Routledge Handbook of Political Islam

This updated, second edition of the Handbook of Political Islam covers a range of political actors that use Islam to advance their cause. While they share the ultimate vision of establishing a political system governed by Islam, their tactics and methods can be very different. Capturing this diversity, this volume also sheds light on some of the less-known experiences from South East Asia to North Africa.

Drawing on expertise from some of the top scholars in the world, the chapters examine the main issues surrounding political Islam across the world, including:

• Theoretical foundations of political Islam
• Historical background
• Geographical spread of Islamist movements
• Political strategies adopted by Islamist groups
• Terrorism
• Attitudes towards democracy
• Relations between Muslims and the West in the international sphere
• Challenges of integration
• Gender relations

Capturing the geographical spread of Islamism and the many manifestations of this political phenomenon make this book a key resource for students and researchers interested in political Islam, Muslim affairs and the Middle East.

Shahram Akbarzadeh is Convenor of the Middle East Studies Forum at the Alfred Deakin Institute, Deakin University, Australia. He held a prestigious Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (2012–16) on the role of Islam in Iran’s foreign policy making and recently completed a project on Proxy Wars in the Middle East and South Asia, sponsored by Carnegie Corporation New York.