Leader of the Liberal Democrats Party and friends, explore and defend why Christianity and politics should and must work together. If Christians are to love their neighbours, they need to engage with the issues that affect everyone. Why should Christians leave their beliefs at the door when they enter public life? No one else does! Tim Farron shares his experience as the UK’s best known Christian MP and draws on case studies from across the political spectrum. Many of these case studies come from his successful A Mucky Business podcast. Demonstrating that it’s possible to be both a Christian and to step into the political world with confidence. A Mucky Business will both inspired and better equip christians to care about politics, pray knowledgeably, and engage with politics effectively.Trade ReviewWhy should Christians engage in politics? Because Christ calls us to be salt of the earth, light of the world. Love of God and love of neighbour mean we are to get involved. Rooted in Scripture and prayer, this book brilliantly explains what that looks like in practice, how we can be compassionate without compromise in the fundamentals. It is part of a tradition that calls us to be 'the King's good servant, but God's first' (Thomas More). * Fr Mark Vickers, author of 'God in Number 10' *A frank, thought-provoking challenge to Christians to get involved with the world around them, whether through neighborhood projects or national politics. * Rob Hutton, Parliamentary Sketchwriter, Critic Magazine *This book offers a refreshingly honest, brave, insightful and reasoned account of Christian engagement in politics. It avoids being either naive or cynical. It draws on outstanding scholarship and provides practical wisdom. It not only argues that the gospel relates to all of life, including politics, but considers the challenges and opportunities of taking such a claim seriously. Politics is indeed a mucky business, and one in which we must play our part if we are serious about loving God and loving our neighbours as ourselves. * Paul Woolley, CEO, the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity *A fantastic read, A Mucky Business shows that social injustice should be on the heart of every Christian. Politics and the gospel are entwined in giving the world the good news of Jesus Christ. The different conversations in this book all speak the same language. Tim blends the text in such a way that the reader wants more. * Pastor Mick Fleming, leader of Church on the Street Ministries in Burnley, and author of Blown Away: From drug dealer to life bringer *Tim Farron is a hero of mine, and I’m so glad he’s written this book that will help Christians pursue faithfulness in all of life, including politics! I trust this book will be a great encouragement to all who have grown weary of our politics, and I believe it will empower Christians to make a difference for good. * Michael Wear, author of Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America *Jesus didn’t run away from the muck. He waded straight into it. But in the knowledge that he was doing what his Father was calling him to. If you’ve been trying to keep your feet clean by avoiding the muck of the public square (both online and offline), this is the book for you. It will help you get stuck in but also understand why and for whom you’re suddenly knee-deep. * Andy Flannagan, Executive Director of Christians in Politics *Tim Farron’s book is a timely antidote both to widespread apathy about involvement in social issues and frustration with the deceptions and intrigues of politicians. Here is an active politician who is honest about his Christian beliefs as well as his own failures and passions. Of course he is not the only one, as is clear from the many case studies. But in this book, he does more than simply offer models of people who have devoted themselves to the ‘mucky business’ of politics. He tackles common objections and concerns head on. He also provides practical paths for others to follow suit. In its quirky, self-deprecating way, this is a book to inspire and encourage, and if a large proportion of readers get involved as a result, that has to be a good thing! * Mark Meynell, former Whitehall chaplain, and author of A Wilderness of Mirrors: Trusting again in a Cynical World. *This book has its head in a theological vision for cultural engagement and its feet firmly planted in the mucky business of political life. Like Tim Farron himself, it is ebullient, principled, astute, and hopeful in all the right ways. * Glen Scrivener, Director and Evangelist at Speak Life, author of The Air We Breathe *There are few people better placed than Tim Farron to advise people of faith on the opportunities and perils of political engagement. Tim and his co-authors are realistic about what politics is, but also hopefully that there is good work to be done by Christians in the public square. This book doesn’t offer political theory, but a biblically informed political practice. Any Christian who senses a call to the public life should read it. * Paul Bickley, Acting Head of Research, Theos *

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The fissures that have split the United Kingdom in the last decades have run through Northern Ireland. Since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the fragile peace has been threatened by Brexit, the rise and fall of the D U P and the failure of power-sharing arrangement between the main parties at the Stormont Assembly. As the very future of Northern Ireland is now in jeopardy, will Britain face up to its imperial legacy and address the deep inequalities that remain in the aftermath of the Troubles, and the uneven development of the 'New Ireland'?Geoffrey Bell offers an insightful history of Ulster Unionism from the 1960s to the present day. In recent years this has come to a crisis point. What is the future of the Union in the post-Brexit reality? How will the relationship between Northern Ireland and Westminster develop? Can the United Kingdom survive?

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Book SynopsisIn Jewish Pride: Rebuilding a People, Ben M. Freeman, inspired by his experiences with LGBTQ+ pride, aims to educate, inspire and empower Jewish people to reject the shame of antisemitism imposed on Jews by the non-Jewish world as well as non-Jewish perceptions of what it means to be a Jew. Enabling them to begin the process of defining their own identities as proud Jews through Jewish experience, Jewish history and Jewish values. Jewish Pride is an urgent and essential read.

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Book SynopsisMuch has been written by and about Satish Kumar - peace pilgrim, co-founder of Schumacher College, and longtime editor of Resurgence magazine. A monk at the age of nine, and now a world-renowned environmental activist with Honorary Doctorates from five UK universities, Satish Kumar has been working to realise Mahatma Gandhi's vision of a peaceful, sustainable world for much of his life. This new volume gives readers the chance to listen in on a 30-hour 'longform conversation' with Satish - a conversation where his interviewers draw out his experiences, reflections and insights. They question his political and philosophical thinking, invite him to revisit strongly held positions and, through the conversation, seek to cast new light on the man and his multiple perspectives on the world. Forewords by Charles Eisenstein and Arun Maira place his life and work in context and the conversation challenges him on many aspects of: * the purpose of our life * reverential ecology * soil, soul and society * the spiritual path and daily life * education, sustainability and economic growth * implementing Gandhian ideals * selfishness and acceptance * caste-politics * centralisation and the economy of tomorrow * Sarvodaya (living in harmony with all existence) * health and technology * capitalism * aesthetics and beautyTable of ContentsForeword 1: Reverential Ecology Foreword 2: Satish Kumar's Experiments with Truth Cover 1: 'Oh, those people who want to change the world!' Cover 2: A Long Walk: From being to becoming Cover 3: Earth is a Community Chapter 1: Around the Globe, Footloose, Penniless Chapter 2: Monk at Nine Chapter 3: Back in the World Chapter 4: Editor in London ~ The Story of Resurgence Chapter 5: Who am I? Chapter 6: Schumacher College Chapter 7: How We Lost True Confidence Chapter 8: Centralised Systems Cannot be the Answer for India Chapter 9: Caste-politics, Justice, Health and Technology Chapter 10: Sarvodaya Chapter 11: Money Making Money: The destructive business model Chapter 12: On Beauty, Speed and iPhones Afterword: A Road Open to All Glossary Acknowledgements Index About the Authors

