Islam and Power [Paperback]

The 1970s witnessed a mushrooming of Islamic movements and ideas which was described variously as Islamic revival, Islamic resurgence and Islam on the march. Whether as part of the majority or minority, whether under capitalist or socialist regimes, Muslims have been moved by this reawakening. But what really are the causes and nature of this Islamic resurgence? Is it a purely religious revival? Or is it a social and political movement that must be understood in the context of the Muslims conditions and milieu? Will it really lead to the establishment of an Islamic socio-political order or will it end up as an instrument of struggle between Muslim ruling elites and their opposition? And what are the foreign policy implications of these developments? Do they necessarily lead to a more militant and hostile attitude towards the West? These questions and more are tackled by the contributors to Islam and Power.

First published in 1981.

 

Foreword.  Introduction Alexander S. Cudsi and Ali E. Hillal Dessouki.  Part One: Aspects of the Islamic Tradition Regarding Power  1. Activism and Quietism in Islam: The Case of the Early Murjia Michael Cook  2. Towards a Muslim Theory of HistoryThomas Naff  3. The Ideologisation of Islam in the Contemporary Muslim World Ali Merad  4. Changing Concepts of Authority in the Late Ninth/Fifteenth and Early Tenth/Sixteenth Centuries Ann Lambton  Part Two: Aspects of Power in Heterdox Islam  5. Ayatollah Khomeinis Concept of Islamic Government Abbas Kelidar  Part Three: Religious Orders and Movements in Islam  6. Official Islam and Sufi Brotherhoods in the Soviet Union Today Alexandre Bennigsen  7. The Resurgence of Islamilc