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"This book addresses the complexity of Islam in Thailand, by focusing on Islamic charities and institutions affiliated to the mosque. By extrapolating through Islam and the waqf (Islamic charity) in different regions of Thailand the diversity in races and institutions, it demonstrates the regional contrast within Thai Islam. The book also underlines the importance of internal histories of these separate spaces, and the processes by which institutions and ideologies become entrenched. It goes on to look at the socio economic transformation that is taking place within the context of trading networks through Islamic institutions and civil networks linked to mosques, madrasas and regional power brokers"--

▪ Abstract  The empirical literature on political Islam is fairly rich and getting better, but theoretical interpretations of these data are still quite primitive. This gap is a product of Orientalist traditions that "essentialize" Islamic movements, a resulting lack of appreciation for their global diversity, and the inevitable politicization of the subject matter. This essay seeks not only to identify the most important studies in the field but to show how they suggest a typology, chronology, and problematic that might lead to more fruitful analysis in the future.

Early Islam and the Birth of Capitalism proposes a strikingly original thesis—that capitalism first emerged in Arabia, not in late medieval Italian city states as is commonly assumed. Early Islam made a seminal but largely unrecognized contribution to the history of economic thought; it is the only religion founded by an entrepreneur. Descending from an elite dynasty of religious, civil, and commercial leaders, Muhammad was a successful businessman before founding Islam. As such, the new religion had much to say on trade, consumer protection, business ethics, and property. As Islam rapidly spread across the region so did the economic teachings of early Islam, which eventually made their way to Europe.

Since the mid-20th century, the spectacular population growth and social changes in Asian and African countries have comprised rising efforts in their Muslim communities to take an active and beneficial part in the ongoing or intended transformations. Without omitting negative features, our essay tries to comprehend main trends in thoughts and social activities of contemporary Muslims. Mentions are made of the role of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation, 57 Member States) and various international initiatives. In special chapters, most attention is paid to the present-day situation and differences in the Arab countries (in particular in Saudi Arabia and in Qatar). As more open and kind religious approaches than what the Saudis call "soft", our essay mentions Indonesian Nahdatul Ulama or, in the interreligious perspective, the dialogue between current Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmad Al-Tayyib and Pope Francis.