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Book SynopsisThis book focuses on two key aspects of hate crime in the UK since 1945: those motivated by racial and religious prejudices. It examines factors that have underpinned the emergence and occurrence of racial and religious hate crime and the approaches and policies that have been pursued by the state, especially the criminal justice system, to combat this problem. Crucially, it also provides insight into the challenges that are faced in the contemporary period (especially in the wake of the 2016 EU referendum) in combatting hate crime. Additionally the book briefly considers the importance of the rhetoric of the Trump campaign and the administration's early policies to the contemporary manifestations of racial and religious hate crime.Table of ContentsIntroductionChapter 1 Racism and hate crime Chapter 2 Immigration control and racially motivated hatred 1900 - to the early 1960s Chapter 3 Racially motivated discrimination, extremist rhetoric and immigration control 1960 - to the early 1980s Chapter 4 Policing, social disorder and responding to racially motivated offending in the 1980s and 1990s Chapter 5 Legislating against racially aggravated offending: from the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to the Macpherson Report Chapter 6 Islamophobia and the social cohesion agenda Chapter 7 Contemporary political extremism Chapter 8 The Response to Hate Crime: From 2010 – Brexit Chapter 9 Conclusion: Hate crime - Brexit and beyond. Index

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Book SynopsisThe authors of this book analyze the mechanisms and strategies that allow specific religious actors to affect the foreign policy agenda and decisions of the countries in which they are active. Paying special attention to events and phenomena that have had a decisive impact on regional and global development, this book provides an international outlook on how the activities of religious actors can influence foreign policy. The research subject was inspired by the idea of identifying what dynamics are occurring and whether there are any discernible trends. Table of ContentsStrategies of Implementing Religious Influence on Foreign Policy.- The Role of Religion in Foreign Policy in the European Context – Examples and Reports.- Religious Impact on Foreign Policy in Non-European Countries – Examples and Reports.

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Book SynopsisDiscourse on fundamentalism has gained much attention in recent years, particularly in a post-9/11 context where extremist or terrorist threats are more prominent, perilous, and pervasive. This edited volume seeks to spotlight the perspectives of academics and practitioners vis-à-vis global trends in religious fundamentalism and right-wing extremism over the past decade. It presents a collection of works from notable academics and practitioners; including a selection of case studies from Asia to illustrate the contemporary interplay of religion, politics and identity; alongside broader global trends of religious fundamentalism.The chapters that follow attempt to trace the sources and factors that led to the dramatic rise in these powerful forces of faith, which influence societies and politics around the world. Together, they present a carefully curated narrative of the interplay of religion and identity politics globally and across Asia. The prevailing differences in demographics, history and the extent of ethno-religious diversity across country contexts are perused across each chapter, and the ensuing circumstances deliberated upon.As these circumstances change, the ways people interpret their identities, engage in politics, and navigate their religion will also evolve. How we manage the effects of religious fundamentalism must hence begin with an understanding of how religion, identity, and politics interact — and this is what the upcoming chapters seek to illustrate.

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Book SynopsisIs traditional American religion doomed?Traditional religion in the United States has suffered huge losses in recent decades. The number of Americans identifying as not religious has increased remarkably. Religious affiliation, service attendance, and belief in God have declined. More and more people claim to be spiritual but not religious. Religious organizations have been reeling from revelations of sexual and financial scandals and cover-ups. Public trust in organized religion has declined significantly. Crucially, these religious losses are concentrated among younger generations. This means that, barring unlikely religious revivals among youth, the losses will continue and accelerate in time, as less-religious younger Americans replace older more-religious ones and increasingly fewer American children are raised by religious parents. All this is clear. But what is less clear is exactly why this is happening. We know a lot more about the fact that traditional American religion has d

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Book SynopsisPartitioning Ireland was an experiment that has lasted a century. Now it is time for it to come to an endTrade ReviewThe phrase 'If we don't learn from the past, we are doomed to repeat it', seems more apt about Ireland than anywhere else. To look at Ireland through the prism of class is to see not what might have been but what brightness the future might bring. Kieran Allen's new book is Irish history seen anew, from below, bristling with practical lessons for working-class struggle today' -- Eamonn McCann, politician, journalist and political activist'Showing how partition was not to separate two hostile cultures but a strategy to defend the British empire, it traces the grisly story through to the return of the national question today when Irish unity can be posed again on a new socialist basis. Essential reading for anyone who wants to change Irish society' -- Brid Smith, People Before Profit TD'An important contribution to a debate that has been reignited. It is an excellent tool for activists who are navigating the arguments in favour of ending partition' -- Gerry Carroll, MLA Stormont Assembly for West Belfast‘Makes a compelling case that Connolly’s class-oriented vision offers a way out of the sectarian maze Ireland has been trapped in since partition’ -- ‘Jacobin’'If there is one book you need to read to grasp what’s going on in Ireland, and Northern Ireland specifically, it must be Kieran Allen’s 32 Counties’ -- ‘Counterfire’Table of ContentsPreface 1. ‘A Carnival of Reaction’: The Origins of Partition 2. Republicans and Loyalists 3. British Imperialism 4. Managed Sectarianism 5. Protestant Workers 6. The Return of the National Question 7. The Left and Irish Unity 8. What Kind of United Ireland? Notes Index

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Book SynopsisPresents an important collection of essays documenting the intersections of race and religion and Asian American communities. Issues of religion and race/ethnicity undergird current national debates around immigration, racial profiling, and democratic freedoms, but these issues, as the contributors document, are longstanding ones in the US.Trade Review“Envisioning Religion, Race, and Asian Americans brings to the forefront the intersections of race, gender, religion, citizenship, surveillance, transnational connections, and continuing constructions of identity among Asian Americans, and theorizes along those lines. It is a remarkable volume that should be required reading in part or in full for courses on Asian Americans, across the various disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.”- Zayn Kassam, John Knox McLean Professor of Religious Studies, Pomona College; “This volume brings much-needed attention to the religious lives of a racial/ethnic demographic—Asian Americans—that is so often ignored. The essays together establish the depth and breadth of the scholarship on Asian American religions, providing a rich snapshot of the wide range of Asian American religious life and the scholarly methods and approaches being used to study it. The editors have assembled a collection that will certainly serve as an invaluable resource for scholars working on Asian American religions.”- Sylvia Chan-Malik, associate professor, Department of American Studies, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

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Book SynopsisIn Secularism as Misdirection, Nivedita Menon traces how the discourse of secularism fixes attention to and hypervisualizes women and religion while obscuring other related issues. Showing how secularism is often invoked to serve capital and antiminority politics, Menon exposes it as a strategy of governance that is compatible with both democracy and authoritarianism, capitalism and socialism. Secularism also delegitimizes the nonindividuated nonrational self, Menon argues; exploring this aspect, she tracks the journey of psychoanalysis in the global South. Menon further examines the interconnectedness of religion, caste, the state, and women, showing how the discourse of secularism can also be mobilized by Hindu supremacist politics in India. Menon puts Latin American decolonial theorists in conversation with Asian and African thinkers to examine twenty-first-century global reimaginings of selfhood, constitutionalism, citizenship, and anticapitalist existence. Through a feminis

