The essays in this collection examine the emergence of Islam as a force in today’s international political arena. Driven by a concern to understand factors leading to, and the implications of, this heightened political profile the contributors go beyond polemics and apologetics. The book critically examines some of the major events, movements and trends in the Islamic world over the past fifty years and their impact on the international scene. Reflecting the diversity and heterogeneity of the Muslim world, the book covers issues including:

• the challenge of Islamism to the Muslim world
• the use of Islam as a political tool on the international scene
• Islam’s contribution to the theory and practice of global finance
• Islam’s role in gender discourse
• Islam’s articulations in the Indian Sub-continent, Southeast Asia, Central Asia and the Arab world.

Very little of the current literature deals with political Islam globally, and very few books go much beyond the Middle East and its terrorist groups. This volume fills that gap, providing a compelling cross-national, cross-cultural and interdisciplinary analysis of Islam as a potent political force.