Islam and Politics in the Middle East

Islam and Politics in the Middle East
Author: Mark Tessler
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2015-06-22
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0253016576

Some of the most pressing questions in the Middle East and North Africa today revolve around the proper place of Islamic institutions and authorities in governance and political affairs. Drawing on data from 42 surveys carried out in fifteen countries between 1988 and 2011, representing the opinions of more than 60,000 men and women, this study investigates the reasons that some individuals support a central role for Islam in government while others favor a separation of religion and politics. Utilizing his newly constructed Carnegie Middle East Governance and Islam Dataset, which has been placed in the public domain for use by other researchers, Mark Tessler formulates and tests hypotheses about the views held by ordinary citizens, offering insights into the individual and country-level factors that shape attitudes toward political Islam.

Islam and Democracy in the Middle East

Islam and Democracy in the Middle East
Author: Larry Diamond
Publisher:
Total Pages: 360
Release: 2003-08-07
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

A comprehensive assessment of the origins and staying power of Middle East autocracies, as well as a sober account of the struggles of state reformers and opposition forces to promote civil liberties, competitive elections and a pluralistic vision of Islam. Drawing on the insights of some 25 leading Western and Middle Eastern scholars, the book highlights the dualistic and often contradictory nature of political liberalization. Yemen suggest, political liberalization - as managed by the state - not only opens new spaces for debate and criticism, but is also used as a deliberate tactic to avoid genuine democratization. In several chapters on Iran, the authors analyze the benefits and costs of limited reform. There, the electoral successes of President Mohammad Khatami and his reformist allies inspired a new generation but have not as yet undermined the clerical establishment's power. By contrast, in Turkey a party with Islamist roots is moving a discredited system beyond decades of conflict and paralysis, following a stunning election victory in 2002. force for change. While acknowledging the enduring attraction of radical Islam throughout the Arab world, the concluding chapters carefully assess the recent efforts of Muslim civil society activists and intellectuals to promote a liberal Islamic alternative. Their struggles to affirm the compatibility of Islam and pluralistic democracy face daunting challenges, not least of which is the persistent efforts of many Arab rulers to limit the influence of all advocates of democracy, secular or religious.

Political Islam in the Age of Democratization

Political Islam in the Age of Democratization
Author: K. Bokhari
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013-12-18
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9781137008480

The continued prominence of Islam in the struggle for democracy in the Muslim world has confounded Western democracy theorists who largely consider secularism a prerequisite for democratic transitions. Kamran Bokhari and Farid Senzai offer a comprehensive view of the complex nature of contemporary political Islam and its relationship to democracy.

Islam and Politics

Islam and Politics
Author: John L. Esposito
Publisher:
Total Pages: 304
Release: 1984
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

Provides the historical background and context necessary for understanding the politics in Moslem countries and the role of Islam in them. The second edition was in 1988; the first in 1984. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Global Political Islam

Global Political Islam
Author: Peter Mandaville
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 563
Release: 2010-07-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 1134341350

An accessible and comprehensive account of the global dimensions of political Islam in the twenty-first century, explaining political Islam, nationalism and globalization and providing a detailed account of Al Qaeda.

Islam and Revolution in the Middle East

Islam and Revolution in the Middle East
Author: Henry Munson
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 198
Release: 1988-01-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780300046045

Analyzes the role of Islam in Middle Eastern society and politics, addresses the differences between the Sunni and Shi'i sects, and discusses why an "Islamic revolution" occurred only in Iran

The Challenge of Political Islam

The Challenge of Political Islam
Author: Rachel Scott
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 294
Release: 2010-04-23
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0804769052

Based on Islamist writings, political tracts, and interviews with Islamists, this book examines Muslim-Christian relations in Egypt from the perspective of Islamic conceptions of citizenship, and provides non-Muslim responses to those views.

Shia Islam and Politics

Shia Islam and Politics
Author: Jon Armajani
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2020-05-20
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1793621365

This book argues that ever since Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979, which established a Shia Islamic government in Iran, that country’s religious and political leaders have used Shia Islam as a crucial way of expanding Iran’s objectives in the Middle East and beyond. Since 1979, Iran’s religious and political leaders have been concerned about Iran’s security in the face of the hostility and expansionism of the United States and other western countries, and the threats from powerful neighboring Sunni leaders and countries. While Iran’s government has attempted to align itself with Shia Muslims in various countries, such as Iraq and Lebanon, against American and Sunni expansionism, the Iranian government has attempted to religiously nourish and politically mobilize those Shias as a matter of principle, not only because of the Iranian government’s desires to protect Iran from external threats. The book analyzes Shia Islam and politics in Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon which have among the largest proportional Shia populations in the Middle East and are vibrant centers of Shia intellectual life. The book's clear and jargon-free approach make it especially accessible for students and general readers who would like an introduction to the book's topics.

Islam and the Myth of Confrontation

Islam and the Myth of Confrontation
Author: Fred Halliday
Publisher: I. B. Tauris
Total Pages: 255
Release: 1996
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781850439592

The author examines the widely accepted image of confrontation between "Islam" and "the West", created largely by the rise of Islamic militancy in the Middle East and the perceived influence of Islam on politics and society. Considering the sources of Islamic militancy and the rhetoric of Islamic and anti-Muslim leaders, he argues that the Middle East is a set of variant societies, facing the economic and political problems of the Third World.

Faith and Power

Faith and Power
Author: Bernard Lewis
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2010-05-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 0199750629

Bernard Lewis is recognized around the globe as one of the leading authorities on Islam. Hailed as "the world's foremost Islamic scholar" (Wall Street Journal ), as "a towering figure among experts on the culture and religion of the Muslim world" (Baltimore Sun ), and as "the doyen of Middle Eastern studies" (New York Times ), Lewis is nothing less than a national treasure, a trusted voice that politicians, journalists, historians, and the general public have all turned to for insight into the Middle East. Now, Lewis has brought together writings on religion and government in the Middle East, so different than in the Western world. The collection includes previously unpublished writings, English originals of articles published before only in foreign languages, and an introduction to the book by Lewis. Acclaim for What Went Wrong? A New York Times Bestseller "Replete with the exceptional historical insight that one has come to expect from the world's foremost Islamic scholar." --Karen Elliott House, Wall Street Journal Lewis has done us all--Muslim and non-Muslim alike--a remarkable service.... The book's great strength, and its claim upon our attention, [is that] it offers a long view in the midst of so much short-term and confusing punditry on television, in the op-ed pages, on campuses and in strategic studies think tanks." --Paul Kennedy, The New York Times Book Review Acclaim for From Babel to Dragomans "Lewis has long been considered the West's leading interpreter of Mideast culture and history, and this collection only solidifies his reputation."--National Review "For more than four decades, Lewis has been one of the most respected scholars and prolific writers on the history and politics of the Middle East. In this compilation of more than 50 journal articles and essays, he displays the full range of his eloquence, knowledge, and insight regarding this pivotal and volatile region."--Booklist