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Book SynopsisThe maverick philosopher returns to explore today''s idealogical, political and economic battles, and asks whether radical change is possibleIn these troubled times, even the most pessimistic diagnosis of our future ends with an uplifting hint that things might not be as bad as all that, that there is light at the end of the tunnel.Yet, argues Slavoj Žižek, it is only when we have admit to ourselves that our situation is completely hopeless - that the light at the end of the tunnel is in fact the headlight of a train approaching us from the opposite direction - that fundamental change can be brought about. Surveying the various challenges in the world today, from mass migration and geopolitical tensions to terrorism, the explosion of rightist populism and the emergence of new radical politics - all of which, in their own way, express the impasses of global capitalism - Žižek explores whether there still remains the possibility for genuine change. Today, he proposes, the only true question is,or should be, this: do we endorse the predominant acceptance of capitalism as fact of human nature, or does today''s capitalism contain strong enough antagonisms to prevent its infinite reproduction? Can we, he asks, move beyond the failure of socialism, and beyond the current wave of populist rage, and initiate radical change before the train hits? ''Žižek is a thinker who regards nothing as outside his field: the result is deeply interesting and provocative'' - Guardian ''Žižek leaves no social or cultural phenomenon untheorized, and is master of the counterintuitive observation'' -New YorkerTrade ReviewŽižek is a thinker who regards nothing as outside his field: the result is deeply interesting and provocative * Guardian *Žižek leaves no social or cultural phenomenon untheorized, and is master of the counterintuitive observation * New Yorker *

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Book SynopsisJon Hoffman is a Foreign Policy Analyst at the Cato Institute, USA, specializing in U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, Middle East geopolitics, and political Islam. He is also an adjunct professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, USA. His work has been featured in a number of policy-oriented platforms, including Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, The National Interest, Middle East Policy, and more. Hoffman was included in the inaugural cohort of the 40 under 40 award provided by the Middle East Policy Council for furthering U.S. understanding of the Middle East.

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Book SynopsisOur world as it once was In August 2014, Farida was, like any ordinary teenager, enjoying the last days of summer before her final year at school. However, her peaceful mountain village in northern Iraq was an ISIS target as their genocide against the Yazidi people began. The catastropheISIS murdered the men and boys in the village, including Farida's father and brother, and took the women hostage. Farida was one of them. She was held in a slave camp, in the homes of ISIS members and finally in a desert training camp. Continually she struggled, resisted and fought against her captors, showing unimaginable strength and bravery. This is my storyEventually, Farida managed to plot her escape and fled into the desert with five young girls in her care, but defeating ISIS was just the first step in her journey. In this book she tells her remarkable and inspiring story.Trade ReviewTruly a triumph of the human spirit over terror * Irish Times *Farida's story needs to be told * The Times *This is one of those rare volumes that offers astonishing insights into the human spirit * Observer *A compelling testament to the suffering of ordinary people caught up in violence far beyond their control * Guardian *Mesmerising * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisOrientalism is the term applied to scholarship that reduces Islam and Muslims to stereotypes of ignorance and violence in need of foreign control. It has been used to rationalize Europe''s colonial domination of most of the Muslim world and continued American-led interventions in the post-colonial period. In the past 30 years it has been represented by claims that a monolithic Islam and equally monolithic West are distinct civilizations, sharing nothing in common and, indeed, involved in an inevitable clash from which only one can emerge the winner. Most recently, it has appeared in Alt Right rhetoric. Anti-Muslim sentiment, measured in public opinion polls, hate crime statistics, and legislation, is reaching record levels. Since John Esposito published his first book nearly 40 years ago, he has been guiding readers beyond such politically charged stereotypes. The essays in this volume highlight the contributions of scholars from a variety of disciplines who, like -- and often inspired by -- John Esposito, recognize the misleading and politically dangerous nature of Orientalist polarizations. They present Islam as a multi-faceted and dynamic tradition embraced by communities in globally interconnected but substantially diverse contexts over the centuries. The contributors follow Esposito''s lead, stressing the profound commonalities among religions and replacing Orientalist discourse with holistic analyses of the complex historical phenomena that affect developments in all societies. In addition to chapters focusing on diversity among Muslims and interfaith relations, this collection includes chapters assessing the secular bias at the root of Orientalist scholarship, and contemporary iterations of Orientalism in the form of Islamophobia.Trade ReviewFew scholars have so thoroughly contested the stereotyping of Islam and Muslims typical of the Orientalist tradition, so it is fitting that this volume celebrating his scholarly achievements should contain so many original perspectives on contemporary Muslim movements. The authors do not shy away from controversies, as with the brutality of the ISIS so-called Caliphate, but they carefully set such movements in social and historical context. This is an essential book for understanding the contemporary Muslim world, which interrogates the glib assumptions of so much writing about this key region. * Juan Cole, Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History, University of Michigan *This volume is a worthy recognition of John Esposito's striking contributions over four decades to correcting the misperceptions and distortions in the public and policy apprehension, as well as the scholarly study, of Islam. Fittingly, it demystifies Islam by taking both the pull of first principles and the contestation over interpretations seriously. In so doing, it aptly highlights the possibilities of Scriptural manipulation and the variety of modern practice, but also the potential of religion to evolve and to elevate the human condition. * James Piscatori, Co-author of Islam Beyond Borders: The Umma in World Politics *Each of the authors applies Esposito's visionary identification of the flawed 'secular fundamentalist' approach of Western scholarship on political Islam to case studies that range from ISIS to interfaith dialogue and from Southeast Asia to Southside Chicago. This book brings into sharp relief the ways in which an awareness of the historic roots and contemporary shoots of Orientalism and Islamophobia are key to understanding culture and society on the level of the global, the local, and the individual. * Anne K. Rasmussen, author of Author, Women, the Recited Qur'an, and Islamic Music in Indonesia *Among his many academic accomplishments, John Esposito is especially esteemed for advancing the study of Islam as practiced and understood by Muslims the world over and for demonstrating its intrinsic importance as one of the three monotheistic faiths. In their articles, the contributors to this celebratory volume poignantly testify to Esposito's success in these endeavors. * Charles E. Butterworth, Emeritus Professor of Government & Politics, University of Maryland *Table of Contents1. Introduction Tamara Sonn SHAPING THE DISCOURSE: Countering the Secular Bias 2. 'After Enlightenment, Return to the Marketplace: The Scholar's Responsibility for a Broken World Karen Armstrong 3. The Secular Bias and the Study of Religious Politics: On John Esposito, Michael Walzer, and Political Islam Nader Hashemi DIVERSITY IN ISLAM: Whose Islam? 4. The Islamic Reformist Mosaic in Muslim Southeast Asia Khairudin Aljunied 5. Looking for the Caliphate in All the Wrong Places: ISIS and Its Reading of Scripture Asma Afsaruddin 6. How Islamic Is ISIS? Sohail H. Hashmi ISLAM AND PLURALISM: Interfaith Relations 7. Building Muslim-Buddhist Understanding: The Parallels of Taqwa/Allah Consciousness in the Qur'an and Satipatthana/Mindfulness in Anapanasati Sutta Imityaz Yusuf 8. Televangelizing Muslims: Christian Satellite Television and Its Impact on Muslim-Christian Relations in Jordan Jordan Denari Duffner ORIENTALISM 2.0: Islamophobia 9. The Social Construction of The Racial Muslim Sahar Aziz 10. Anti-Catholicism, Islamophobia, and White Supremacy in the United States Scott C. Alexander 11. Islam and Exceptionalism in the Western Policy Imagination Peter Mandaville 12. Pluralism, Authority, and Islamophobia: Shari`a and Its Discontents in North America Mohammad Fadel John L. Esposito: Select Bibliography Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisA captivating look at the history of the pure females of Islamic paradise known as the houriThe fascination with the houri, the pure female of Islamic paradise, began long before September 11, 2001. Beauty of the Houri: Heavenly Virgins, Feminine Ideals demonstrates how the ambiguous reward of the houri, mentioned in the Qur?an and developed in Islamic theological writings, has gained a distinctive place in the cultural eye from the seventeenth to the twenty-first century.The houri had multiple functions in Islamic texts that ranged from caretaker, to pure companion, to personal entertainment. French, English, and American writers used the houri to critique Islam and Muslim societies, while also adopting the houri as a model of feminine beauty. Unlike earlier texts that presented different forms of the houri or universalized the houri for all women, writings about the houri after September 11th offer contradictory messages about Islam. In the twenty-first century, the image of the houri has come to symbolize a reward for violence and the possibility of gender parity.As a cosmic figure that inspires enduring questions about the promise of paradise and the idealized feminine form, the houri has a singular past and broad potential for future interpretation. The Beauty of the Houri narrates an intellectual history of the houri and offers a contemporary account of how theological ambiguity has led to different interpretations of this powerfully enduring Islamic concept.Trade ReviewThe Beauty of the Houri is a meticulously researched, elegantly written gem that offers much more than a survey of houris in the Muslim past. Drawing on sources from the Qur'an and Hadith, European poetry, and Islamist recruitment videos to US news items, Rustomji weaves analysis of texts with profound theoretical insights into gender constructions, changing eschatological expectations, text criticism, and contemporary US and Muslim politics. * J. Hammer, CHOICE *In this revealing history... the overall sweep convinces. This comprehensive work will help scholars of Islam understand the evolving history of a powerful image. * Publishers Weekly *In the Jesuit Spiritual Exercises, one reflects on the teaching that 'The profane is not divorced from the spiritual.' Rustomji has created a small masterpiece, meticulously researched and beautifully written, which helps us to understand both the spiritual and the profane elements of the Houri. * Amir Hussain, Chair and Professor of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles *In The Beauty of the Houri, a meticulously researched and elegantly written book, Rustomji offers us much more than a survey of houris in the Muslim past. Drawing on sources from the Qur'an and hadith, European poetry, and Islamist recruitment videos to US news items, the author weaves together analysis of texts with profound theoretical insights into gender constructions, changing eschatological expectations, text criticism, and contemporary US and Muslim politics. Highly recommended. * Juliane Hammer, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, UNC Chapel Hill *This vivid, enthralling study offers readers a unique point of entry into a fascinating global history of feminine ideals of beauty, imagined by men and women, for this world and the next. The author traces the fluidity of this image, not just among Muslims, but also as it once impacted European -- and American -- Christians. A rare treat for those intrigued by gender and religion within and beyond the Islamic world. * Denise A. Spellberg, author of Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an: Islam and the Founders *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1. The Letter Chapter 2. The Word Chapter 3. The Romance Chapter 4. A Reward Chapter 5. The Promise Chapter 6. The Question Conclusion

