Religious and theocratic ideologies and movements Books

Book SynopsisUsing an evidenced-based, social-scientific approach to religion, Kenneth D. Wald and Allison Calhoun-Brown challenge the perception that religious influence in American politics is a problem to be solved. Instead, they contend that religion is a form of social identification that not only shapes our ideas about politics, but it also shapes the behavior of political elites and ordinary citizens, the interpretation of public laws, and the development of government programs. Ultimately, the authors show how religion plays a fascinating and crucial role in our nation’s political process and in our culture at large. The eighth edition of Religion and Politics in the United States has been fully updated to include the latest scholarship and coverage of the 2016 presidential election. It also features a new discussion of the religious right, center, and left, as well as the impact of religion on the fight for equality based on gender and sexual orientation. Additional student resources include all new discussion questions and further readings at the end of each chapter, as well as a companion website featuring self-quizzes.Trade ReviewI look forward to each new edition of this text. I have long recommended it to undergraduate and graduate students, and to colleagues who want to better understand the relationship between religion and politics in the United States. Now a classic has gotten even better, with expanded coverage of religion and gender politics, and the politics of sexual diversity. I recommend this highly to political scientists, sociologists, historians, and anyone interested in the myriad ways that politics and religion influence one another. -- Clyde Wilcox, professor of government, Georgetown UniversityThis is a strong, accessible textbook for upper division religion and politics courses. The book may be used as a stand-alone text and complements supplementary material well including magazine articles, religious group websites and U.S. Supreme Court opinions. -- Terri Susan Fine, University of Central FloridaLong the standard by which other volumes on religion and politics are measured, this new edition continues to provide not only up-to-date coverage but an excellent breadth and depth of such coverage as well. -- Corwin E. Smidt, Calvin CollegeTable of Contents1. A Secular Society? 2. Religion in the American Context 3. Religion and American Political Culture 4. Religion and the State 5. Mobilizing Religious Interests 6. Religion and Political Action 7. Religion and Public Opinion 8. Religion and Conservative Political Mobilization 9. Religion and Centrist Political Mobilization 10. Religion and Liberal Political Mobilization 11. The Struggle for Minority Rights: Gender and Sexuality 12. Religion and American Political Life

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The Islamic State movement (ISIS/ISIL/IS) burst onto the world stage in 2014. From its heartland in Syria, where it arose from the chaos of the Syrian Revolt, the organisation has expanded in ideology and membership and now poses a significant threat to the region, if not to the wider world. Moubayed, a Beirut-based journalist who has been analysing Syria and the region for 20 years, has unrivalled access to the movement and its participants. His book is the first inside account of an organisation which has dominated the headlines with a dangerous mix of barbarity and military prowess. In looking at the historical background of ISIS: where it came from, how it evolved, where it stands today and what its aims are for the future to reveal, it will provide, for the first time, a fully-fledged picture of what lies at the heart of the Islamic State.

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Book SynopsisHow can Islam be understood in the context of internal struggles for unity and identity, a rise in anti-Muslim hate crime and continued media portrayals of violence, extremism, warfare and oppression? Looking at Islam as a faith, a whole system with political dimensions and through the lens of Western media, this book sets out to clarify the nature of true Islam and the true nature of Islam.With diverse contributions from Muslims, Christians and individuals with no religious affiliations, this collection of essays respond to the King of Jordan's Amman Message - an initiative seeking to clarify Islam as a religion of peace - in light of recent international events such as the Charlie Hebdo controversy. Presenting fresh perspectives on a frequently misrepresented religion, this book offers a platform for debate about Islam's place within Western culture and political systems, and the role that faith communities can play in seeking peace and reconciliation.Trade ReviewThe book is coming at the right time with a powerful message of hope. By featuring for the first time ever in Europe the richness and the depth of the Amman Message, it gives to everyone - policy makers, media, the public - the tools for a new understanding about Islam and the Muslim World and their true nature. An inspiring call for dialogue, respect and peace. -- Jean-Christophe Bas, Founder and CEO, The Global CompassWe have never more needed a greater understanding of both Islamic extremism and Western Islamophobia than now. This collection of essays is a real contribution to that understanding. Bridges are more difficult to build than walls, and these essays, in their accessible and reflective tones, aim to make a difference more than a point. Their purpose is to ensure that the gift of diversity is not curdled into the curse of division and they know the path to making this happen can only open up by challenging misconceptions on every side. -- Canon Mark Oakley, Chancellor, St Paul’s CathedralIn a world in which ISIS and other terrorists are a global threat and Islamophobia has grown exponentially, Muslim Identity in a Turbulent Age will be welcomed by policymakers and the general public alike. This timely volume discusses and demonstrates the importance of The Amman Message, a major statement by hundreds of major global Muslim leaders and scholars written as a refutation and delegitimation of violent extremism and terrorism in the name of Islam. -- John L. Esposito, University Professor of Religion & International Affairs and author of The Future of IslamHardy, Mughal, and Markiewicz believe the core Islamic identity to be in flux. Muslims search for identity amid an internal struggle for unity in the Muslim world, increases in anti-Muslim hate crimes outside the Muslim world, and continued media portrayals of violence, tyranny, and extremism; the authors observe that it can be difficult for today's Muslim, or non-Muslim, to truly comprehend what Islam is. This book takes up the Amman Message, a statement issued by the king of Jordan in 2004 that calls for tolerance and unity among Muslims, and offers a variety of perspectives from Muslims, Christians, and others about the place of Islam in Western culture and the role that communities of faith can play in pursuing peace. The collection includes a truly diverse array of voices and, consequently, the various contributions vary in quality and impact. However, the work as a whole is a valuable starting point for education, dialogue, and efforts at reconciliation. As Muslims battle over what 'true Islam' is and is not, and anti-Muslim sentiment in the West rises in both frequency and intensity, this book could not be timelier. This accessible, on point, and very useful collection will serve peacemakers at various levels and respects their varying points of view. (Jan.) -- Publishers WeeklyTable of ContentsAcknowledgements. Foreword by HRH Charles, Prince of Wales. Foreword by HRH Prince Hussein bin Abdullah. Timeline. Introduction. 1. The History of the Amman Message and the Promotion of the Amman Message Project. Sarah Markiewicz, Research and Teaching Associate, Department of Religious Studies and Intercultural Theology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. 2. Taking the Amman Message to European Audiences: A Message for Muslims and Non-Muslims Alike. Mike Hardy, CMG OBE FRSA, Founding and Executive Director, Centre for Trust Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University, UK. 3. Islam in Europe and the Amman Message: Overview Challenges and Potentials. Rebecca Catto. Assistant Professor of Sociology, Kent State University, Ohio, USA. 4. Islam in the United Kingdom and the Impact of the Amman Message. Fiyaz Mughal, OBE FCMI, Founder and Director, Faith Matters, UK. 5. Young British Muslims: Online Extremism and the Message of Islam. Imran Awan, Associate Professor in Criminology, Birmingham City University, UK. 6. The Amman Message: An Early Confrontation with Extremist Islamic Movements. Jamal Al-Shalabi. Professor of Political Science, Department of International Relations and Strategic Studies, Hashemite University of Jordan, Jordan, 7. The Amman Message: A Counter Narrative to Islamic Fundamentalism. Moh'd Khair Eiedat, Professor for Political Science, Al-Hussain Bin Abdullah II Faculty for International Studies and Political Science, and Director of the Al-Farabi Centre for Culture, Ethics and Politics, University of Jordan, Jordan. 8. The Amman Message as an Invitation to Interfaith Dialogue: A Christian Response. Christine Seeberg, Research and Teaching Associate, Department of Systematic Theology and Dogmatics, Theological Faculty, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. 9. Charlie Hebdo and the Amman Message: A Counter Narrative to Violent Fundamentalism? Steve Rose, Freelance Writer and Journalist, UK. & Faith Matters. 10. The Amman Message 'Other': Repositioning Identity Politics for Dialogue and Justice. Kristin Shamas, Hamra Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of History, University of Oklahoma, USA. 11. Looking Forward: An Impossible Road? Mike Hardy, Fiyaz Mughal and Sarah Markiewicz. Appendix I: The Amman Message (2004). Appendix II: The Three Points of the Amman Message (2005) [Official Version]. Further Reading. The Contributors.

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Book SynopsisRaising awareness of what Islam is, as well as deepening understanding about the lived realities of Muslim people, this book explores the contemporary Muslim experience through first-hand interviews with over a hundred Muslims.Exploring key issues such as women and Islam, extremism and radicalisation, Sharia Law, homosexuality and Islamophobia, the book looks deep into what it means to be Muslim today. The 'voices' of Muslims are showcased throughout the book to highlight the diversity and evolution of Islam, and to show its inherent complexities and contradictions. This is an easy and accessible introduction to Islam combined with discussion surrounding several contentious issues associated with the religion.Trade ReviewThis is an excellent resource to get a personal perspective of what Islam means to Muslims in a practical day to day sense. It also challenges stereotypes about Muslims to get an accurate picture of how Muslims live their lives within a liberal and democratic society. If you want to know about the pluralism within Muslim communities, this book will certainly help. -- Fiyaz Mughal – OBE, Director of Faith MattersHow do Asians in Britain feel about life and their religion? Declan Henry has fluently revealed their wide ranging views with great competence and skill. This is an intriguing perspective seen through the eyes of an emergent and important section of our community. Definitely a work of lasting value. -- Paigham Mustafa, Author, The Quran, God's Message To MankindVoices of Modern Islam offers an insight into the often little-known or misrepresented fundamentals of the faith and the diversity of contemporary UK Muslim opinion: the good, the bad and the ugly. Demonstrating that Muslims are not a single homogeneous uncritical mass, it debunks many stereotypes, while confirming others. Be prepared to have some of your assumptions about Islam challenged. -- Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner, Director of the Peter Tatchell FoundationDeclan Henry has spent extensive time and effort collecting vast and accurate information about Islam and the diversity of its followers. I believe this book is a valuable resource not only for use by Muslims across the UK and further afield, but also for secondary schools, and those researching Islam and its religious and socio-cultural realities in an academic context. -- Dr. Sheikh Ramzy, Imam, Islamic scholar and Director of Oxford Islamic Information CentreTable of ContentsAcknowledgements; Foreword; Introduction; 1. Being Muslim; 2. The Prophet and Islam: A Brief History; 3. The Essence of Islam; 4. Women and Islam; 5. Sex, Arranged Marriages and Sexuality; 6. Sharia Law; 7. Converts; 8. Extremism and Radicalisation; 9. Islamophobia; 10. Other Thoughts and Opinions; References and Further Reading; Index

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Book SynopsisAre Europe's 'Christian values' under threat? Can religion be a pillar of identity and culture? What will be the fate of Christianity in Europe? In this short but bracing book, Olivier Roy traces the Church's long battle against a tide of secularization in Europe. Since the Enlightenment, religion has been losing ground as the source of moral norms. But while the question of truth was contested, Christian values continued to define law and social life in even the most secular and anti-clerical countries--until the 1960s. Ever since, the Church has been swept into a new war of values, reduced to struggling over abortion and same-sex marriage. Mired in scandal, the Church's authority is crumbling, while populist demands pave the way for the final secularization of religion as part of 'national culture'. From one of the most acute observers of our times, 'Is Europe Christian?' represents a persuasive and novel vision of religion's place today.Trade Review'The secularisation of Europe is beyond dispute. … But as Olivier Roy points out in a timely book, it is a process that has taken centuries.' -- Financial Times'Provocative and sprightly' -- Times Literary Supplement‘[A] stimulating and rewarding book.’ -- Christianity TodayAn important contribution to a very difficult discussion.’ -- New Books Network'In Is Europe Christian? [Olivier Roy] offers little comfort to those who hope for the revival of Christian Europe. … I commend [his] book, because it raises questions which must be faced.' -- A.N. Wilson, Standpoint Magazine‘Roy’s fascinating, readable and packed little book reminds us that the story of European secularisation is a long but punctuated one’. -- Theos Think Tank'Roy's book is both complex and powerful, detailed without ever losing sight of the big picture, and full of telling illustrations. It represents a novel vision of the crisis in secularism brought about by its final absorption of religion in national life.' -- Faisal Devji, Professor of Indian History, University of Oxford, and author of 'Muslim Zion''Rivetingly, this unsurpassed authority on the politics of contemporary Islam turns to elucidate the tensions surrounding Christian morality, the scandal of clerical paedophilia, the libertarian individualism that has spread since the 1960s, and caricatural claims to a Christian European identity.' -- Jonathan Benthall, Director Emeritus, Royal Anthropological Institute'For those interested in the deep historical roots of our present political crisis, this book is a must-read. In plain language and with broad strokes, Roy traces the shifting lines of the culture wars that are rattling democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.' -- Philip Gorski, Professor of Sociology, Yale University'Another insightful contribution to our understanding of religion in Europe from Olivier Roy. Rich in historical reference and engaging in its approach, "Is Europe Christian?" brings vital nuance to what is truly a poignant question today.' -- Effie Fokas, Research Associate, London School of Economics Hellenic Observatory, and co-author of 'Religious America, Secular Europe?'‘Contains a wealth of interesting details.’

