Contemporary Islamism Revisited

Studies of political Islam have too often inadequately presented the religious and ideological components of this phenomenon. While contemporary Islamism is a response to the domestic political situation in many Muslim countries, as well as to US and Western policies in the Muslim world, it is also about the power of ideas.

This book reconsiders how religion matters and argues that it is the key component in the cultural revolution that involves Muslims globally and the efforts of an increasing number to translate this religious/cultural assertion into a political reality. It assesses why the various expressions of political Islam have remained with us for so long, and traces their evolution. It identifies the challenges posed by the different manifestations of contemporary Islamism, moderate and radical, not just in terms of security, but in the realm of politics, society and ideas. And Islamism is not so much a challenge to democracy as the incorporation of Islam into what is essentially a secular political struggle against dominant political systems. Islamism is not merely a political weapon for those disenfranchised from the political order, whether local or global – Islamists are also engaged in forging a new ideology. This work concludes with an assessment of the ramifications of these developments on relations between the West and Muslim states and communities.