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Book SynopsisUntil surprisingly recently the history of the Irish Catholic Church during the Northern Irish Troubles was written by Irish priests and bishops and was commemorative, rather than analytical. This study uses the Troubles as a case study to evaluate the role of the Catholic Church in mediating conflict.During the Troubles, these priests and bishops often worked behind the scenes, acting as go-betweens for the British government and republican paramilitaries, to bring about a peaceful solution. However, this study also looks more broadly at the actions of the American, Irish and English Catholic Churches, as well as that of the Vatican, to uncover the full impact of the Church on the conflict. This critical analysis of previously neglected state, Irish, and English Catholic Church archival material changes our perspective on the role of a religious institution in a modern conflict.Trade ReviewMargaret Scull's monograph offers an important contribution to the historical literature on Northern Ireland and, moreover, it is widely relevant to the study of organised Christianity in divided communities in times of civil unrest. * Eugenio F. Biagini, Sidney Sussex College, Journal of Contemporary History *The author has looked at a commendably wide range of material and has interviewed some key figures in Church and politics ... these interviews give real insight into the complementarities and antagonisms between the Church, nationalism and republicanism * Oliver P. Rafferty SJ, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *This is an important book and it should certainly be read carefully and mulled over by anyone interested in Northern Ireland specifically and in the intersections between politics and religion more generally, with all of the moral, ethical, and cultural considerations therein. * Margo Shea, H-Diplo *Margaret Scull's book The Catholic Church and the Northern Ireland Troubles, 1968-1998 transcends the parochial view on the Catholic Church during the Northern Ireland Conflict and instead situates it in a transnational framework. Thereby, she challenges established views and provides fresh insight...Scull's book hopefully will rekindle the interest of the Church's role in the conflict and will do away with the stereotype that the conflict was primarily the concern of the Irish Catholic Church with the English Catholic Church playing the part of a bystander. * Jan Freytag, British Catholic History *This volume is an important contribution to the scholarship of the 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland; it is painstakingly researched and engagingly written...Margaret Scull has made a very significant contribution to the literature of the Northern Irish conflict; it is to be hoped that the book will be widely read and made available in paperback. * Stephen Hopkins, University of Leicester, Cercles *Dr Scull has injected fresh impetus into chronicling the often secretive roles played by the Catholic and Protestant Churches in the Irish Troubles. * John Cooney, The Irish Times *A rich and carefully-researched new book, The Catholic Church and the Northern Ireland Troubles, 1968-1999, offers fresh insights on the changing role of the Catholic Church and the personalities that drove its interventions during that fraught period. * Gladys Ganiel, slugger o'toole *It has been some time since Catholicism has been the subject of such a focused academic study. * Gladys Ganiel, Queen's University Belfast, Slugger O'Toole *

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Book SynopsisIn many low-income neighborhoods in El Salvador, two groups have significant influence over the public sphere: gangs and evangelical churches. Members of both groups often belong to the same families, use similar organizational strategies, and engage each other in local marketplaces. Pastors and gang leaders compete for power within communities while informally sharing community governance. Entanglements even occur within formal organizations: Gang members can be found in churches and faith-based organizations, while an evangelical presence exists within prisons and other gang-controlled spaces. Blood Entanglements shows the importance of religion in gang-controlled neighborhoods in El Salvador through extensive empirical data and the personal stories of people who live there. Stephen Offutt uses the notion of entanglement to explain how and why evangelicals have such frequent and often intimate interactions with gangs, which are groups that many evangelicals believe are evil. Entanglement, he shows, also sheds light on how evangelicals engage with Latin American society and social problems more generally. The book concludes with policy recommendations for reducing gang prevalence and violence in areas with a prominent evangelical presence.Trade ReviewIn El Salvador, the country with highest murder rate on the planet, criminal gangs and evangelicals, mostly pentecostals, are the two most influential groups in towns and cities across the violence-plagued nation. This book, on the complex relations between the MS-13 and 18th Street gangs on one hand and evangelical communities on the other, is the most nuanced and insightful study to date on the topic. It belongs on the top shelf of readers interested in global Christianity, gang violence, and Latin American studies. * R. Andrew Chesnut, author of Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint *Like street gangs, religious traditions have always adapted to changing surroundings. Stephen Offutt's fascinating account of the overlapping social worlds of gangs and churches in El Salvador sheds light on the dynamic relationships between evangelicals and violence on Central America's urban margins. A must read for anyone interested in the place of lived religion in the Global South. * Robert Brenneman, author of Homies and Hermanos: God and the Gangs in Central America *Table of ContentsIntroduction Ch 1 Evangelicals & Gangs: Inverted Images Ch 2 Shared Cosmologies Ch 3 Ties that Bind: Family Networks Ch 4 Competing for Local Authority Ch 5 Unusual Alliances in Community Governance Ch 6 Economic Engagements Ch 7 Infiltrated Organizations Conclusion Appendix I: Methodology Works Cited

