Customer Reviews

Global Rebellion: Religious Challenges to the Secular State, from Christian Militias to al Qaeda (Comparative Studies in Religion and Society)

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This book's greatest weakness is that it falls short of the ambitious goal that it lays out at the outset. A bit short on analysis and anchored with hollow-sounding conclusions, "Global Rebellion" does not adequately address the implications of religion's challenge to secularism. Great as a source of general information, the book is overflowing with fascinating details on certain religious movements - namely fundamentalist Islam, Sikhism, and Tamil nationalism. On the other hand, some important groups are given little more than cursory attention, while large parts of the world (especially sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America) are barely mentioned. While it is unreasonable to expect a fully detailed account of every religiously motivated group, some of these oversights could have been remedied if the argument were structured in a more focused way. The work would have also benefited from a tighter writing style that avoids undue repetition, which lengthens the book and slows the pace of reading. All told, "Global Rebellion" is an interesting read and recommended for anyone interested in the role of religion in today's complex international political order.