The Many Faces of Political Islam: Religion and Politics in the Muslim World (Paperback)

by Mohammed Ayoob (Author) "Over the last decade and a half, but especially since 9/11, three major assumptions have inspired much of the popular discussion about political Islam..." (more)
Key Phrases: transnational jihadis, supreme jurist, universal umma, United States, Saudi Arabia, Middle East (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Dr. Ayoob addresses the nuances and complexities of political Islam - be it mainstream, radical, or militant - and offers a road map of the pivotal players and issues that define the movement. There is no one as qualified as Mohammed Ayoob to write a synthesis of various manifestations of political Islam. His complex narrative highlights the changes and shifts that have taken place within the Islamist universe and their implications for internal Muslim politics and relations between the world of Islam and the Christian world." - Fawaz A. Gerges, Carnegie Scholar, holds the Christian A. Johnson Chair in Middle East and International Affairs at Sarah Lawrence"

Review
"Although explicitly aimed at students in introductory courses and at nonspecialist readers, this is no dumbed-down textbook. Its argumentation is sophisticated, convincing, supported with ample empirical detail and presented in crisp, clear prose. While it does indeed fill the gap of a suitable introductory text to the subject, it will also be of value to specialists because of its intellectual merits and the wide scope of its coverage. Those familiar with the author's previous works on the subject will find here a useful crystallization of his ideas on the topic, combined with an expanded empirical universe that stretches from Morocco to Indonesia...The next time I teach a course on this subject, this is the book I shall use and strongly recommend that others do as well. It not only debunks pernicious myths, but it puts a clear case that is far more right than wrong and serves as an excellent thesis against which various antithetical ideas can be articulated and discussed." ---Robert Springborg, Director of the London Middle East Institute, Middle East Policy Review (Robert Springborg ) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: University of Michigan Press (November 19, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0472069713
• ISBN-13: 978-0472069712
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #117,625 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand Islamic politics, January 10, 2008

By	Matthew Smith "Roger Mexico" (TN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mr. Ayoob has just done readers in the U.S. a great service by writing this book. This book is essential reading for policy makers, students and anyone who really wants to understand what's going on in the Islamic world.

The main problem with many books from the West on Islam and "Islamism" (political Islam) is that they are written from a Western perspective, and so they have inherent biases within them. This is of course a big part of the misunderstandings we have with this part of the world, the fact that we only see these societies and groups through the prism of our own standards and values which is not always concurrent with their own values. Indeed we seem to rarely ever be in synch with the realities of the area. This book puts political Islam into a vernacular that is ready for consumption by a U.S. audience.

One of the most interesting things I found was the author's discussion of the affects that contact with democracy, no matter how limited the democracy, has had on Islamic political groups. The Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Hizbullah and many other groups have had contact with some forms of democratic participation with varying degrees of success. The Muslim Brotherhood went from being a group that was suppressed to being allowed limited participation in elected government. When it became clear how much support they had they were once again violently suppressed. The question becomes will they continue down the path of moderation and participation or will their suppression lead to frustration and a recurrence of violence. The Mubarak and U.S. governments have a lot to say about what happens in the future to this group, if they decide that this group is to dangerous and must be suppressed there is a good chance that parts of the organization will become disillusioned and may resort to violence, but if they are allowed to become an active participant there is a real possibility that participation will have a further moderating affect.

Of course when one looks at the example of how Hamas was treated the prospects do not look good. One of the main points from Mr. Ayoob's is just how much of a moderating affect democratic participation can have on Islamic groups as evidenced by Turkey's AKP party. In a strange twist it is now the secularists in Turkey who have become authoritarian while it is the moderate conservative Islamic parties that have become ingrained in the political system that seems to be the voice of reason and moderation. Unfortunately Hamas' experiment in democracy seems to be heading toward abject failure due to circumstances beyond their control. They have not been given the opportunity to really join in the democratic process since they have been assailed from outside from the very beginning of their electoral victory.

This hypocrisy of the West has not gone unnoticed by the Muslim world. How the West purports to advocate democratization but only as long as the right groups get elected. The U.S. especially is generating ill will from this part of the world while at the same time pursuing policies that inhibit moderation. The rhetoric that comes from the U.S. about the moderating influence of democracy may well be true, but until we honestly pursue democratic change, no matter what the outcome for us, then we will be stuck with the same illegitimate, authoritarian regimes that are breeding grounds for disenchanted and potentially violent people. Islam is not inherently violent as some would have us believe, but just like all human beings given the right circumstances they can be forced into lashing out against the objects of their torment, whether that is authoritarian regimes or governments that back those regimes.

Mr. Ayoob does an excellent in job with very few pages detailing for the reader just how divergent political Islam really is. The author speaks of how we in the West tend to think of political Islam as being a "monolith", and he does an excellent job dispelling that myth and showing how each brand of Islamism, while many times espousing a universalistic agenda, is unique to its on context. Each Islamic group incorporates different aspects and theories of Islam to suit their unique situations. While there may be some violent, extremist elements they are a small minority. Many of these groups such as the AKP have shown themselves ready to join in the representative process and attempt to achieve their aims within the system. The author has given us plenty of examples of how democracy has a pronounced moderating affect on these Islamic organizations. It is up to us to focus our attention from the vocal and violent minority and focus our attention on helping the moderate majority, even when this help seems to be in contradiction to our own interests because in the end when these groups join the democratic process we all win.

This is a fantastic book that needs to be read and reread. I am eagerly awaiting the next publishing from this author.

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent comparative book, May 20, 2009

By	Ahmet Kuru (the US) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mohammed Ayoob's "The Many Faces of Political Islam" is a very timely book that de-constructs several of essentialist myths about Islam and Islamist groups. The first and second chapters provide a conceptual overview with clear definitions. The empirical chapters include systematical comparisons of self-proclaimed Islamic states (Saudi Arabia and Iran), leading Islamist groups (Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Jamaat-i Islami in Pakistan), Muslim democracies (Turkey and Indonesia), Islamist national resistance movements (Hizbullah and Hamas), and transnational Islamists (Tablighi Jamaat, Hib-ut-Tahrir, and al-Qaeda). The conclusion points to the need of democratization in Muslim countries and re-orientation of US foreign policy as solution alternatives to ongoing problems.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Concise, Enlightening Must-Read on Internal Political Contexts and Dynamics in the Majority-Muslim World, April 28, 2009

By	AmericanDreamer - See all my reviews

I try to read up on developments in the Islamic world from current events, political, historical and comparative religious perspectives. I learned a great deal from this book about some of the specific dimensions along which political Islam differs in different contexts and some policy-relevant lessons we in the US should take away from such an enriched understanding.

The case studies the author chose were of countries--Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia, Iran and Saudi Arabia--and movements--Hizbollah, Hamas, al qaeda, and 2 other Islamic organizations with a transnational focus---which in addition to being important in their own right are also topical and important for the US to understand and adopt sensible policies towards.

I came away feeling more optimistic than I had expected to about the medium and longer-term prospects for improved living conditions for ordinary people living in majority-Muslim countries--including but going beyond greater freedom of worship and political speech--particularly if the US does not adopt ham-handed policies which impede internal dynamics that we should on the whole welcome.