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Book SynopsisIn 1908, Unitarian pastor Bertrand Thompson observed the momentous growth of the labor movement with alarm. Socialism, he wrote, has become a distinct substitute for the church. He was not wrong.In the generation after the Civil War, few of the migrants who moved North and West to take jobs in factories and mines had any association with traditional Protestant denominations. In the place of church, workers built a labor movement around a shared commitment to a Christian commonwealth. They demanded an expanded local, state and federal infrastructure which supported collective bargaining for better pay, shorter work-days, and an array of municipal services. Protestant clergy worried that if the labor movement kept growing in momentum and cultural influence, socialist policies would displace the need for churches and their many ministries to the poor. Even worse, they feared that the labor movement would render the largest Protestant denominations a relic of the nineteenth century.In The Trade ReviewWith astonishing archival findings and narrative lucidity, The Gospel of Church supplies a beautiful primer on the religious debates that originate the modern labor movement. Janine Drake exposes how Christian leaders turned against union organizing to preserve their universalizing hold on the moral order. This is a book appears just as socialism experiences a revitalized presence in public conversation and Christian nationalism is on the rise. Required reading for activists, agitators, educators, and historians who want to understand when and why so many American Christians got scared of strikes. * Kathryn Lofton, author of Consuming Religion *Janine Giordano Drake's revelatory book will lead readers to a new understanding of the church as a site of political contest in the early 20th century. A feat of research and scholarship, her account of religion, class, and politics will help scholars gain a deeper understanding of Christianity as a social force- one that has reshaped the political landscape with implications reaching to the present day. * Kimberly Kather Phillips-Fein, author of Invisible Hands: The Businessmen's Crusade Against the New Deal *Janine Giordano Drake skillfully and effectively tells the story of how protestant ministers, organized into the Federal Council of Churches and motivated by wider Social Gospel commitments, suppressed working class movements in support of socialism and industrial unions. Her well-documented argument shows how Protestant ministers and the FCC, between 1908 and 1920, used notions of Christian justice to strengthen their own power and public presence while weakening unions and voices on the working-class religious left. Her work bridges scholarship in the fields of labor and religious history and speaks to important political developments that reverberate to this day. * Randi Storch, author of Red Chicago: American Communism at Its Grassroots, 1928-35 *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: Gilded Age Churches and the Vacuum of Denominational Authority Chapter 2: Christianity and the American Commonwealth Chapter 3: Planting the Church of Social Democracy: Socialism and Christian Socialism in the Socialist Party of America Chapter 4: Between Religion and Politics: Christian Socialists and the Socialist Party Chapter 5: Socialism and the Limits of American Protestantism Chapter 6: Reframing the Moral Lessons of the Labor Movement Chapter 7: Charles Stelzle's Labor Temple and the Constested Boundaries of American Religion Chapter 8: The Great War and the Victory of White Protestant Clergy Chapter 9: The Interchurch World Movement and the Christening of the Open Shop Afterword: On the Heroic Narrative of Christian Social Service

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis book is essentially a neo-Anabaptist primer for political theology and church-state relations...With an approach more akin to theology than social science, this volume is an extended argument for Christian pacifism and peacemaking that some readers will welcome as a corrective to contemporary right-wing Christian political activism. * Choice *an impressive book * Andrew S. Gilmour, The Living Church *This book skillfully counters the global rise of religious nationalism by deftly analyzing the founding mission of Christianity. It shows that by politicizing itself, Christianity has lost its prophetic voice, urgently needed to advance human rights and peace everywhere. This book will be a light for Christians and a template for religious social activism around the world." -Mark Juergensmeyer, author of God at WarThis remarkable book shows how state privilege both harms Christianity and undermines global peace and democracy. In contrast, independent Christian communities that live by the radical ethic of Jesus promote human rights, dignity for the poor, women's empowerment, and peace & reconciliation. Beautifully written and cogently argued. * Allen Hertzke, author of Freeing God's Children *Tracing the theology and charting the history of churches across the globe, Nilay Saiya lays bare the startling realization that whenever the church attains a privileged status with the state, true Christian practice withers and dies. This book couldn't be more timely. It is a significant contribution to the study of the church in society. It cannot be ignored by anyone who cares about the politics of Jesus Christ in our time." -David Fitch, BR Lindner Chair of Theology, Northern Seminary, ChicagoTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1. Clashing Kingdoms Chapter 2. Patriots, Pietists, and Prophets Chapter 3. Wayward Christian Soldiers: Christianity and Violence Chapter 4. Christianizing Foreign Policy: The Case of American Evangelicals and the Middle East Chapter 5. Holy Humanitarians? Christianity and Human Rights Chapter 6. Sowing in Shalom: Peace and Reconciliation Chapter 7. Looking Inward: The Paradox of Privilege and the Church Chapter 8. The Path Forward Appendix References Index

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Book SynopsisMore than half a century ago, sociologist J. Milton Yinger remarked about religion, There are few major subjects about which men know so little, yet feel so certain. Samuel L. Perry says that Yinger had it right. Americans--and Westerners more generally--neglect the scientific study of religion, and we do so at our peril.In Religion for Realists, Perry argues that we need the scientific study of religion--the rational, data-driven analysis of religious life-now more than ever. Contrary to the fears of many religious Americans, the scientific study of religion only threatens empirical falsehoods, promulgated often to the benefit of charlatans and demagogues. And contrary to the silent hopes of many secular academics, religion doesn''t go away when you ignore it. Instead, interest groups fill the void to shape the public''s understanding of religious reality: sometimes well, usually poorly. Perry makes the case that, as people in the West self-sort into partisan tribes, all of us--religious and irreligious alike--need the scientific study of religion. This book presents a practical roadmap for ensuring that its insights are widely available, accessible, and impactful.