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Book Synopsis'Sectarianism' is one of the most over-discussed yet under-analysed concepts in debates about the Middle East. Despite the deluge of commentary, there is no agreement on what 'sectarianism' is. Is it a social issue, one of dogmatic incompatibility, a historic one or one purely related to modern power politics? Is it something innately felt or politically imposed? Is it a product of modernity or its antithesis? Is it a function of the nation-state or its negation? This book seeks to move the study of modern sectarian dynamics beyond these analytically paralysing dichotomies by shifting the focus away from the meaningless '-ism' towards the root: sectarian identity. How are Sunni and Shi'a identities imagined, experienced and negotiated and how do they relate to and interact with other identities? Looking at the modern history of the Arab world, Haddad seeks to understand sectarian identity not as a monochrome frame of identification but as a multi-layered concept that operates on several dimensions: religious, subnational, national and transnational. Far from a uniquely Middle Eastern, Arab, or Islamic phenomenon, a better understanding of sectarian identity reveals that the many facets of sectarian relations that are misleadingly labelled 'sectarianism' are echoed in inter- group relations worldwide.Trade Review'No one has written with more theoretical and practical insight on Muslim sectarianism than Fanar Haddad. In this volume, he brings together the best of his insights on a topic that remains poorly understood. An essential read for anyone who is serious about understanding "sectarianism" in the Arab world today.' -- Nader Hashemi, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies, University of Denver, and co-author of 'Sectarianization''A clear-sighted and highly readable analysis of the shifting contexts and meanings of sectarian identification in the modern Arab world. Detailed and politically astute, this book makes a critical contribution to the literature on sectarian political identities.' -- Charles Tripp, Professor of Politics, SOAS University of London'A timely book that debunks several myths about the persistent Sunni-Shi'a divide in the Arab world. Haddad inspires us to reconsider common wisdom and offers a theoretically nuanced interpretation of a phenomenon that has dominated analyses of Iraq and beyond in the last decades.' -- Madawi Al-Rasheed, Visiting Professor, Middle East Centre, LSE, and editor of 'Salman's Legacy''A brilliant exploration of sectarianism. Haddad's unmatched combination of theoretical sophistication, historical perspective and political insight makes this one of the best books available on a critically important topic, and an essential read for understanding the real dynamics of religion, identity and political contention.' -- Marc Lynch, Professor of Political Science, George Washington University'A thought-provoking account of Sunni-Shi'a relations in the Arab world that critiques how the term "sectarianism" has often been used.' -- Toby Matthiesen, Senior Research Fellow in the International Relations of the Middle East, St Antony's College, University of Oxford

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Book SynopsisSince 2017, Mozambique has been confronted with a jihadi insurgency. This book looks at the origins of that insurgency, and the broader and longer history of the relationship between Islam and politics in the country. Did Mozambique's Muslim politics always point towards jihad? Eric Morier-Genoud examines the period immediately after independence, when the state engaged in anticlericalism; he then moves across the decades to the 2000s, when the ruling party and the opposition alike courted Muslims for electoral purposes, before reaching the 2010s, when tensions between 'mosque and state' returned. Along the way, he explores a wide variety of phenomena, including the rise of Wahhabism, religious competition, state mediation, secularism, the alleged growth and radicalisation of Islam, and the origins of the ongoing insurgency. What emerges is a rich history, attentive to different branches and elements of the Muslim community, looking far beyond the narrow perspective of jihad. Taking a socio-historical perspective, 'Towards Jihad?' unpacks a complex dynamic, which the jihadi insurgency is in fact now disrupting. Understanding the long history of Muslims' engagement with politics in Mozambique sheds light on where the country has come from, where it stands now amidst violent unrest, and where it might go next.Trade Review'An excellent demonstration of how real grievances meeting an ideology can evolve into political violence. Morier-Genoud describes the evolution of the local insurgency in Mozambique into an affiliate of the Islamic State, accurately focusing on key local factors without denying the impact of IS central on the actual and future processes.' -- Wassim Nasr, journalist, France 24'A clearly argued, intellectually honest and carefully nuanced interpretation of the relationship between Islam and the State that challenges most current readings of both the context and origins of the jihadist struggle in northern Mozambique.' -- Edward A. Alpers, Research Professor Emeritus of History, University of California, Los Angeles'A sensitive exploration of the complex divisions within Mozambican Islam, providing welcome historical context for the insurgency.' -- William G. Clarence-Smith, Emeritus Professor of History, SOAS University of London'Documents succinctly that the insurgency comes not so much from a continuation of Muslim politics in modern Mozambique but as a rupture with it. Business, governments and NGOs concerned by the insurgency, its roots and its future trajectory should read this.' -- Alex Vines, Director of the Africa programme, Chatham House'A thoughtful discussion, shedding precious light on a pressing issue. This will be fundamental for all those trying to understand the jihadi movements in Mozambique, Africa and elsewhere.' -- Vincent Foucher, Senior Research Fellow, CNRS

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Book Synopsis'We fail to understand Islam,' writes Roger Hardy in the introduction to this book, 'and we are paying a high price for our failure.' "The Muslim Revolt" explains, in layman's language, a phenomenon that still seems to madden and perplex both the public and the policy-makers. In setting out to demystify Islamism and the forces that drive it, Hardy suggests that for the last two hundred years Muslims have been in revolt against Western domination - and against the failures and disappointments of modernisation. The book takes the form of a journey. Drawing on his travels and encounters as a journalist over the last thirty years, the author explains the political role of Islam in particular countries and regions - Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, south-east Asia, Europe - while at the same time telling the story of Islamism from its origins in the era of European colonialism to the emergence of Al-Qaeda and the global jihadists of today. In a challenging conclusion, Hardy warns that without a subtler grasp of Islamism and its discontents, the West will lose its much-vaunted battle for Muslim 'hearts and minds'.Trade Review'Roger Hardy is a BBC Overseas Service journalist who has worked on the Islamic world for more than 30 years. This familiarity seems to have affected his judgement or sense of proportion scarcely at all. He ranges from Egypt to Indonesia and from the founders of Islam to its interpreters today. Everywhere he finds the right man or woman to interview, follows up with a crystal-clear summary of the relevant background and rounds off with a shrewd conclusion. The result is scholarly, but scholarship without obfuscation. The Muslim Revolt is a valuable handbook for anyone who seeks to understand the Islamic world.' * The Times *'Accessible and authoritative. It is hard to imagine a more reliable guide across the varied and complex terrains of political Islam.' * Professor Peter Mandaville, George Mason University, author of Global Political Islam *'A sensitive, well-informed and subtle reading of the Islamic revival.' -- * Bernard Haykel, Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University *'No journalist has studied the Islamic world more widely, for longer, or more thoughtfully than Roger Hardy. And no author has packed more wisdom into such a short, clear and readable book.' * Edward Mortimer, author, journalist and Fellow of All Souls, Oxford University *'The Muslim Revolt is the first book you should read if you want to discover and decipher the implications of political Islam. Roger Hardy's firm grasp of history and his long experience on the ground in the Middle East have given him the perspective essential to understanding what is happening today and is likely to happen tomorrow. His clear, concise writing makes it possible for the layman or, indeed, the expert to better comprehend, analyse and even empathise with these complex societies.' * Christopher Dickey Newsweek Paris Bureau Chief *'This admirably concise book by an experienced journalist takes us on a vivid and well-informed journey through various strands of political Islam in their different national and regional contexts - from Indonesia to Europe - and considers how less hostile relations between the West and Islam might be achieved. The Muslim Revolt successfully avoids the superficial and stereotypical renderings common in the mainstream media and makes effective and informative use of direct quotations by political Islamists - a rare and difficult feat.' * Dr John Chalcraft, London School of Economics *Table of Contentscontents: Dream of Revival * Martyrs for Hussein * Culture of Jihad * A Bridge to Africa * The Pious Ancestors * The Turkish Exception * Muslim Archipelago * The Bomb in the Turban * Hearts and Minds * Bibliography * Glossary

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Book SynopsisSince early 2007 a new breed of combatants has appeared on the streets of Mogadishu and other towns in Somalia: the 'Shabaab', or youth, the only self-proclaimed branch of al-Qaeda to have gained acceptance (and praise) from Ayman al-Zawahiri and 'AQ centre' in Afghanistan. Itself an offshoot of the Islamic Courts Union, which split in 2006, Shabaab has imposed Sharia law and is also heavily influenced by local clan structures within Somalia itself. It remains an infamous and widely discussed, yet little-researched and understood, Islamist group. Hansen's remarkable book attempts to go beyond the media headlines and simplistic analyses based on alarmist or localist narratives and, by employing intensive field research conducted within Somalia, as well as on the ground inter- views with Shabaab leaders themselves, explores the history of a remarkable organisation, one that has survived predictions of its collapse on several occasions. Hansen portrays al-Shabaab as a hybrid Islamist organisation that combines a strong streak of Somali nationalism with the rhetorical obligations of international jihadism, thereby attracting a not insignificant number of foreign fighters to its ranks. Both these strands of Shabaab have been inadvertently boosted by Ethiopian, American and African Union attempts to defeat it militarily, all of which have come to nought.Trade Review'Essential reading - Hansen focuses on the complex ideological detours and military tactics of the Shabab from its inception - a succinct and definitive history.' - The Economist 'E‪xceptional‬ - D‪eserve‬[s]‪ a broad readership‬.' - Nicholas van de Walle, Foreign Affairs‪ ‬ 'An intimidatingly impressive book. No one else has amassed this level of detail and matched it with analysis. - Stig Jarle Hansen knows more about the positions, decompositions and recompositions of Al-Shabaab than any Western scholar. This book is a real service to us all.' - Stephen Chan, SOAS, University of London, The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Studies 'Hansen has travelled widely through Somalia for years and is personally familiar with many of the members and leaders of the movement. As a result, his description of events carries a powerful sense of legitimacy - [He] has put together a remarkably a remarkably detailed account of al-Shabaab's history - [and] until the distant and unlikely day when something better comes along, Al-Shabaab in Somalia is the definitive book on the subject.' - Richard J. Norton, Parameters, The US Army War College Quarterly 'A compact and rich history' - RUSI Journal 'If you want to understand the reality of the Al-Shabaab phenomenon in Somalia, its existence in the country and its grounding in that ravaged land, this short book, written by a researcher who actually engaged in person with his research topic, will provide you with more concrete nourishment than a whole raft of official reports.' - Gerard Prunier, author of From Genocide to Continental War: The 'Congolese' Conflict and the Crisis of Contemporary Africa ‪'Unlike the legion of ivory-tower academics, armchair analysts, and self-promoting pundits who have expatiated about Al-Shabaab without even having set foot anywhere near Somalia, much less ever encountering an adherent of the group, Stig Jarle Hansen is a charter member of the small band of intrepid scholars who, even at the height of the insurgency, still pursued their research in the country, their work consistently informed by direct knowledge of actors and events. His is a comprehensive and accessible treatment of a significant subject. Highly recommended.' - J. Peter Pham, Director, Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, Atlantic Council, and Editor-in-Chief, The Journal of the Middle East and Africa‬ 'This disturbing but fascinating book not only documents the rise of one of the most dangerous of al-Qaeda's affiliates but also explains its central importance to Somali politics. Hansen is a skilful writer whose long experience of Somali life allows him to enter into the thinking of one of the world's most dangerous fundamentalist groups.' - Christopher Coker, Professor of International Relations, London School of Economics, and author of Warrior Geeks: How 21st Century Technology is Changing the Way We Fight and Think About War 'So far, no book-length treatment of Al-Shabaab exists in the academic literature, and due to the political and military importance of the group in Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa, policymakers and development workers, as well as area specialists, are in urgent need of such a detailed account.' - - Markus Hoehne, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology 'Stig Jarle Hansen has written what is undoubtedly the best book on Al-Shabaab [ - ] Predictions of Al-Shabaab's collapse have occurred frequently since 2008 but, despite notable set-backs, it has survived [ - ] Hansen's book is an essential tool for those wishing to understand what the future might hold.' - Magnus Taylor, African Arguments

