Islam in a Globalizing World [Hardcover]

This book takes a historical approach to examining Islams role in globalization. The author identifies complex historical and geopolitical trends in Islamic history, and constructs from these a clear assessment of contemporary Islam. Most important, the book examines historical trends from a perspective that contributes to an understanding of Islam in the aftermath of September 11.The author takes us through a review of the first Islamic millennium and Islams role as a globalizing force, to subsequent changes in the Muslim world, through a comparison with earlier radical movements in Russia, and finally to trends in contemporary political Islam and projections for future developments. Along the way, the author points out many of the challenges Islamists have faced, some of their pitfalls, and some modernizing attributes of contemporary Islam.This accessible, timely book should be of strong interest to anyone with a desire for greater understanding in this transformed global environment. Provides singular insight into the crisis in the Islamic world: its historic origins, its relation to comparable crises in world affairs, & the future prospects of Islam. Thomas W. Simons, Jr. is Consulting Professor, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University. He was the Ambassador to Pakistan from 1996 to 1998. InIslam in a Globalizing World, Ambassador Simons has drawn on his unique experiences in the Muslim world and Eastern Europe to create a brilliant study of Islam's centuries-old efforts to adapt to modernization. Today, in an era in which the world of Islam is suddenly in the forefront of public concern, this impressive application of history should help readers to an intelligent understanding of the dynamic and, at times, conflicting forces at work in that world. David D. Newsom, University of Virginia, and former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. He was also Ambassador to Libya, Indonesia and the Philippines In four fal#