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Book SynopsisA sweeping history of Islamism in Central Asia from the Russian Revolution to the present through Soviet-era archival documents, oral histories, and a trove of interviews and focus groups.Few observers anticipated a surge of Islamism in Central Asia, after seventy years of forced communist atheism. Muslims do not inevitably support Islamism, a modern political ideology of Islam. Yet, Islamism became the dominant form of political opposition in post-Soviet Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. In Politicizing Islam in Central Asia, Kathleen Collins explores the causes, dynamics, and variation in Islamist movements-first within the USSR, and then in the post-Soviet states of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Drawing upon extensive ethnographic and historical research on Islamist mobilization, she explains the strategies and relative success of each Central Asian Islamist movement. Collins argues that in each case, state repression of Islam, by Soviet and post-Soviet regimes, together with theTrade ReviewRemarkable in scope and depth, drawing on everything from interviews in the Ferghana Valley to jihadi propaganda in multiple languages, Collins' book is a contender for the definitive work on the rise of militant Islamism in Central Asia. * Thomas Hegghammer, Senior Research Fellow, Oxford University, and author of The Caravan: Abdallah Azzam and the Rise of Global Jihad and Jihad in Saudi Arabia *A groundbreaking study of Islamism's evolution in Central Asia, Kathleen Collins' remarkable feat of scholarship should be required reading for all serious analysts and observers of this important region. Collins' book offers irrefutable evidence that religious freedom is the best counterterrorism policy. * Mike Croissant, US government counterterrorism officer (ret.) *Politicizing Islam covers a lot of ground and is based on a massive amount of sustained original research. Collins traces three waves of Islamist mobilization, each one a response to state repression. Her use of interviews and focus groups allows her to bring society back in into the analysis. She makes a clearly thought-out argument on the basis of impressive research. * Adeeb Khalid, Jane and Raphael Bernstein Professor of Asian Studies and History, Carleton College, and author of Making Uzbekistan and Islam After Communism *Collins achieves something extraordinary in this masterful and careful analysis of Islamism in Central Asia. Based on years of in-depth interviews, archival materials, and other sources, Collins traces the emergence of Islamist movements, from the moderate and democratic to the radical and militant in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Along the way, she reveals the lived experiences of many Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Uzbek religious believers. Without demonizing Islam or sensationalizing Islamism, Collins enriches our understanding of both Soviet and post-Soviet religious repression and its unintended consequences: making Islam more resilient and fostering a religious basis for political opposition. Anyone endeavoring to understand the fabric of modern-day Central Asia should closely read Collins' scholarship. * Steve Swerdlow, Associate Professor of the Practice of Human Rights, University of Southern California, and former Senior Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch *Table of ContentsList of Figures List of Images List of Tables List of Maps Acknowledgements Technical Note List of Acronyms PART I Introduction 1: Secular Authoritarianism, Ideology, and Islamist Mobilization PART II: The USSR Politicizes Islam 2: The Russian Revolution and Muslim Mobilization 3: The Atheist State: Repressing and Politicizing Islam 4: Muslim Belief and Everyday Resistance PART III: Tajikistan: From Moderate Islamists to Muslim Democrats 5: The Islamic Revival Party Challenges Communism 6: A Democratic Islamic Party Confronts An Extremist Secular State 7: The Attraction and Limits of Islamist Ideas in Tajikistan PART IV: Uzbekistan: From Salafists to Salafi-Jihadists 8: Seeking Justice and Purity: Islamists against Communism and Karimov 9: Making Extremists: The Uzbek Jihad Moves to Afghanistan 10: The Attraction and Limits of Islamist Ideas in Uzbekistan PART V: Kyrgyzstan: Civil Islam and Emergent Islamists 11: Religious Liberalization and Civil Islam in Kyrgyzstan 12: Emergent Islamism in Kyrgyzstan 13: The Attraction and Limits of Islamist Ideas in Kyrgyzstan PART VI: From Central Asia to Syria: Transnational Salafi-Jihadists 14: Central Asians Join the Syrian Jihad 15: From Central Asia to Afghanistan, Syria, and Beyond Appendix Glossary Index

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Book SynopsisThe relationship between early Mormons and the United States was marked by anxiety and hostility, heightened over the course of the nineteenth century by the assassination of Mormon leaders, the Saints'' exile from Missouri and Illinois, the military occupation of the Utah territory, and the national crusade against those who practiced plural marriage. Nineteenth-century Latter-day Saints looked forward to apocalyptic events that would unseat corrupt governments across the globe, particularly the tyrannical government of the United States. The infamous White Horse Prophecy referred to this coming American apocalypse as a terrible revolution in the land of America, such as has never been seen before; for the land will be literally left without a supreme government. Mormons envisioned divine deliverance by way of plagues, natural disasters, foreign invasions, American Indian raids, slave uprisings, or civil war unleashed on American cities and American people. For the Saints, these violeTrade ReviewCertainly, the book reveals a rich lode of apocalypticism that persists and changes within religious traditions that lay claim to be the restoration of all things prior to the earth's final dispensation. In so doing, it invites promising further work by scholars of religious futurism. * Tona Hangen, BYU Studies Quarterly *It is when he begins to explore understudied material... that this book really starts to break new ground and offer not simply new history, but new perspectives on the trajectory of the new religious movement that Joseph Smith founded. * Matthew Bowman, Claremont Graduate University, Journal of Mormon History *Blythe's most admirable achievement with this volume is his ability to provide a fascinating, easily accessible, but still truly academic, thoroughly researched, and meticulously presented cultural and social history of the Latter-day Saints in the United States, structured around the theme of the apocalypse ... I wholeheartedly recommend Terrible Revolution. * Iren E. Annus, Nova Religio *...this volume is a unique contribution to the literature on American religious history. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. * D. S. Azzolina, CHOICE *The title may include "Terrible," but this book is anything but. It is a unique contribution to understanding the history, theology, and folklore surrounding the much-anticipated end times through the eyes of the church and its lay members. * Kevin Folkman, Association For Mormon Letters *Terrible Revolution was one of the most exciting and well-researched books I've read in a while. It is a book that you want to complete in one sitting, but don't. Instead, you show restraint and space out the reading because you want to savor the history and enjoy it a moment longer. * Christopher Angulo, Association of Mormon Letters blog *Christopher Blythe has written an essential guide for understanding the religious culture of Mormonism. Terrible Revolution takes readers from early expectations of an imminent Second Coming, to the White Horse Prophecy, to contemporary preppers. An essential text. * John G. Turner, author of Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet *In this illuminating study, Christopher Blythe spins a masterful narrative that combines an impressive breadth of sources, official and popular, to tell a story still unfolding in the 21st century." -Terryl Givens, author of Wrestling the Angel: The Foundations of Mormon ThoughtBlythe's Terrible Revolution offers a smart, original, and compelling analysis of the evolving role of apocalyptic thinking in the LDS Church. Blythe has marshalled thousands of sources, some long hidden away in obscure places, and diligently connected them to larger social and political trends." -Matthew Avery Sutton, author of American Apocalypse: A History of Modern EvangelicalismBlythe does a terrific job walking the reader through the shifts and nuances of the multiple apocalyptic themes that pepper the LDS imagination, both officially and unofficially." -Amy Hoyt, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought Ik YThe Latter-day Saints of the nineteenth century belonged to an apocalyptic tradition, argues historian and folklorist Christopher Blythe in his highly informative book Terrible Revolution....Blythe charts the rise and fall of Mormon apocalyptic discourse over the two-hundred- year history of the Restoration. He defines "apocalyptic" as "the belief that society was headed toward cataclysmic events that would uproot the current social order in favor of a divine order that would be established in its place". * Patrick Q. Mason, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Chapter One: The Apocalyptic Tradition in Early Mormonism Chapter Two: "Long Shall His Blood...Stain Illinois": Martyrology and Malediction Chapter Three: The Geography of Mormon Apocalyptic Chapter Four: The Judgments Begin: Apocalypticism in Utah Territory Chapter Five: The Americanization of Mormon Apocalyptic Chapter Six - Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Apocalyptic Trajectories Afterword: Apocalypticism in the "Mormon Moment" Notes Index

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Book SynopsisAt its founding, the United States was an overwhelmingly Protestant country. However, over the last 250 years, it has become increasingly diverse with tens of millions of Catholics, millions of Latter-day Saints, Muslims, Hindus, and Jews, alongside a rapidly increasing share of Americans who claim no religious affiliation at all. The American Religious Landscape uses an in-depth statistical analysis of large datasets to answer foundational questions about this diversity, such as: How many Hindus are there in the US? Which state has the highest concentration of Muslims? Are atheists more highly educated than the general population? How many Roman Catholics attend Mass weekly? It focuses on the overall size, geographic distribution, and demographic composition of twelve different religious groups in short and accessible chapters that, taken together, serve as a basic introduction to the state of religion in America. Through dozens of charts, graphs, and maps--designed for readability and clarity--readers will be left with a solid understanding of the contours of contemporary American religion and what it could look like in the future.