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Book SynopsisThe Muslim Brotherhood in the Middle East has always attracted widely divergent attention. Scholars have regarded it both as the source of terrorism, and, more recently as the potential harbinger of democratization. The Muslim Brotherhood in Europe has attracted far less attention. But heavily influenced by its ambiguous reputation in the Middle East it has led to widespread speculation about its character. Its critics regard the European organizations as part of a suspicious, secretive, centrally led world-wide organization that enhances the alienation of Muslims in Europe. Its sympathizers, on the other hand, regard the Brotherhood as a moderate movement that has been Europeanized and promotes integration. This volume brings together experts on the European Muslim Brotherhood who address some of the main issues on which the debate has concentrated. After an introduction dealing with the European debate in the press, the first section shows that Brotherhood consists primarily of a network of informal ties, which have developed a host of localized practices and contradictory trends. The second part deals with the Brotherhood organizations in different European countries and traces their highly specific trajectories and relations with the local non-Muslim press and authorities. The third section concentrates on the ideological developments of the movement in the Middle East and Europe.Trade Review'This volume is a rich documentation and critical assessment of political movements related to the Muslim Brothers and their changing ideologies in various European nation states since the 1960s. It systematically addresses not only the often negative perceptions by journalists and politicians in Europe, but also the contradictions and ambiguities within the organisations. It is a highly qualified academic approach that helps to paint a much-needed differentiated picture.' * Bettina Graf, Zentrum Moderner Orient Berlin, co-editor of Global Mufti: The Phenomenon of Yusuf Al-Qaradawi *'This is a very timely collection of contributions on a much vilified movement by a fine group of first class scholars. They portray the Muslim Brotherhood and its complex intellectual and ideological heritage, trying to come to grips with the many contemporary and multiple challenges it faces. While critically assessing its enduring secrecy and monopolistic claims about its representativeness, this volume convincingly argues that the Muslim Brotherhood has dramatically changed over the decades. It is now a moderate movement, as diverse as the national environments in which its affiliated organisations operate. This volume confronts head-on the argument of pundits who argue that Islam cannot change.' * Rik Coolsaet, Ghent University, author of Jihadi Terrorism and the Radicalisation Challenge: European and American Experiences *'A penetrating assessment of the origins and inner workings of an influential and diverse Islamist movement operating in Europe. Where the Brotherhood is widely portrayed as a counter-Enlightenment Trojan Horse, this volume offers an impressively more nuanced understanding of its evolution, moving away from its totalising dogma and militancy towards political pragmatism as it engages with democracy, secularism, and Muslim minority status.' * Humayan Ansari, Professor of Islam and Culture, Royal Holloway, University of London, and author of The Infidel Within: Muslims in Britain Since 1800 *

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Book SynopsisBoko Haram's appetite for exemplary violence and kidnapping women and girls has thrust it to the top of the global news agenda. In a few furious years its cadres have all but severed parts of northern Nigeria -- Africa's most populous state and largest economy -- from the hands of the government in Abuja. Videos broadcast by Boko Haram feature its leader, a grimacing rantingdemagogue who taunts viewers, claiming he will 'eat the heart of the infidel' and calling on Nigerians to reject their corrupt democracy and return to a 'pure' form of Islam. Thousands have been slaughtered in their campaign of purification which has evolved through a bloody civil war. In Northern Nigeria - which has witnessed many caliphates in the past - radical ideas flourish and strange sects are common. Boko Haram has drawn on and exploited these traditions to mobilise people against the corruption of Nigeria's politicians and oligarchs who have preyed on a state buoyed by oil revenues and turned public institutions into spoons for the pot. When the going was good it didn't matter. Now a new ravenous force threatens them all.Andrew Walker guides the reader through Boko Haram's hinterland - examining northern Nigeria's history, culture and politics - in search of where the group comes from and where Nigeria might be going.Trade Review'Walker's book is anecdotal, well researched and engaging. He has a novelist's eye for story and situation. But the most important thing is that he knows Nigeria well, having lived there for about a decade ... there is no denying the author's mastery of his subject and the usefulness of this overview to anyone interested in Nigerian history and the role of religion in Nigerian politics.' -- The Guardian'A fascinating and disturbing read. Eat the Heart of the Infidel is vital for anyone interested in understanding the origins of Boko Haram.' -- Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker staff writer, and author of 'Guerrillas: Journeys in the Insurgent World''a major addition to existing literature on Boko Haram ... The book is a reader's delight. The journalistic background of the author gives life to the book and enthrals in many ways. It provides a dispassionate analysis of Nigeria's history, particularly of the north, and the prevailing structural and societal imbalances that gave rise to Boko Haram ... dutifully analysed and beautifully written.' -- LSE Review of Books'Boko Haram have often appeared as nothing more than a Nigerian offshoot of Al Qaeda. Andrew Walker's wide-ranging, solidly-researched and grippingly-told story shows a more complex and troubling picture of a group whose historical precedents go back centuries, and whose recent rise owes as much to local social injustice, political instability and local rivalries as to religious fanaticism. The conflict as Walker presents it is over nothing less than Nigeria's identity.' -- Anthony Sattin, author of 'The Gates of Africa';'Global responses to modern day terrorism have been marked by a crisis of imagination and an inability to look back in search of the solutions that would enable us to move forward. Andrew Walker's book provides us with a rare insight into the historical and cultural factors that drive insurgencies, a veritable road map into this complex world.' -- Dr Fatima Akilu, expert on countering violent extremism and Director, Neem Institute'In a sea of shabby work on Boko Haram, from the excessively sensational to the simplistic, Andrew Walker's stands out by going many extra miles, reaching the heart of several matters either unexplored or inadequately dealt with by most previous commentators. Whatever one makes of the connections he teases out between contemporary events and historical figures in northern Nigeria, one thing is evident: Eat the Heart of the Infidel is well-researched, deeply contemplated, and beautifully written.' -- Elnathan John, Nigerian novelist, satirist and writer

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Book SynopsisAnalysis of both official and opposition Saudi divine politics is often monolithic, conjuring images of conservatism, radicalism, misogyny and resistance to democracy. Madawi Al-Rasheed challenges this stereotype as she examines a long tradition of engaging with modernism that gathered momentum with the Arab uprisings and incurred the wrath of both the regime and its Wahhabi supporters. With this nascent modernism, constructions of new divine politics, anchored in a rigorous reinterpretation of foundational Islamic texts and civil society activism are emerging in a context where authoritarian rule prefers its advocates to remain muted. The author challenges scholarly wisdom on Islamism in general and blurs the boundaries between secular and religious politics.Trade Review'In this latest publication, the increasingly prolific Madawi al-Rasheed demonstrates again why she is one of the foremost authorities on developments in Saudi Arabia. Muted Modernists not only challenges one-dimensional portrayals of Islamists, it also shows an ability to look behind the scenes of superficial media coverage and identify issues that often go unnoticed, but which are affecting the social fabric of what remains one of the most poorly understood countries in the Muslim world. Forceful in her conclusions, her findings evince a subtle understanding of the complexity of Saudi society. She offers valuable insights that should not be ignored by anyone with a genuine interest in one of the major players in Middle Eastern politics.' * Carool Kersten, Senior Lecturer in the Study of Islam & the Muslim World, King's College London, and author of Islam in Indonesia: The Contest for Society, Values and Ideas *'Madawi Al-Rasheed demonstrates here, as she has in her past works, that the intellectual and political scene in Saudi Arabia is much more diverse and argumentative than the conventional view would have it. Despite an authoritarian government that clamps down on even the hint of critical political speech, a religious establishment that rejects modernist reinterpretations of Islam and a general public that has not yet mobilised in large numbers for political change, there is an active intellectual debate among Saudis about what their religion means for their politics. Al-Rasheed captures a part of that debate that most outsiders could easily miss. No one writing in English follows the Saudi political scene more closely and more critically than she does.' * F. Gregory Gause, III, Bush School of Government, Texas A&M University *'Islamism is a piebald, elusive form of religious politics in the modern Middle East. Saudi Arabia is a key player, yet until now no one has shown how notable Saudi scholars, many of them marginal to traditional networks but with access to social media, are reshaping Islamism within the Kingdom. Written by the foremost scholar of dissident political movements in Saudi Arabia, this book is a must read for policy mavens and students of international affairs as well as Middle East specialists from all disciplines' - * Bruce Lawrence, Professor of Islamic Studies Emeritus, Duke University, and author of Who is Allah? *'Western (and Saudi) categories of 'radical' and 'moderate' fail to capture the intensely fluid politics in Saudi Arabia of Islamist modernists who publicly challenge the religious roots of authoritarianism and advocate the emergence of genuine civil society. At great personal risk, especially after 2011, Saudi youth and intellectuals have sought, often via Twitter and other new media, to shape the debates over the direction that Saudi society should take. Muted Modernists is a must-read for understanding Saudi Arabia today and for asking better questions about turmoil in neighbouring states.' * Dale F. Eickelman, co-author of Muslim Politics *'A highly critical and informative inside-out study of Saudi society, Muted Modernists gives voice to Saudi youth and public intellectuals who struggle, against great odds, to shape the debates about the future direction of their country. Al-Rasheed expands the intellectual lens through which to view Saudi Arabia, and shatters the notion of Saudi uniformity and exceptionalism. A must read.' * Fawaz A. Gerges, Professor of International Relations, London School of Economics *

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Book SynopsisThe military victories of ISIS have overturned the geopolitical map of the Middle East. Media attention has focused on ISIS' savage treatment of its enemies and its ability to attract foreign fighters. However, in order to explain its success, a dispassionate account of its innovations in insurgency, ideology and governance is needed. The first effort to build an 'Islamic state' in Iraq was defeated by US and Iraqi forces in 2011. That the second attempt, dating from 2014, has been more successful calls for explanation. Hashim argues that by focusing their ideology first and foremost on extreme anti-Shia sectarianism -- rather than on Western 'infidels' -- ISIS' founders were able to present themselves as the saviours of what they saw as the embattled Sunni 'nation' in Iraq. This enabled them to win the support of Sunni communities. Moreover, ISIS' stunning ability to take major cities is a result of its innovative tactics. It sows terror in advance of its attacks by using targeted assassinations to kill key city leaders, and its decentralised regional command structure facilitates an unusual degree of coordination between small assault units. Meanwhile, it is making a serious effort to engage in state-building and population control.Trade Review'Pulling together speeches, other documents, and first-hand journalistic accounts, Hashim describes in detail the genesis of the group in Iraq ... assembl[ing] interesting statistics on how they governed.' -- The New York Review of Books'This a powerful account of the unique circumstances that bred and nurtured ISIS. Using primary sources and deep personal experience, Ahmed S. Hashim has brilliantly explained the ideology, organisation, war-fighting, and state-building enterprises of ISIS. I believe his book will become the definitive source on the ISIS group’s creation, evolution, and the Iraqi experience and personalities that differentiate it from other jihadist groups.' -- Michael W. S. Ryan, Senior Fellow at The Jamestown Foundation, and author of 'Decoding Al-Qaeda’s Strategy: The Deep Battle against America''Ahmed Hashim continues to produce timely and profound insights on the landscapes of global terror. The Caliphate at War is essential reading on the genesis, structure and operations of ISIS, the most violent and destructive of all the contemporary jihadist movements.' -- Ali Allawi, author, 'The Occupation of Iraq' and Minister of Trade, Defence and Finance, Iraq, 2003-2006'Ahmed Hashim has written a detailed and coherent account of the origins of the Islamic State and the reasons for its rise and fall. This is an excellent book for anyone wishing to deepen their understanding of the divisions in Iraqi society and why they will continue to foster such movements, even following the demise of the Caliphate.' -- Richard Barrett CMG OBE, former Director of Global Counter Terrorism Operations for the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS)'Pulling together speeches, other documents, and firsthand journalistic accounts, Hashim describes in detail the genesis of IS in Iraq, including the rift between the upstart caliphate and al-Qaeda, the first global jihadist movement.' -- New York Review of Books

