With the death of communism as a global force, does Islam - embraced by one-fifth of the world's population - now pose the greatest threat to the West? From the Ayatollah Khomeini to Saddam Hussein, the image of Islam as a militant, expansionist, rabidly anti-Western force has gripped the popular imagination. This volume aims to show that these perceptions are rooted in a long history of mutual mistrust and represent an over-simplification. Placing Islam in critical perspective, the book explores both its current resurgence and its troubled relationship with the West. The author offers a systematic assessment of Islamic politics in key nations including Iran, Libya, Lebanon, Egypt and Algeria, focusing in particular on Islamic movements, both moderate and radical. A picture of Islam emerges which is not hostile and monolithic, but diverse and complex. In addition to examining recent historical events such as the Gulf War and the Rushdie affair, this new addition takes account of recent developments in Algeria, and contains a completely revised concluding chapter, "Islam and the West: Conflict or Clash of the Civilizations?".
- ISBN10 0195102983
- ISBN13 9780195102987
- Publish Date 4 January 1996 (first published 22 October 1992)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 14 June 2000
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
- Edition 2nd Revised edition
- Format Paperback
- Pages 315
- Language English