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Book SynopsisReligion in China survived the most radical suppression in human history--a total ban of any religion during and after the Cultural Revolution (1966-1979). All churches, temples, and mosques were closed down, converted for secular uses, or turned to museums for the purpose of atheist education. China remains under Communist rule. But in the last three decades, religion has revived and thrived. Christianity has been the fastest growing religion for decades. Many Buddhist and Daoist temples have been restored. The state even sponsors large Buddhist gatherings and ceremonies to venerate Confucius and the legendary ancestors of the Chinese people. Traditional Chinese temples have sprung up in some areas. On the other hand, quasi-religious qigong practices, once ubiquitous in public parks throughout the country, are now rare. All the while, the authorities have carried out waves of atheist propaganda, anti-superstition campaigns, severe crackdowns on the underground Christian churches and vTrade ReviewYang's book Religion in China has brilliant chapters, some controversial but all provacative and worth considering. * The New York Review of Books *Table of ContentsPreface ; Chapter One: Explaining Religious Vitality ; Chapter Two: A Definition of Religion for the Social Scientific Study of Religion ; Chapter Three: Chinese Marxist Atheism and Its Policy Implications ; Chapter Four: Regulating Religion under Communism ; Chapter Five: The Red, Black, and Gray Markets of Religion ; Chapter Six: The Shortage Economy of Religion under Communism ; Chapter Seven: Oligopoly Dynamics: China and Beyond

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a critical history of the distinctive tradition of Indian secularism known as Tolerance. Since it was first advanced by Mohandas Gandhi, the Tolerance ideal has measured secularism and civil religiosity by contrast with proselytizing religion. In India today, it informs debates over how the right to religious freedom should be interpreted on the subcontinent. Not only has Tolerance been an important political ideal in India since the early twentieth century; the framing assumptions of Tolerance permeate historical understandings among scholars of South Asian religion and politics. In conventional accounts, the emergence of Tolerance during the 1920s is described as a victory of Indian secularism over the intolerant practice of shuddhi proselytizing, pursued by reformist Hindus of the Arya Samaj, that was threatening harmonious Hindu-Muslim relations. This study shows that the designation of shuddhi as religious proselytizing was not fixed; it was the product of decadTrade ReviewThe Limits of Tolerance is a fascinating and important book-a cautionary tale really-that should be read by anyone interested in the global politics of religious freedom. Insisting on the value of the micro-history of the political work that concepts such as tolerance and religious freedom do in very specific times and places, in this case late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century India, Adcock makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the way such ideas migrate, transform, and serve partisan political ends. * Winnifred Fallers Sullivan, Professor and Chair, Department of Religious Studies, Indiana University *The Limits of Tolerance is an exciting and much-needed contribution to our historical understanding of the origins of specifically Indian ideas of religious freedom as freedom from proselytizing, as well as to contemporary debates over the nature of secularism, the political entanglements of religion, and the competing interests of religious toleration, freedom of expression, and governance * Robert A. Yelle, author of The Language of Disenchantment: Protestant Literalism and Colonial Discourse in British India *Table of ContentsTable of Contents ; Acknowledgements ; Preface ; Introduction: History and the Limits of Tolerance ; Part I: Religion and Translation in Colonial India ; Chapter One. The Colonial Politics of Religious Toleration ; Chapter Two. Religious Controversy and Ritual-Politics: Problems of ; Translation ; Part II. The Political History of Universal Religion in India ; Chapter Three. The Fountainhead of Religion ; Chapter Four: "The Arya Samaj, a Political Body!" ; Part III. Ritual-Politics and Religious Freedom ; Chapter Five. The Contested Politics of Shuddhi ; Chapter Six. The Ascendance of Tolerance: Debating ; Religious Freedom in the 1920s ; Conclusion. Secularism and the Limits of Tolerance ; Bibliography ; Notes ; Index

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Book SynopsisBy highlighting the dynamic societal and political implications of religious devotion, Beyond Piety and Politics offers a fascinating new theoretical perspective on Islam.Trade Review"Beyond Piety and Politics is an important contribution to the study of religion and politics. This well-written, carefully documented study nuances our understanding of religiosity by considering how religious groups' standings in society and vis-à-vis the state shape individuals' attitudes. It pushes the field to dismiss blunt conceptions of religiosity, focusing on how these groups navigate state and society."—Ellen Lust, University of Gothenburg"This is an excellent and sophisticated book that examines the sources of religious preferences and outlooks. It insightfully argues that communal associations shape religious outlooks and these outlooks influence political and social worldviews. The authors advance a nuanced and context-driven understanding of religion in the everyday lives of citizens in MENA."—Amaney A. Jamal, Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton UniversityTable of ContentsDedicationList of FiguresAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Religious Communities, the State, and Religious Outlooks2. Attitudes of the Devout: The Nature of the Substance or the Nurture of Relationship?3. Empirical Foundations of Religious Outlooks4. The Individual and Contextual Determinants of Muslim Religious Outlooks in MENA5. Islam and Support for Democracy6. Temporal Change in Religious Outlooks and Political Preferences7. Islam and Distributive PreferencesConclusionAppendix AAppendix BBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTim Hartman''s Theology after Colonization uses a comparative approach to examine two theologians, one from Europe and one from Africa, to gain insight into our contemporary theological situation. Hartman examines how the loss of cultural hegemony through rising pluralism and secularization has undermined the interconnection of the Christian faith with political power and how globalization undermined the expansive (and expanding) mindset of colonialization. Hartman engages Swiss-German theologian Karl Barth (18861968), whose work responded to the challenges of Christendom and the increasing secularization of Europe by articulating an early post-Christendom theology based on God''s self-revelation in Jesus Christ, not on official institutional structures (including the church) or societal consensus. In a similar way, Ghanaian theologian Kwame Bediako (19452008) offered a post-colonial theology. He wrote from the perspective of the global South while the Christian faith was groTrade Review"Tim Hartman presents one of the strongest texts, from the perspective of Western theology, that argues for the wider world appeal of contextual African theology; one of the best and perhaps the only courageous proposition I have ever read that presents Karl Barth as a contextual Western (Swiss) theologian without diminishing Barth's influence." —Elochukwu Uzukwu, Duquesne University"This is the first significant comparison of Kwame Bediako and Karl Barth and one of the few treatments of Bediako. Tim Hartman's volume is very rare in the fields of theology and mission studies." —Willie Jennings, Yale Divinity School“Theology After Colonialization is well worth the read. It brings to light aspects of Karl Barth’s theology that have long been neglected, and it introduces Kwame Bediako’s theological insights to Western readers in a sustained and thoughtful way. . . . The book is an invitation to a longer conversation about how to forge a post-colonialist and post-Christendom path together. “ —Modern Theology"For those interested in learning more about African theology and who already have some grounding in the Western tradition, Hartman is a very able guide." —Theology TodayTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction Part I. Western Christian Theology Today 1. A Crisis of (Shifting) Authority: The Decline of Christendom and the Rise of Secularization and Globalization 2. Transcultural Theology through Juxtaposition Transitional Theological Interlude Part II. Rethinking Divine Revelation 3. Christological Reflection: Revelation in Jesus Christ 4. Contextual Reflection: Revelation, not Religion 5. Cultural Reflection: The Location of Revelation 6. Constructive Reflection: Imaginative and Prophetic 7. Collaborative Reflection: Learning, not Helping Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis book highlights perspectives from religious traditions worldwide, in conversation with other communities who promote, critique, or question the idea of human rights. It shows how human rights can provide a platform for dialogue among groups of people from diverse backgrounds who seek to address pressing issues of human well-being.In each chapter, readers will be introduced to religious and human rights perspectives on specific global issues. Intersecting with these issues, the work examines history and philosophy of human rights, for a generally accessible overview of human rights theory, foundations, and critique. Specific case studies woven through the book will also help both students and advocates whether they are part of religious communities or not engage more deeply with particular areas of concern.This volume is a useful resource for undergraduate students who are learning about the relationship between religion and human rights in a classroom for the fiTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Commonly Used Acronyms Text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Introduction 1. History of Religion and Human Rights 2. Debates and Discussions about Human Rights 3. Religion, Family Ties, and Rights Across the Lifespan 4. Religion, Human Rights, Gender, and Sexuality 5. Racial Discrimination, Religious Nationalism, and Human Rights 6. Violence, Coercion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding 7. Religion and Economic Rights 8. Religion, Health, and Human Rights 9. Migrants and Refugees 10. The Rights of the Earth? Human Rights, the Natural Environment, and Other-Than-Human Persons 11. The Future of Religion and Human Rights. Index