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Book SynopsisSayyid Qutb (1906–1966) was an influential Egyptian ideologue credited with establishing the theoretical basis for radical Islamism in the postcolonial Sunni Muslim world. Lacking a pure understanding of the leader’s life and work, the popular media has conflated Qutb’s moral purpose with the aims of bin Laden and al-Qaeda. He is often portrayed as a terrorist, Islamo-Fascist, and advocate of murder. This book rescues Qutb from misrepresentation, tracing the evolution of his thought within the context of his time. An expert on social protest and political resistance in the modern Middle East, as well as Egyptian nationalism, John Calvert recounts Qutb’s life from the small village in which he was raised to his execution at the behest of Abd al-Nasser’s regime. His study remains sensitive to the cultural, political, social, and economic circumstances that shaped Qutb’s thought—major developments that composed one of the most eventful periods in Egyptian history. These years witnessed the full flush of Britain’s tutelary regime, the advent of Egyptian nationalism, and the political hegemony of the Free Officers. Qutb rubbed shoulders with Taha Husayn, Naguib Mahfouz, and Abd al-Nasser himself, though his Islamism originally had little to do with religion. Only in response to his harrowing experience in prison did Qutb come to regard Islam and kufr (infidelity) as oppositional, antithetical, and therefore mutually exclusive. Calvert shows how Qutb repackaged and reformulated the Islamic heritage to pose a challenge to authority, including those who claimed (falsely, he believed) to be Muslim.Trade Review'This rich and carefully researched biography sets Qutb for the first time in his Egyptian context, rescuing him from caricature without whitewashing his radicalism. It is no small achievement.'—The Economist; 'In one of the first serious English-language biographices of Qutb, Calvert puts this often misunderstood figure into his historical context, situating Qutb within the turbulent intellectual and political flow of Egyptian and Arab history. . . . The Qutb which emerges from Calvert's even-handed history is far more complex and interesting than the caricature of him which dominates popular understanding. Anyone interested in the evolution of Islamism in the 20th century should read it.' —Atlantic Monthly; 'Given that Qutb is taught in a large (and increasing) number of campuses, and given that he has already been introduced to the general public in bestselling books such as Lawrence Wright's the Looming Tower, the very publication of a Qutb biography is likely to attract considerable interest. … The book not only constitutes what is likely to remain the definitive biography of Sayyid Qutb, it also offers crucial new insights on the post-1954 history of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, another gaping hole in the literature. We are dealing here with a rare book that is likely to become a classic in the field of political Islam. … An outstanding volume.' –– Thomas Hegghammer, Harvard University; 'John Calvert's biography of the man now regarded as the father of radical Islam reveals an ideology forged in the fires of post-colonial Egypt.'—The National (Abu Dhabi)

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Book SynopsisHanif Qadir is recognised as one of the world's leading specialists in positively transforming violent extremists. He has worked with hundreds of high-risk terrorist and violent extremist cases and has challenged many known figureheads who lead violently extreme groups both at home and abroad. In this essential book for all those who work with young people, Hanif outlines the push and pull factors and the early indicators of radicalisation, and offers decisive and unambiguous advice on how and when to intervene. The book includes anonymous case studies of a wide variety of people Hanif has personally worked with and lays down simple lessons on what success and failure looks like when tackling extremism.Trade Review"No one I know has done more on the ground with practical experience countering violent extremism than Hanif Qadir. His experience and expertise is something we can all learn from. For anyone interested in counter-extremism, his book is an absolute must read." Peter Neumann, Professor of Security Studies and Director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization, King's College LondonTable of ContentsPersonal Testimony and Experiences within the Al Qaeda network Underlying Issues Current Challenges The Reality of the Threat Early indicators including the general 22 Point Vulnerability Assessment Framework Interventions - When & Who is best suited Recruitment Strategies early and current Attitudes and Behaviour Push & Pull Factors Case studies: Learning Outcomes Referral Pathways What does success and Failure look like The correct Islamic Perspective on Extremism and Terrorism Concluding Remarks

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Book SynopsisArgues that the distinctiveness of the al Qaeda threat led the international community to change its approach to counterterrorism. This title provides a reinterpretation of the war on terrorism and the role of the United States in leading the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates.Trade Review"This book is essential reading for international relations scholars on all levels, from the newest undergraduates to more seasoned researchers and professionals, and it should have a place on every library shelf by virtue of the novelty of the argument and approach." (Choice)"

