Suchergebnisse

This book compares Islamic and Western political formulations, highlighting areas of agreement and disparity. Building on this analysis, the author goes on to show that political Islam offers a serious alternative to the dominant political system and ideology of the West. Sabet argues that rather than leading to a "Clash of Civlizations" or the assimilation of Islam into the Western system, a positive process of interactive self-reflection between Islam and liberal democracy is the best way forward. Beginning this process, Sabet highlights key concepts of Islamic political thought and brings them into dialogue with Western modernity. The resulting synthesis is essential reading for advanced undergraduate and graduate students of Islamic and Middle Eastern politics, political theory, comparative politics and international relations

A review essay on books by (1) Saskia Gieling, Religion and War in Revolutionary Iran (London: I. B. Tauris, 1999); (2) Fred Halliday, Nation and Religion in the Middle East (London: Saqi Books, 2000); & (3) Ann Elizabeth Mayer, Islam and Human Rights: Tradition and Politics (3rd edition, Boulder, CO: Westview, 1999). The review article assesses whether Islam is an "independent" force in Middle East politics or is, by contrast, molded by the social, economic, & political circumstances in the region. It comes down, on balance, in favor of the second view. It uses the books under review, which cover three major areas in the study of international relations, war, the nation-state & nationalism, & human rights, to demonstrate that Islam is malleable to political needs & requirements & can be interpreted to fit with particular historical moments & ideas. Islam's impact on international relations is therefore "unexceptional" in the sense that it can be assessed using universal categories of analysis. The article argues that the approach that focuses on the historicity & flexibility of Islam can be useful for analyzing the role of religion in IR generally. Adapted from the source document.