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Book SynopsisRivals in the Gulf: Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Abdullah Bin Bayyah, and the Qatar-UAE Contest Over the Arab Spring and the Gulf Crisis details the relationships between the Egyptian Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi and the Al Thani royal family in Qatar, and between the Mauritanian Shaykh Abdullah Bin Bayyah and the Al Nahyans, the rulers of Abu Dhabi and senior royal family in the United Arab Emirates. These relationships stretch back decades, to the early 1960s and 1970s respectively. Using this history as a foundation, the book examines the connections between Qaradawi's and Bin Bayyah's rival projects and the development of Qatar's and the UAE's competing state-brands and foreign policies. It raises questions about how to theorize the relationships between the Muslim scholarly-elite (the ulama) and the nation-state. Over the course of the Arab Spring and the Gulf Crisis, Qaradawi and Bin Bayyah shaped the Al Thani's and Al Nahyan's competing ideologies in importanTable of ContentsIntroduction: Rivals in the Gulf; Part 1: Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Al Thanis, and Qatari Foreign Policy; 1. Wahhabism and Wasaṭiyya in Qatar; 2. Qaradawi, Qatar, and the Arab Spring; 3. War in Syria, Coup in Egypt, Crisis in the Gulf; Part 2: Abdullah Bin Bayyah, the Al Nahyans, and Emirati Foreign Policy; 4. Abdullah Bin Bayyah and the Al Nahyans; 5. The Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies; Conclusion: The ʿUlamāʾ in the Gulf States

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What is Antisemitism? offers a history of anti-Jewish animosity from antiquity to the present - including a discussion of the difficulties of defining antisemitism and three case studies illustrating the diverse and wide-ranging nature of the phenomenon in the present-day.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book Synopsis''No one else casts such a shrewd and gimlet eye on contemporary life.'' William BoydComic, dark and insightful, What Happened? is Hanif Kureishi''s new collection of essays and fiction. No topic is too fringe or too mainstream for this insatiableand much-lovedauthor. From social media to the ancient classics, from appraisals of David Bowie to Georges Simenon to Keith Jarrett, this is the latest literary ''event'' in a unique body of work that displays Kureishi''s characteristic boundless curiosity and wit. What Happened? is as much about the very fact of Kureishi's catholic appetite for culture as his observations and insights themselves, and any new book in his oeuvre is a justification for celebration.

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Book SynopsisIn The Call of the Tribe, Mario Vargas Llosa surveys the readings that have shaped the way he thinks and has viewed the world over the past fifty years.

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Book SynopsisExamines the social origins of civil-democratic Islam, its long-term prospects, its implications for the West, and its lessons for our understanding of religion and politics in modern times. This book is a comparative study of Islam and democracy. The contributors are Bahman Baktiari, Thomas Barfield, John R Bowen, Dale F Eickelman, and more.Trade Review"This is a most interesting and serious book on Islam. It is perhaps one of the most scholarly books on the topic since September 11."--As'ad AbuKhalil, Perspectives on Politics "Remaking Muslim Politics remains ... an important work. It captures the wide breadth of civic-democratic Islamic voices with exhaustive detail in cross-national contexts."--Sean L. Yom, American Journal of Islamic Social SciencesTable of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Note on Transliteration ix Contributors xi CHAPTER 1: Introduction: Modernity and the Remaking of Muslim Politics by Robert W. Hefner 1 CHAPTER 2: New Media in the Arab Middle East and the Emergence of Open Societies by Dale F. Eickelman 37 CHAPTER 3: Pluralism, Democracy, and the 'Ulama by Muhammad Qasim Zaman 60 CHAPTER 4: The End of Islamism? Turkey's Muslimhood Model by Jenny B.White 87 CHAPTER 5: Dilemmas of Reform and Democracy in the Islamic Republic of Iran by Bahman Baktiari 112 CHAPTER 6: Thwarted Politics: The Case of Egypt's Hizb al-Wasat Augustus by Richard Norton 133 CHAPTER 7: Rewriting Divorce in Egypt: Reclaiming Islam, Legal Activism, and Coalition Politics by Diane Singerman 161 CHAPTER 8: Empowering Civility through Nationalism: Reformist Islam and Belonging in Saudi Arabia by Gwenn Okruhlik 189 CHAPTER 9: An Islamic State Is a State Run by Good Muslims: Religion as a Way of Life and Not an Ideology in Afghanistan by Thomas Barfield 213 CHAPTER 10: Islam and the Cultural Politics of Legitimacy: Malaysia in the Aftermath of September 11 by Michael G. Peletz 240 CHAPTER 11: Muslim Democrats and Islamist Violence in Post-Soeharto Indonesia by Robert W. Hefner 273 CHAPTER 12: Sufis and Salafis: The Political Discourse of Transnational Islam by Peter Mandaville 302 CHAPTER 13: Pluralism and Normativity in French Islamic Reasoning by John R. Bowen 326 Index 347

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Book SynopsisAn esteemed theologian examines how American identity and America's presence in the world are shaped by war.Table of ContentsIntroductionPart 1: America and War1. War and the American Difference2. America's God3. Why War Is a Moral Necessity for AmericaPart 2: The Liturgy of War4. Reflections on the "Appeal to Abolish War"5. Sacrificing the Sacrifices of War6. C. S. Lewis and Violence7. Martin Luther King Jr. and Christian NonviolencePart 3: The Ecclesial Difference 8. Jesus, the Justice of God9. Pentecost: Learning the Languages of Peace10. A Worldly Church: Politics, Theology, and the Common Good11. A Particular Place: The Future of Parish Ministry12. Beyond the Boundaries: The Church Is MissionIndex

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