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewSpecialists in Indonesia will see the array of experts assembled in this volume and need little persuasion to study its contents. But those interested in democratization, religion and politics, and Islam will find the book equally rich. The authors offer sober and sophisticated analysis in service of fairly sunny conclusions about Indonesia's democratic present and future; they do so in a form that is accessible and very amenable to comparative understandings of the Indonesian experience. -- Nathan J. Brown, George Washington University Democratization literature in political science has few in-depth studies of democratic transitions in Muslim-majority societies. The abundant literature on Islam and politics in Indonesia has largely neglected to compare Indonesia's transition with those in other parts of the world. In this well-written and theoretically engaging volume, Kunkler and Stepan bring together leading figures from political science and Indonesian studies to address both of these intellectual shortcomings. The result is the best volume currently available on the role of Islam and Muslims in Indonesia's democratic transition. This important book should be required reading for specialists of Indonesia and all those interested in how democracy might be constructed in Muslim-majority countries. -- Robert W. Hefner, Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs, Boston UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgments List of Abbreviations Chronology Part I. Introduction 1. Indonesian Democratization in Theoretical Perspective by Mirjam Kunkler and Alfred Stepan 2. Indonesian Democracy: From Transition to Consolidation by R. William Liddle and Saiful Mujani Part II. Attitudes: The Development of a Democratic Consensus by Religious and Political Actors 3. How Pluralist Democracy Became the Consensual Discourse Among Secular and Nonsecular Muslims in Indonesia by Mirjam Kunkler 4. Christian and Muslim Minorities in Indonesia: State Policies and Majority Islamic Organizations by Franz Magnis-Suseno Part III. Behaviors: Challenges to the Democratic Transition and State and Their Transcendence 5. Veto Player No More? The Declining Political Influence of the Military in Postauthoritarian Indonesia by Marcus Mietzner 6. Indonesian Government Approaches to Radical Islam Since 1998 by Sidney Jones 7. How Indonesia Survived: Comparative Perspectives on State Disintegration and Democratic Integration by Edward Aspinall Part IV. Constitutionalism: The Role of Law and Legal Pluralism 8. Contours of Sharia in Indonesia by John Bowen 9. Unfinished Business: Law Reform by Tim Lindsey and Simon Butt Glossary Notes Selected Bibliography Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisDescribes the motivations that lead to modern Islamist terrorism and the different stages in the execution of a terrorist attack.Trade ReviewAn important addition to the literature on global Islamic terrorism...It is a very well-referenced and argued book...It should be a required reading for all university courses on global Islamic terrorism. Washington Book Review I highly recommend that anyone interested in the subject of combating the plague of terrorism today read Ganor's short but punchy book. Jerusalem Post Global Alert is a must read for national security professionals, political leaders, academics, and any citizens who simply want to better understand the rationale and threat of modern Islamist terrorism. -- Randolph Lake H-WarTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. Introduction to Multidimensional Warfare: Defining Terrorism, Redefining War 2. The Challenges and Dilemmas Faced by Democracies Coping with Modern Islamist Terrorism 3. The Proportionality Dilemma in Countering Terrorism 4. State Involvement in Terrorism 5. The Hybrid Terrorist Organization 6. Is Liberal Democracy the Solution to Terrorism-or Is It Part of the Problem? 7. The Rationale of Modern Islamist Terrorism 8. The Practical Aspects of an Islamist Terrorist Organization's Rationale 9. Understanding the Rationale Behind Different Types of Terrorist Attack 10. The Rationale of the Modern Islamist Terrorist Organization: Hamas as a Case Study 11. Conclusion Notes Selected Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisDescribes the motivations that lead to modern Islamist terrorism and the different stages in the execution of a terrorist attack.Trade ReviewIn Global Alert Boaz Ganor, a true expert in the field of terrorism and counter-terrorism, enlightens readers of the Israeli–Palestinian reality, which he understands flawlessly. This book is a must read for researchers, academics, practitioners, and decision makers, who will find a comprehensive strategic doctrine and operational approach to counter this plague of modern times. -- Judge Jean-Louis Bruguière, former vice president of the Paris Court of Serious ClaimsBoaz Ganor, who has dealt with the phenomenon of Islamic terrorism for more than twenty years and is rightly considered an international authority on the subject, deals with the fundamental issues of radical Islam, clarifies them, and translates them for the Western conceptual world of the twenty-first century. There is no doubt that this book will serve as a significant contribution to a better understanding of the conflict that will accompany human society for many years to come. -- Shabtai Shavit, former director of the MossadA provocative book that will generate discussion. -- Erica Chenoweth, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of DenverIn Global Alert Boaz Ganor addresses the fundamental dilemmas that confront the liberal democratic state in combating contemporary terrorist groups. He makes the point that terrorism is not mindless violence. Today’s terrorist leaders think strategically. They have benefited from decades of experience, observing their predecessors, enabling them to create new kinds of organizations and formulate strategies that exploit the disadvantages of the democratic state. Intellectually, states have not kept up, and radical rethinking is in order. Global Alert starts us in a new direction. -- Brian Jenkins, senior adviser to the president of the RAND CorporationWhen it comes to outstanding informed analytical and policy-oriented scholarship on counterterrorism in the context of open societies, the work of Boaz Ganor is plainly and simply inescapable for academics, politicians, security practitioners, and concerned citizens. -- Fernando Reinares, professor of politics and security studies, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, and senior analyst on international terrorism, Elcano Royal Institute, MadridI highly recommend that anyone interested in the subject of combating the plague of terrorism today read Ganor's short but punchy book. * Jerusalem Post *An important addition to the literature on global Islamic terrorism...It is a very well-referenced and argued book...It should be a required reading for all university courses on global Islamic terrorism. * Washington Book Review *Global Alert is a must read for national security professionals, political leaders, academics, and any citizens who simply want to better understand the rationale and threat of modern Islamist terrorism. -- Randolph Lake * H-War *Ganor’s text is one that will likely invite spirited debate. * Terrorism and Political Violence *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Introduction to Multidimensional Warfare: Defining Terrorism, Redefining War2. The Challenges and Dilemmas Faced by Democracies Coping with Modern Islamist Terrorism3. The Proportionality Dilemma in Countering Terrorism4. State Involvement in Terrorism5. The Hybrid Terrorist Organization6. Is Liberal Democracy the Solution to Terrorism—or Is It Part of the Problem?7. The Rationale of Modern Islamist Terrorism8. The Practical Aspects of an Islamist Terrorist Organization's Rationale9. Understanding the Rationale Behind Different Types of Terrorist Attack10. The Rationale of the Modern Islamist Terrorist Organization: Hamas as a Case Study11. ConclusionNotesSelected BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a groundbreaking analysis of how religious terrorist groups manage and adapt to major shifts in leadership. It argues that how successors position themselves in terms of the founder shapes a terrorist group’s future course and examines how and why different types of successors choose to pursue incremental or discontinuous change.Trade ReviewMeticulous in its research, Terror in Transition delivers an abundance of new insight into the impact of succession on terrorist entities, delivering on its objective to better “analyze the implications of decapitation.” Focusing on the essence of a leader’s “how” and “why” and its relationship to succession, Terror in Transition also provides CT practitioners with a framework to assess other options for influencing the direction of terrorist entities. -- Gina M. Bennett, author of National Security Mom: Why Going Soft Will Make America StrongTerror in Transition is the definitive study of how terrorist groups manage (or fail to manage) leadership transitions. Bacon and Grimm's analysis helps us understand how and why certain terrorist groups thrive while some split or otherwise cannot manage the transition. Their many insights can help counterterrorist officials exploit transition tensions to weaken extremist groups. -- Daniel Byman, author of Spreading Hate: The Global Rise of White Supremacist TerrorismAn original, systematic, detailed, and rigorous analysis of terrorist leadership and succession. A very compelling study of a major topic. -- Richard English, author of Does Terrorism Work?: A HistoryMeticulous in its research, Terror in Transition delivers an abundance of new insight into the impact of succession on terrorist entities, delivering on its objective to better “analyze the implications of decapitation.” Focusing on the essence of a leader’s “how” and “why” and its relationship to succession, Terror in Transition also provides CT practitioners with a framework to assess other options for influencing the direction of terrorist entities. -- Gina M. Bennett, author of National Security Mom: Why Going Soft Will Make America StrongBacon and Grimm have written an outstanding book, essential reading for anyone seeking to understand terrorist organizations, or leadership of violent groups in general. -- Brian Phillips * Small War Journals *It rewards unpacking owing to its analytic soundness, practical utility and, lamentably, its ongoing relevance. * Survival *An important conceptual and knowledge-based foundation, which will undoubtedly be built on for years to come. * Parameters *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Literature Review and Research Design2. Founders: Who Is a Founder, What Does He Do, and Who Comes Next?3. The Second Ku Klux Klan: From Founder to Fixer4. Egyptian Islamic Jihad: From Founder to Figureheads, to Fixer, to Visionary5. Al-Qaida in Iraq/the Islamic State of Iraq: From Founder to Signalers6. Al-Shabaab: From Founder to Fixer, to Figurehead7. Pathways and Possibilities: Lessons Learned from the Mini–Case StudiesConclusionAppendix A. Religious Terrorist GroupsAppendix B. Summary of Mini–Case Study DataNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a groundbreaking analysis of how religious terrorist groups manage and adapt to major shifts in leadership. It argues that how successors position themselves in terms of the founder shapes a terrorist group’s future course and examines how and why different types of successors choose to pursue incremental or discontinuous change.Trade ReviewMeticulous in its research, Terror in Transition delivers an abundance of new insight into the impact of succession on terrorist entities, delivering on its objective to better “analyze the implications of decapitation.” Focusing on the essence of a leader’s “how” and “why” and its relationship to succession, Terror in Transition also provides CT practitioners with a framework to assess other options for influencing the direction of terrorist entities. -- Gina M. Bennett, author of National Security Mom: Why Going Soft Will Make America StrongTerror in Transition is the definitive study of how terrorist groups manage (or fail to manage) leadership transitions. Bacon and Grimm's analysis helps us understand how and why certain terrorist groups thrive while some split or otherwise cannot manage the transition. Their many insights can help counterterrorist officials exploit transition tensions to weaken extremist groups. -- Daniel Byman, author of Spreading Hate: The Global Rise of White Supremacist TerrorismAn original, systematic, detailed, and rigorous analysis of terrorist leadership and succession. A very compelling study of a major topic. -- Richard English, author of Does Terrorism Work?: A HistoryMeticulous in its research, Terror in Transition delivers an abundance of new insight into the impact of succession on terrorist entities, delivering on its objective to better “analyze the implications of decapitation.” Focusing on the essence of a leader’s “how” and “why” and its relationship to succession, Terror in Transition also provides CT practitioners with a framework to assess other options for influencing the direction of terrorist entities. -- Gina M. Bennett, author of National Security Mom: Why Going Soft Will Make America StrongBacon and Grimm have written an outstanding book, essential reading for anyone seeking to understand terrorist organizations, or leadership of violent groups in general. -- Brian Phillips * Small War Journals *It rewards unpacking owing to its analytic soundness, practical utility and, lamentably, its ongoing relevance. * Survival *An important conceptual and knowledge-based foundation, which will undoubtedly be built on for years to come. * Parameters *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Literature Review and Research Design2. Founders: Who Is a Founder, What Does He Do, and Who Comes Next?3. The Second Ku Klux Klan: From Founder to Fixer4. Egyptian Islamic Jihad: From Founder to Figureheads, to Fixer, to Visionary5. Al-Qaida in Iraq/the Islamic State of Iraq: From Founder to Signalers6. Al-Shabaab: From Founder to Fixer, to Figurehead7. Pathways and Possibilities: Lessons Learned from the Mini–Case StudiesConclusionAppendix A. Religious Terrorist GroupsAppendix B. Summary of Mini–Case Study DataNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewIn addition to the richness of the calendrical artifacts surveyed, Rosen provides an evidence based argument against the erasure of Jewish time. Applying a fresh integration of historiography and hermeneutics, he forges a path that leads beyond Holocaust time by delving into its devestating details. * the Lehrhaus *The Holocaust's Jewish Calendars offers a major contribution to the understanding of the life Jews had to experience not only as human beings cast into dreadful circumstances, but most sensibly as people trying to survive under inhuman situations, chiefly designed to eradicate their own Jewishness. [Rosen's] book is a major opus to add to the library of any reader. -- Sylvie Anne Goldberg, École des hautes études en sciences sociales, Paris * Slavic Review *Rosen's important and very readable study raises and answers an array of significant questions concerning the concept and meaning of Jewish time as well as the value of a calendar's insistence on normalcy, regularity, and order during the hellishly disordered time of the Shoah. * the arts fuse *Rosen's work is the most comprehensive to date treatment of these precious artifacts of the Holocaust's Jewish efforts to maintain religious observations and identity and should serve scholars and lay people interested in accessing this aspect of Jewish martyrology. * Choice *The Holocaust's Jewish Calendars is a masterpiece that helps us grasp one of the most fundamental traditional modes of spiritual resistance—the tracking of Jewish time in the ghettos, camps and in hiding. * Jewish Action *The book offers a comprehensive overview as well as a detailed insight into everyday Jewish life during the Holocaust as well as into the techniques of survival and the preservation of one's own Jewish identity through the special access to the Jewish time. Rosen illustrates how the victims opposed the destruction of Jewish life when they wrote the Jewish calendar, and thus makes a fundamental contribution to it. -- Christin Zühlke * H-Soz-Kult *The Holocaust's Jewish Calendars is deeply researched, eloquently written, and filled with surprises. Rosen has unearthed a treasure trove of calendrical works, mute survivors to historical calamity. He analyzes each artifact in terms of its materiality, its creator, its calendrical calculations, and its Holocaust setting. By means of the calendars, Rosen explores philosophically the meaning of tracking time under such extreme conditions. The Holocaust's Jewish Calendars is an original and profound contribution to the study of Jewish culture during the Holocaust. -- Elisheva Carlebach * Journal of Modern History *Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart I: Time at the End of a Jewish CenturyPart II: Tracking Time in the New Jewish Century: Calendars in Wartime GhettosPart III: Concentration Camps, Endless Time, and Jewish TimePart IV: While in Hiding: Calendar Consciousness on the Edge of DestructionPart V: At the Top of the Page: Calendar Dates in Holocaust DiariesPart VI: The Holocaust as a Revolution in Jewish Time: The Lubavitcher Rebbes' Wartime Calendar BookEpilogueAppendix 1: Inventory of Wartime Jewish CalendarsAppendix 2: Months of the Jewish Calendar Year, with Their Holidays and Fast DaysAppendix 3: English-Language Rendering of Rabbi Scheiner CalendarGlossarySelective BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewIn addition to the richness of the calendrical artifacts surveyed, Rosen provides an evidence based argument against the erasure of Jewish time. Applying a fresh integration of historiography and hermeneutics, he forges a path that leads beyond Holocaust time by delving into its devestating details. * the Lehrhaus *The Holocaust's Jewish Calendars offers a major contribution to the understanding of the life Jews had to experience not only as human beings cast into dreadful circumstances, but most sensibly as people trying to survive under inhuman situations, chiefly designed to eradicate their own Jewishness. [Rosen's] book is a major opus to add to the library of any reader. -- Sylvie Anne Goldberg, École des hautes études en sciences sociales, Paris * Slavic Review *Rosen's important and very readable study raises and answers an array of significant questions concerning the concept and meaning of Jewish time as well as the value of a calendar's insistence on normalcy, regularity, and order during the hellishly disordered time of the Shoah. * the arts fuse *Rosen's work is the most comprehensive to date treatment of these precious artifacts of the Holocaust's Jewish efforts to maintain religious observations and identity and should serve scholars and lay people interested in accessing this aspect of Jewish martyrology. * Choice *The Holocaust's Jewish Calendars is a masterpiece that helps us grasp one of the most fundamental traditional modes of spiritual resistance—the tracking of Jewish time in the ghettos, camps and in hiding. * Jewish Action *The book offers a comprehensive overview as well as a detailed insight into everyday Jewish life during the Holocaust as well as into the techniques of survival and the preservation of one's own Jewish identity through the special access to the Jewish time. Rosen illustrates how the victims opposed the destruction of Jewish life when they wrote the Jewish calendar, and thus makes a fundamental contribution to it. -- Christin Zühlke * H-Soz-Kult *The Holocaust's Jewish Calendars is deeply researched, eloquently written, and filled with surprises. Rosen has unearthed a treasure trove of calendrical works, mute survivors to historical calamity. He analyzes each artifact in terms of its materiality, its creator, its calendrical calculations, and its Holocaust setting. By means of the calendars, Rosen explores philosophically the meaning of tracking time under such extreme conditions. The Holocaust's Jewish Calendars is an original and profound contribution to the study of Jewish culture during the Holocaust. -- Elisheva Carlebach * Journal of Modern History *Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart I: Time at the End of a Jewish CenturyPart II: Tracking Time in the New Jewish Century: Calendars in Wartime GhettosPart III: Concentration Camps, Endless Time, and Jewish TimePart IV: While in Hiding: Calendar Consciousness on the Edge of DestructionPart V: At the Top of the Page: Calendar Dates in Holocaust DiariesPart VI: The Holocaust as a Revolution in Jewish Time: The Lubavitcher Rebbes' Wartime Calendar BookEpilogueAppendix 1: Inventory of Wartime Jewish CalendarsAppendix 2: Months of the Jewish Calendar Year, with Their Holidays and Fast DaysAppendix 3: English-Language Rendering of Rabbi Scheiner CalendarGlossarySelective BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisAn incisive narrative history of the Islamic State, from the 2005 master plan to reestablish the Caliphate to its quest for Final Victory in 2020Trade Review"Brian Fishman’s The Master Plan provides a comprehensive history of the Islamic State’s strategic evolution, covering the personalities and events that shaped one of the most feared terrorist­insurgent groups that has ever existed. Eminently readable, in places even amusing — no small feat in a book about IS — Fishman flips with ease between the overview and the granular to demonstrate his points, using new sources that will allow as much supplementary research as a reader could wish for, and ties it together in a narrative that will be of use to both specialists and generalists."—Kyle Orton, Fathom"The definitive history of the Islamic State—told by one of a handful of experts who studied the group long before it became what it is today.”—Peter Neumann, King’s College London"With its original and powerful analysis, The Master Plan should be required reading for anyone attempting to understand both ISIS and al-Qaeda and the implications for contemporary global security."—Bruce Hoffman, Georgetown University"For too many years, the United States and its allies have failed to understand the ideological drive of the people who lead ISIS. Brian Fishman tells us who they are, what they think and where they hope to be headed. His work needs to be read by policy makers and average citizens alike."—General John P. Abizaid, U.S. Army (Ret.), former commander, U.S. Central Command"Brian Fishman's Master Plan is a deeply researched account of ISIS' rise to prominence from its obscure roots in pre-9/11 Afghanistan. Fishman masterfully elucidates the organization's history, tactics and strategy."—Peter Bergen, author of United States of Jihad

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Book SynopsisEye-opening accounts of heroic resistance to religious extremism.Trade Review"A powerful and captivating tribute to those brave women and men who have stood up to fundamentalist violence in their own countries from Afghanistan to Mali, this book will hopefully inspire a new and improved international human rights response." -- Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights"This work redefines courage in a humbling dimension. Bennoune’s meticulous testament serves as a warning to the complacent and rebukes ‘politically correct’ posturing that makes excuses for the inexcusable and canvasses tolerance for the intolerable." -- Wole Soyinka, winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize for Literature"Courageous and passionate, illuminating the confiscated lives of secularists, religious minorities, and Muslims alike. Yet what is striking is not their victimhood but their resilience and resistance—that is where hope lies." -- Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran"For too long, these types of voices, those Muslims who stand for individual freedom, debate, creativity, and compassion, have been ignored. But if we are ever to defeat the extremists, the counter narratives they provide to the distorted version of Islam need to be heard loud and clear." -- Ali Soufan, author of The Black Banners"Bennoune, and those she profiles, bravely meets the tide of extremism with a sense of shared community and nonviolent purpose." -- Kirkus Reviews"Starred review. Her interviews sear with passion as her subjects deconstruct false views of Islam and inaccurate readings of the Qur’an. Again and again, Bennoune shines a spotlight on those who battle with intelligence and creativity against guns and bloodlust. She has created a significant and compelling record of modern life in which she spares no one, from the right wing to the left." -- Booklist"A fascinating and often heartbreaking read… Bennoune’s writing is crisp and conversational, and she possesses a deft sense of how to clearly deconstruct the most ingrained American arguments about violence in the name of Islam." -- Lorraine Ali - Los Angeles Times"A compelling, meticulously researched account of the legions of Muslims whose struggles against fundamentalist violence are almost never reported in our media…. Required reading." -- Rachel Newcomb - Washington Post

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Book SynopsisOffers a comprehensive evaluation of the role of religion in international relations, broadening the scope of investigation to such topics as the relationship between religion and cooperation, religion and conflict, and the relationship between religion and the quality of life.Trade ReviewThis is an important book. The book's contribution lies particularly in its sophisticated and comprehensive conceptualization and measurement of religious demographics." —Isak Svensson, Uppsala University

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Book SynopsisCécile Laborde argues that religion is more than a statement of belief or a moral code. It refers to comprehensive ways of life, theories of justice, modes of association, and vulnerable collective identities. By disaggregating these dimensions, she addresses questions about whether Western secularism and religion can be applied more universally.Trade ReviewThe standard story that liberalism has told about religion since the Enlightenment is that they are sibling rivals—frères ennemis—battling each other for control of the modern world… The standard account…is not wrong, Cécile Laborde argues in Liberalism’s Religion, her important and illuminating…book, but it needs substantial revision. -- Michael Ignatieff * New York Review of Books *It’s a major contribution to its field, likely to displace a lot of other texts from reading lists. It will command attention from political theorists, philosophers, and legal scholars for years to come. -- Bernard G. Prusak * Commonweal *Liberalism’s Religion is a paradigm-shifting book and an exemplary academic achievement…Given its unquestionable status as a landmark contribution to the field, it is not unreasonable to suggest that this book will become a fundamental reference point for the foreseeable future…By demystifying the concept of religion, Laborde gives liberalism an opportunity for self-reflection and renews the possibility of taking on the challenges facing contemporary plural societies with a sharper focus. -- Eugenio Velasco Ibarra * Oxford Journal of Law and Religion *Cécile Laborde [shows],…against secular fundamentalism, that the state can, without ceasing to be liberal and losing its legitimacy, use religious ideas to justify its actions far beyond what existing theories of liberal neutrality suggest. But, without any contradiction, she also shows that religious freedom extends beyond the boundary that some impenitent secularists would like to set for it. -- Jean-Fabien Spitz * La Vie des Idées *A powerful, original, and nuanced book. The implications of Cécile Laborde’s views will have a wide impact for a long time to come. -- Corey Brettschneider, Brown UniversityThe question of the proper place of religion in liberal societies proves to be a perennial problem. In this masterpiece, Cécile Laborde, one of the most powerful political theorists of our time, addresses the many aspects of this question in a most thorough and original way. Her arguments for the disaggregation of religion and for ‘minimal secularism’ open up new perspectives of thought and practice. -- Rainer Forst, Goethe-University FrankfurtLiberalism’s Religion is a major contribution to a crowded field, offering a distinctive and powerful approach to the familiar problem of the relationship between religion and state. Professor Laborde also offers a shrewd critical map of the intellectual territory. The book is more than an application of liberal political philosophy to religion. It deepens our understanding of liberalism itself. -- Andrew M. Koppelman, Northwestern UniversityA major theoretical accomplishment, one that ought to shape theoretical analysis of religion and politics by liberal egalitarian, democratic, and critical theorists long into the future. * Political Theory *An elegant philosophical exercise of rigorous conceptual analysis, erudite discussion, and challenging normative engagement with the conceptualization of ‘religion’ as an object of concern for liberal political philosophers. * Ethics *Splendid…Should receive attention from anyone interested in liberal democracy or in the place of religion within modern secularized societies. Laborde has thought deeply and subtly about the problems which she ponders, and her contemplation has paid off in the form of a truly fine book. * Modern Law Review *[An] outstanding contribution to debates about religion in political philosophy and [an] excellent window for moral and political theologians on the most advanced liberal thinking on the subject. * Studies in Christian Ethics *Will have a significant share in shaping future debates in liberal political theory. In addition to masterfully addressing and reinvigorating an impressive range of discussions about liberalism and religion, its treatment of liberal neutrality and secularism expands the scope for imagining a liberal democratic future for religious societies. -- Karim Sadek * Ethical Theory and Moral Practice *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year""Zaman’s excellent study will remain indispensable to any student who seeks to understand Islam in Pakistan, while the methodologies, themes, and archives to which it does not attend invite scholars to build on this insightful monograph."---Ali Altaf Mian, Reading Religion"Thematically organized, deeply detailed, urgently relevant history of leading figures, groups and movements. . . . No other book offers a guide to ways in which the meaning and significance of Islam have been understood by proponents in South Asia. Essential."---G.R. Thursby, Choice Reviews"This is a wonderfully balanced treatment of Islam in Pakistan, which throughout respects nuance and complexity."---Francis Robinson, Times Literary Supplement"Zaman’s extensive survey of the kaleidoscopic range of Islamic movements and groups discerns and dissects dominant trends in Islamic discourses over the last seven decades."---Ali Usman Qasmi, Herald"This book is not meant to be read. It is meant to be studied. Encyclopedic in scope, subtle in analysis, Islam in Pakistan attempts to define a unique strand of Islam that the author calls ‘modernism,’ tracing its genealogy and relation to the corridors of political power."---Mahan Mirza, Maydan"A wonderfully balanced treatment of Islam in Pakistan, which throughout respects nuance and complexity . . . rooted in a deep knowledge of the writings of modernists, ulama and Islamists."---Francis Robinson, Times Literary Supplement"A rich intellectual history. . . . This work will immediately be established as essential reading for all specialists."---Justin Jones, H-Net Reviews"A landmark publication in the fields of religious studies, modern Islam, South Asian Islam, and by far the most important and monumental contribution to date in the study of Islam in Pakistan."---Sherali Tareen, Islamic Studies

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Building on his prowess as an interfaith pioneer in American colleges, Patel offers a vision of pluralism that aims to guard against religious preference and particularism, advances everyday ethics, and invites Americans of many religious persuasions into civic participation. . . . Readers will be rewarded with Patel’s rich perspective on religious diversity in America as he champions the strength of its civic identity and the possibility of religious pluralism in the years to come." * Publishers Weekly, starred review *"Patel provides a thoughtful and passionate response to contemporary social and civic ills grounded in his experience as a Muslim American. . . . For a compelling portrait of pluralistic optimism in the early decades of the twenty-first century, sociologists of religion in America could ask for no better primary source."---Elizabeth Dolfi, Sociology of Religion"Patel portrays civil religion as a potluck supper where the food on the table diversifies and palate widens as demographics change but lately from the countryside to the inner city, the unchanging inventory of food items placed on top of grocery store shelves and behind a fast food restaurant counters feeds Americans."---Sher Afgan Tareen, Politics, Religion, & Ideology

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"For the dedicated regional student who wants to examine the politics of the current conflicts in the region it provides a wealth of insight."---Jerry Lenaburg, New York Journal of Books"Captures the complexities, and in fact pulls the reader away from the usual tired dichotomy."---Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution"To open the book is to appreciate the extent of the challenges in trying to understand the Islamic world and how it has drawn in the great global players, often at great cost to both. . . . Sunnis and Shi'a is an important book."---Barclay McBain, The Herald"In terms of a superb and scholarly overview of Islamic history as articulated by the Sunnī and theShī‘a, Louër’s book. . . .is a tour de force, and as such should be compulsory reading for students of Islamic history, whether Sunnīor Shī‘ī."---Christopher Clohessy, Islamochristiana"This richly informative study is a very useful aid to understanding the faith dynamics across Middle East today"---Rev. Brian Cooper, The Gandhi Way

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Book SynopsisA fast-paced, narrative-driven account of the rise of Islamic State, based on thorough researchTrade ReviewPraise for previous books:'Filled with the dramatic moments, ironies and political intrigues that colour the Taliban's rise ... Griffin writes engagingly' -- The New York Times Book Review'Michael Griffin has reached a better understanding of the Taliban in his book than I have come across anywhere else' -- John Simpson, BBC'Recommended' -- CHOICE'Engaging and succinct' -- Middle East JournalTable of ContentsList of Acronyms/Abbreviations Timeline Preface 1. The Great Escape 2. Zarqawi’s War 3. The First Caliph 4. Clear, Hold and Build 5. The Successions 6. Springtime for Qatar 7. The Road to Damascus 8. Prince Bandar’s Last Adventure 9. Knights of the Silencers 10. Treasure of Babisqa 11. Chain of Custody 12. Game of Thrones 13. Paradise Square 14. Birth of a Nation 15. Twitter Caliphate 16. Call of Duty 17. Inside the Whale 18. Euphrates Volcano Postscript: Saddam’s Ghost Notes Index

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Book SynopsisHow is decolonial resistance evolving in Lebanon and the Middle East?Trade Review'This is a brilliant, erudite and welcome addition to the growing body of work on Islamic liberation theology and decoloniality. -- Farid Esack, Professor in the Study of Islam, University of JohannesburgTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 2. The Rise of Religious Activism in Lebanon and Beyond 3. Deconstructing Terrorism and Resistance 4. Lebanon’s Resistance Charities 5. The Imam Al-Sadr Foundation 6. The Problem of Resistance and Power Conclusion Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisHow is decolonial resistance evolving in Lebanon and the Middle East?Trade Review'This is a brilliant, erudite and welcome addition to the growing body of work on Islamic liberation theology and decoloniality. -- Farid Esack, Professor in the Study of Islam, University of JohannesburgTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 2. The Rise of Religious Activism in Lebanon and Beyond 3. Deconstructing Terrorism and Resistance 4. Lebanon’s Resistance Charities 5. The Imam Al-Sadr Foundation 6. The Problem of Resistance and Power Conclusion Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisMoves beyond the fashionable yet cursory understanding of Muslims' beliefs regarding power and statecraft. By assembling a group of world class scholars, this book challenges a host of exalted assumptions and theories concerning political power in the muslim world.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThough neither king nor priest, Spanish dictator Francisco Franco nevertheless conceptualized his right to sovereignty around a political theology in which national identity resembled a sacred cult. Using Franco’s Spain and la España sagrada as a counterpoint to European secularity’s own development, By the Grace of God is the first sustained analysis within Spanish cultural studies of the sacred as a political category and a tool for political organization.William Viestenz shows how imagining national identity as a sacred absolute within a pluralistic, multicultural state leads to dictatorship, scapegoating, and exceptional violence. Using novels and poetry from the Catalan literary tradition and stalwarts of the Castilian canon, his analysis demonstrates that the sacred is a concept that spills over into key areas of secular political imagination.By the Grace of God offers an original theory of the sacred that challenges Table of ContentsAcknowledegments 1. Introduction: La Espana Sagrada as a Political Category Francoist Spain, Post-Secularism, and a Sacred Politics The Sacred's Slippage into the Profane The Sacred and Metaphysics Spain's 'Time of the Sacred': Literature as a Political Matter Iberian Studies: A Parallax View 2. 'He aqui una plenitud espanola': Catholicism, Cultural Regeneration, and Spanish Essentialism Por Dios hacia el imperio: Spanish First Causes Nineteenth-Century Spain: Cuando la legalidad no basta Spanish Regenerationism: Displacing the Sacred onto the Secular Catholicism as a Social Force: 1936 3. Politics by Other Means: The Sacred Core of Collective Imagining Post-War Stimmung The Scapegoat Mechanism and the Mimetic Reduction of Difference Beyond the Victimary Principle 4. Intimate Strife: Inside Juan Goytisolo's Sovereign Exception Against Sacred Forms Conde Julian's Inclusive Exclusion Human, All Too Human A New Nomos of the Earth? 5. The Eternal Present of Sacred Time 'In illo tempore' Numa's Sacred Wood Killing Time: Ritual Death and the Origins of the Sacred 6. 'Desacralization' and 'Sacrogenesis', or How to Step Outside of Sacred Time Sacred Dialectics Le regard d'autrui: The State's Loving Embrace Rerouting Sacred Time: Tiempo de destruccion 7. Espriu's Sepharad and the Equitable Restoration of Sacred Sovereignty Sacrifice and the Poetic Expulsion of Self The Sacred Bonds of Kinship Death by Way of the Pen: Les hores Espriu's kehre: El caminant i el mur& Final del laberint: Redeeming a Lost Religiousness Rethinking Iberia: A New Temple of Sacred Communion 8. Conclusion: The Aesthetic Disruption of Political Truth Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisFrom Paris to San Bernardino, Barcelona to Manchester, home-grown terrorism is among the most urgent challenges confronting Western nations. Attempts to understand jihadism have typically treated it as a form of political violence or religious conflict. However, the closer we get to the actual people involved in radicalization, the more problematic these explanations become. In this fascinating book, Kevin McDonald shows that the term radicalization unifies what are in fact very different experiences. These new violent actors, whether they travelled to Syria or killed at home, range from former drug dealers and gang members to students and professionals, mothers with young children and schoolgirls. This innovative book sets out to explore radicalization not as something done to people but as something produced by active participants, attempting to make sense of themselves and their world. In doing so, McDonald offers powerful portraits of the immersive worlds of social media so fundamental to present-day radicalization. Radicalization offers a bold new way of understanding the contemporary allure of jihad and, in the process, important directions in responding to it.Trade Review"The most important contribution of Kevin McDonald's new book is his illumination of the variety and complexity of individual pathways to so-called jihadism. These pathways do not evince a simple embrace of religious fundamentalism or violent nihilism, or a reaction to Western imperialism, or any kind of indoctrination. And the pathways are not always clearly marked out in advance, but are actively made, at least in part, by the individuals themselves. Anyone who wants to understand how a startlingly wide range of individuals has come to support jihadism should read this book."—Jeff Goodwin, New York University "Professor Kevin McDonald's new book is an incisive interdisciplinary contribution furthering our understanding of radicalization processes through a sociology of experience perspective. Based on extensive field interviews with extremists and social media profiles of foreign terrorist fighters, this book focus on how extremists experience reality and how they respond to it. Anyone who seriously wants to understand violent extremism must read this book. Also policymakers need to pay attention as it has huge policy implications how we approach prevention work and strategies."—Dr Magnus Ranstorp is Quality Manager of the EU Radicalization Awareness Network - Centre of Excellence. He also leads all terrorism and extremism research at the Swedish Defense University "Radicalization offers an accessible, rich account of the lived experience of radicalization. It encourages readers to carefully consider the processes through which some individuals make sense of fear, suffering, hostility, and, at times, the fun in being transgressive by adopting distinctive conceptual frameworks—frameworks that may lead to supporting jihadism and violence."—Social Forces "Radicalization undoubtedly adds an original and important perspective to the current debate on radicalization."—American Journal of Sociology "The essential merit of this book is to break with the paradigm of 'indoctrination of young victims'. This work paves the way for a much more complex approach to radicalization based more on the idea of active transformation of actors displaying a desire for political and moral change."—Revue française de sociologie "[A] fascinating read […] The second chapter is a particularly brilliant piece of digital ethnography[. McDonald's book] undoubtedly adds an original and important perspective to the current debate on radicalization."—American Journal of SociologyTable of Contents1. Rethinking Radicalization 2. Distant Suffering 3. DIY Religion: hidden worlds, from fear to bliss 4. Mediating Violence: filming the self 5. From Drug Dealer to Jihadist 6. The Gamification of Jihad: the cyber-caliphate 7. My Concern is Me 8. Radicalization: experience, embodiment and imagination Bibliography

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Book SynopsisFrom Paris to San Bernardino, Barcelona to Manchester, home-grown terrorism is among the most urgent challenges confronting Western nations. Attempts to understand jihadism have typically treated it as a form of political violence or religious conflict. However, the closer we get to the actual people involved in radicalization, the more problematic these explanations become. In this fascinating book, Kevin McDonald shows that the term radicalization unifies what are in fact very different experiences. These new violent actors, whether they travelled to Syria or killed at home, range from former drug dealers and gang members to students and professionals, mothers with young children and schoolgirls. This innovative book sets out to explore radicalization not as something done to people but as something produced by active participants, attempting to make sense of themselves and their world. In doing so, McDonald offers powerful portraits of the immersive worlds of social media so fundamental to present-day radicalization. Radicalization offers a bold new way of understanding the contemporary allure of jihad and, in the process, important directions in responding to it.Trade Review"The most important contribution of Kevin McDonald's new book is his illumination of the variety and complexity of individual pathways to so-called jihadism. These pathways do not evince a simple embrace of religious fundamentalism or violent nihilism, or a reaction to Western imperialism, or any kind of indoctrination. And the pathways are not always clearly marked out in advance, but are actively made, at least in part, by the individuals themselves. Anyone who wants to understand how a startlingly wide range of individuals has come to support jihadism should read this book."—Jeff Goodwin, New York University "Professor Kevin McDonald's new book is an incisive interdisciplinary contribution furthering our understanding of radicalization processes through a sociology of experience perspective. Based on extensive field interviews with extremists and social media profiles of foreign terrorist fighters, this book focus on how extremists experience reality and how they respond to it. Anyone who seriously wants to understand violent extremism must read this book. Also policymakers need to pay attention as it has huge policy implications how we approach prevention work and strategies."—Dr Magnus Ranstorp is Quality Manager of the EU Radicalization Awareness Network - Centre of Excellence. He also leads all terrorism and extremism research at the Swedish Defense University "Radicalization offers an accessible, rich account of the lived experience of radicalization. It encourages readers to carefully consider the processes through which some individuals make sense of fear, suffering, hostility, and, at times, the fun in being transgressive by adopting distinctive conceptual frameworks—frameworks that may lead to supporting jihadism and violence."—Social Forces "Radicalization undoubtedly adds an original and important perspective to the current debate on radicalization."—American Journal of Sociology "The essential merit of this book is to break with the paradigm of 'indoctrination of young victims'. This work paves the way for a much more complex approach to radicalization based more on the idea of active transformation of actors displaying a desire for political and moral change."—Revue française de sociologie "[A] fascinating read […] The second chapter is a particularly brilliant piece of digital ethnography[. McDonald's book] undoubtedly adds an original and important perspective to the current debate on radicalization."—American Journal of SociologyTable of Contents1. Rethinking Radicalization 2. Distant Suffering 3. DIY Religion: hidden worlds, from fear to bliss 4. Mediating Violence: filming the self 5. From Drug Dealer to Jihadist 6. The Gamification of Jihad: the cyber-caliphate 7. My Concern is Me 8. Radicalization: experience, embodiment and imagination Bibliography

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Book Synopsis‘Islamophobia’ is a term that has existed since the nineteenth century. But in recent decades, argues Pascal Bruckner in his controversial new book, it has become a weapon used to silence criticism of Islam. The term allows those who brandish it in the name of Islam to ‘freeze’ the latter, making reform difficult. Whereas Christianity and Judaism have been rejuvenated over the centuries by external criticism, Islam has been shielded from critical examination and has remained impervious to change. This tendency is exacerbated by the hypocrisy of those Western defenders of Islam who, in the name of the principles of the Enlightenment, seek to muzzle its critics while at the same time demanding the right to chastise and criticize other religions. These developments, argues Bruckner, are counter-productive for Western democracies as they struggle with the twin challenges of immigration and terrorism. The return of religion in those democracies must not be equated with the defence of fanaticism, and the right to religious freedom must go hand in hand with freedom of expression, an openness to criticism, and a rejection of all forms of extremism. There are already more than enough forms of racism; there is no need to imagine more. While all violence directed against Muslims is to be strongly condemned and punished, defining these acts as ‘Islamophobic’ rather than criminal does more to damage Islam and weaken the position of Muslims than to strengthen them.Trade Review‘Wielding his pen like a scalpel, Pascal Bruckner unmasks the pieties and truisms of left-wing cant with the deftness and precision to which his readers have become accustomed. By virtue of his principled refusal to acquiesce to the commonplaces of contemporary cultural conformity, Bruckner has become nothing less than a hero of our time.’Richard Wolin, City University of New York ‘In the worldwide debate over the Islamist movement, nobody has been more incisive than Pascal Bruckner, and nobody has been more influential. He set the terms of the debate many years ago, and he continues to do so. He is a brilliant writer, and An Imaginary Racism is a characteristically brilliant book.’ Paul Berman, author of The Flight of the Intellectuals ‘Provocative and well-argued, An Imaginary Racism reveals how the concept of Islamophobia has been politicized and distorted, and what this says about the West today. An important work for our times.’ Richard J. Golsan, Texas A&M University‘brave and necessary… Bruckner… has long been a crucial voice in the fight against the new false pieties that are abetting reactionary forces within Islam. We need to attend to his warning, and his promise: “It is impossible to escape the challenge of the century now beginning: In collaboration with the enlightened or moderate Muslims who are its main victims, we must defeat the fanaticism of the Islamists.” This is an “immense task,” Bruckner concludes, but nothing is more necessary if we want democracy to survive, let alone thrive, in the 21st century.’The TabletTable of ContentsA Note on the Text Introduction: A Semantic Revolution Part I The Fabrication of a Crime of Opinion 1. The Disappearance of Race, the Proliferation of Racists 2. A Weapon of Mass Intimidation 3. The Miracle of Transubstantiation Part II The Left Suffering from Denial 4. Islamo-Leftism, or the Conjunction of Resentments 5. An Unnatural Marriage 6. The Victim's Guilt, the Murderer's Innocence Part III Are Muslims the Equivalent of Jews? 7. From the Principle of Equivalence to the Principle of Substitution 8. Exterminations Galore 9. The Jew, An Accursed White 10. A Semantic Racket Part IV Are We Guilty of Existing? 11. The Criminalization of Reticence 12. Minorities, Protection or Prison? 13. The Racism of the Anti-Racists 14. Should the West be De-Colonized? Part V What is God's Future? 15. Is the War on Terror a Sham? 16. Resistance or Penitence 17. Western Values are not Negotiable 8. Weary of God 19. The Grandeur and the Tragedy of Tolerance Epilogue: On History as a Warning Notes

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Book SynopsisAvailable Open Access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence In the wake of populism, Timothy Stacey’s book critically reflects on what is missing from the liberal project with the aim of saving liberalism. It explains that populists have harnessed myth, ritual, magic and tradition to advance their ambitions, and why opponents need to embrace rather than eschew them. Using examples of liberally oriented activists in Vancouver, it presents an accessible theorization of these quasi-religious concepts in secular life. The result is to provide both a new theoretical understanding of why liberalism fails to engage people, and a toolkit for campaigners, policymakers and academics seeking to bridge the gap between liberal aspirations and lived experiences, in order to promote political engagement and to create unity out of division.Table of Contents1. Alternatives on the Horizon 2. What’s Liberalism Got to Do with It? 3. How to Address Liberalism’s Faults 4. A Variety of Liberalism in Vancouver 5. Myths that Might Save Liberalism: Emotional Supplements to Moral Logics 6. Rituals for Radicals 7. Magical Feelings as the Source and Aim of Myths and Rituals 8. Traditions at the End of History 9. The Truth Won’t Save Us

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Book SynopsisWhile there is a long-standing history of reflection among Catholics about the proper orientation of Catholicism towards American society, today the American Catholic community confronts a fundamentally new situation. Catholics face the dual threat of an ever more centralized and increasingly omnicompetent state and a new cultural ethos fundamentally incompatible with--and hostile to--Catholicism.Today, American Catholics no longer live as a religious minority in a Protestant society whose commitment to limited government and religious freedom affords Catholics considerable space to live out their faith commitments, and whose Christian character assures the existence of substantial moral commonality. Now, Catholics are a religious minority in a post-Christian society animated by an anthropology and public morality incompatible with Catholic truth and committed to the exclusion of the faith from public life.This new situation demands a rethinking on the part of American Catholics of their place in America and their relationship with American society. These essays seek to assist with this challenging task by casting light on this new situation and exploring its implications for the Church in America.

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Book SynopsisFinalist for National Jewish Book Award for Writing Based on Archival Material 2022. Jewish political and cultural behaviour during the first half of the twentieth century comes to the fore in this portrayal of a forgotten movement with contemporary relevance. Commencing with the Zionist rejection of the Uganda proposal in 1905, the Jewish Territorialist Movement searched for areas outside Palestine in which to create settlements of Jews. This study analyses the Territorialists’ ideology and activities in the Jewish context of the time, but their thought and discourse also reflect geopolitical concerns that still have resonance today in debates about colonialist attitudes to peoplehood, territory, and space. As the colonial world order rapidly changed after 1945, the Territorialists did not abandon their aspirations in overseas lands. Instead, in their attempts to find settlement solutions for Europe’s ‘surplus’ Jews, they moved from negotiating predominantly with the European colonizers to negotiating also with the ever more powerful non-Western leaders of decolonizing nations. This book reconstructs the rich history of the activities and changing ideologies of Jewish Territorialism, represented by Israel Zangwill’s Jewish Territorial Organisation (the ITO) and, later, by the Freeland League for Jewish Colonization under the leadership of Isaac Steinberg. Via Uganda, Angola, Madagascar, Australia, and Suriname, this story eventually leads us to questions about yidishkeyt, and to forgotten early twentieth-century ideas of how to be Jewish.Trade Review"Beyond Zion...shows that Jewish politics in the pre-War and immediate post-War years were more complex and diverse than we might think."Simon Rocker, The Jewish ChronicleTable of ContentsIntroduction1. Israel Zangwill and the Jewish Territorial Organization 2. Recovering Atlantis: The Freeland League and Jewish Politics3. Freeland versus Zion4. Fitting the Zeitgeist: Territorialism and GeopoliticsConclusionBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisExploring the manifold relationships between religion and public administration, this topical book conceptualises and theorises the diverse influence of religions on the functioning of public administrative systems across the globe.International and comparative in approach, this book analyses the social and public dimensions to religion and its interplay with public administration as a field of social scientific inquiry and an area of professional activity. Taking methodological agnosticism as its sociological perspective to the study of the religious experience, chapters focus on Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to examine diverse religious compositions across both secularised and non-secularised societies and political regimes. The book uses a distinctive theoretical lens to analyse the influence of religions on organisational fit, public service motivation, individual and organisational behaviours and values, bureaucratic discretion, government funding, the delivery of public services, and the dynamics of social cohesion overall. It provides a fresh perspective on religion as a source of legitimacy and basis of accountability, responsibility, and delegation of power in public administration, institutional quality, and ethics.Students and scholars interested in the religious dimensions to public administration, policy, governance and management will find use in this book’s theoretical analyses. Its empirical findings will also be valuable to policymakers working in public administration and leaders of faith organisations engaged in public services.Trade Review‘This book is a revelation about both the influences of religion on public administration and how the field could be enriched from deeper scholarly attention to religion. I am struck by the breadth of the relevance of religion to public administration. The authors illuminate the relevance of the world’s great religions to the field as a whole and to prominent research streams, such as public service motivation. Ongaro and Tantardini offer new perspectives for all public administration scholars to consider and embrace in their research and teaching.’ -- James L. Perry, Indiana University, Bloomington, US‘Religion and Public Administration draws a welcome and comprehensive picture of the ways through which religions influence motivations, behaviours, the ideational basis of a society and ultimately the rules and practices of public administrations. By focusing on Abrahamic and Asian religions, Ongaro and Tantardini offer a global, fresh and convincing interpretation that reconsiders the historical roots of administrative systems through a comparative perspective.’ -- Giliberto Capano, University of Bologna, Italy‘Well-structured and thoughtfully written, this book is the result of an ambitious project. It addresses a truly original topic and provides an authentic look on the vast subject of the relationship between religion and public administration. Attempting to capture various insights, stemming from a wide range of academic corners, the authors managed to bring all this knowledge together in a coherent argument. Their pursuit of the objective of “bridging” while going through a highly fragmented scholarly landscape, can only be welcomed. An impressive tour de force.’ -- Peter Hupe, KU Leuven Public Governance Institute, Belgium‘If there’s anything Max Weber might have been wrong about, it’s the disenchantment of the world – there is very little of the sort, or if there is, it is hardly ever complete. And even where rationalization has set in, few things inform values and institutions in time and space as much as its respective religion(s). Ongaro and Tantardini have shouldered the Herculean task to (re)introduce the public administration community to the function and legacy of religion, and one hopes that many of its members will rise up the challenge and engage with this fascinating and multifaceted account.’ -- Wolfgang Drechsler, Tallinn University of Technology, EstoniaTable of ContentsContents: 1. Introduction: a framework of analysis of the relationship between religion and public administration 2. Religions and religious regimes across the world 3. A PA-focused introduction to Asian religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Shintoism 4. A PA-focused introduction to Judaism, Christianity and Islam 5. Religion as a personality system and individuals’ motivation and behaviour in public services 6. Organisational level themes 7. Religion as ideational basis: reflections on religion as source of legitimacy and basis of accountability, exercise of responsibility, and power in (politics and) public administration 8. A research agenda on religion in public administration: in dialogue with theologians References Index

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Book SynopsisThis comprehensive Handbook examines relationships between religion and international relations, mainly focusing on several world religions - Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Judaism. Providing a timely update on this understudied topic, it evaluates how this complex relationship has evolved over the last four decades, looking at a variety of political contexts, regions and countries.Original chapters analyse how varying religions shape people’s attitudes towards the organisation and operations of political systems worldwide. As well as investigating core issues and topics such as religion, foreign policy, terrorism and international security, the Handbook also provides clarity on topical and controversial issues such as Islamist extremism, Hindu nationalism and Christian civilisationism. Top international contributors offer further analysis via important case studies of religion and international relations across the globe.Providing crucial information, this Handbook will be an excellent resource for higher-level students and researchers of religious studies, international relations and politics, as well as policy makers and professionals from a variety of backgrounds and orientations.Trade Review‘Notwithstanding, this Handbook provides a very informative treatment of relevant concepts, including but not limited to such notions as the advent of “God’s century” (187), the “global God divide” (200), “track two peace negotiations” (42, 201),“scriptualisation of Islam” (163), “sharia reservations” (218) with regard to freedom of religion and belief and the pro-life and pro-choice debates. Case studies of Turkey and India also prove to be very insightful, particularly from a historical viewpoint. This volume also presents excellent indexing of the most salient themes in the study of political actors’ approaches towards faith in global politics, primarily in Western contexts. This includes some insightful analysis of related topics in the fields of security, gender, environment, immigration, international development and foreign policy, among others.’ -- Vahid Nick Pay, The International Spectator‘This is a highly useful account of the impact of religion on international relations, and perhaps an important counterweight to both its absence in much of the literature, and, conversely, the breathless commentary that can suggest inevitable conflict between different belief structures.’ -- Anthony Smith, New Zealand International Review‘The global rise of strident new forms of politicized religion in international relations cries out for a single volume that provides a timely and authoritative overview. This book covers it all - the core issues, the key debates, and the arresting case studies - relating to every religious tradition in all sectors of the world. It is a handbook that will be essential to policymakers and scholars and to anyone concerned about the persistent role of faith in the global politics of the 21st century.‘Table of ContentsContents: Introduction: Religion and international relations in the twenty-first century 1 Jeffrey Haynes PART I CORE ISSUES AND TOPICS 1 Religion in international relations: Theory and practice 5 Jeffrey Haynes 2 The rise and fall of secularism in international relations 24 Daniel Philpott 3 Religion and foreign policy 38 John A. Rees 4 Religion and transnational relations: Bridges, barriers and breakthroughs 52 Jonathan D. James 5 A feminist perspective on religion in international relations 68 Anne Jenichen 6 Political Islam and international relations theory 83 Jocelyne Cesari 7 Religion and international security: From confessionalization to securitization 100 Delphine Allès 8 International religious terrorism 115 Gus Martin PART II DEBATES AND CONTROVERSIES 9 The clash of civilizations, then and now 129 Jonathan Fox 10 Religion and the international politics of climate change 143 Katharina Glaab 11 Religion and international migration 156 Ayhan Kaya 12 Religion and international armed conflict: Why and how religion precipitates and intensifies it 171 Davis Brown 13 Engaging religion through diplomacy: The case of the United States 187 Peter Mandaville 14 Religion and international development 197 Katherine Marshall 15 The international promotion of freedom of religion or belief: Key debates and divides 215 Marie Juul Petersen 16 Religiously affiliated organizations 231 Karsten Lehmann PART III CASE STUDIES 17 Religion and the United Nations 246 Claudia Baumgart-Ochse 18 Religion in the European Union 259 Lucian N. Leustean and Jeffrey Haynes 19 Struggling with jihad over Jerusalem: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s approach to war and peace 275 Turan Kayaoglu 20 International relations and the pope 289 Mariano P. Barbato 21 Religion and America’s international relations 302 Lee Marsden 22 Religion and Iran’s international relations 317 Nikolay Kozhanov 23 Religion and Turkey’s international relations 331 İştar Gözaydın 24 Religion and India’s international relations 348 Catarina Kinnvall 25 Religious diplomacy and US–Israeli relations 363 Daniel G. Hummel Index 375

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Book SynopsisDuring the 15th general election (GE15) in 2022 and the state elections in 2023, the clash between Anwar Ibrahim and PAS reached new heights. This can be viewed as a battle between political Islam and post-Islamism.Political Islam as embodied by PAS pursues the establishment of an Islamic state, while post-Islamism as represented by Anwar Ibrahim is a way of balancing the ambitions of Islam with secular approaches. While PAS has been consistent in espousing political Islam since its establishment, Anwar Ibrahim's approach to the role of Islam in politics has changed since his early days in UMNO. Evolving from an Islamist involved in state-led Islamization to a post-Islamist, he now espouses democratic values and multiculturalism.GE15 and the 2023 state elections witnessed fierce competition between PAS and Anwar Ibrahim. Both sides either escalated or downplayed crucial topics such as the implementation of hudud law and RUU355, the myth of Islam and Malays being under threat, the claim that states under PAS are discriminated against, and the takfiri denouncements of non-Muslims as election candidates or potential leaders of the country.The results of GE15 and the 2023 state elections between PAS and Anwar Ibrahim, who is now prime minister, show that there will certainly be sequels to come. The elections illustrate that political Islam is growing in strength. This is most evident in the fact that PAS currently has a whopping forty-three seats in the Malaysian parliament, and controls four states. The only way Anwar Ibrahim can remain in power is through assistance from PAS' old nemesis, UMNO, a party heavily tainted by corruption.

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Book SynopsisThe Masyumi Party, which was active in Indonesia from 1945 to 1960, constitutes the boldest attempt to date at reconciling Islam and democracy. Masyumi proposed a vision of society and government which was not bound by a literalist application of Islamic doctrine but rather inspired by the values of Islam. It set out moderate policies which were both favourable to the West and tolerant towards other religious communities in Indonesia.Although the party made significant strides towards the elaboration of a Muslim democracy, its achievements were nonetheless precarious: it was eventually outlawed in 1960 for having resisted Sukarno's slide towards authoritarianism, and the refusal of Suharto's regime to reinstate the party left its leaders disenchanted and marginalised. Many of those leaders subsequently turned to a form of Islam known as integralism, a radical doctrine which contributed to the advent of Muslim neo-fundamentalism in Indonesia.This book examines the Masjumi Party from its roots in early twentieth-century Muslim reformism to its contemporary legacy, and offers a perspective on political Islam which provides an alternative to the more widely-studied model of Middle-Eastern Islam. The party's experience teaches us much about the fine line separating a moderate form of Islam open to democracy and a certain degree of secularisation from the sort of religious intransigence which can threaten a country's denominational coexistence.

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