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Islam and Politics
This work on Islam and politics updates major country case studies and adds coverage of Tunisia, Algeria, the Taliban of Afghanistan and HAMAS. It also addresses the issues of democratization and the clash of civilization debate.
393 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1984
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About the author
John L. Esposito
102 books150 followersHe is a professor of International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University. He is also the director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal center for Muslim-Christian understanding at Georgetown University.
Esposito was raised a Roman Catholic in an Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City, and spent a decade in a Catholic monastery. After taking his first degree he worked as a management consultant and high-school teacher. He then studied and received a masters in theology at St. John's University. He earned a PhD at Temple University, Pennsylvania in 1974, studying Islam and held post doc appointments at Harvard and Oxford. He is well-known as a promoter of strong ties between Muslims and Christians and has challenged the Vatican to make greater efforts to encourage such ties.
A specialist in Islam, political Islam, and the impact of Islamic movements from North Africa to Southeast Asia, Dr. Esposito serves as a consultant to the Department of State as well as multinational corporations, governments, universities, and the media worldwide. In 2005, Professor Esposito won the American Academy of Religion's prestigious Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion. This award honors a scholar who has been exemplary in promoting the public understanding of religion. A prolific writer, Professor Esposito is the author of over 25 books, including What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam, The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?, and Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, The Oxford History of Islam, and The Oxford Dictionary of Islam.
Esposito was raised a Roman Catholic in an Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City, and spent a decade in a Catholic monastery. After taking his first degree he worked as a management consultant and high-school teacher. He then studied and received a masters in theology at St. John's University. He earned a PhD at Temple University, Pennsylvania in 1974, studying Islam and held post doc appointments at Harvard and Oxford. He is well-known as a promoter of strong ties between Muslims and Christians and has challenged the Vatican to make greater efforts to encourage such ties.
A specialist in Islam, political Islam, and the impact of Islamic movements from North Africa to Southeast Asia, Dr. Esposito serves as a consultant to the Department of State as well as multinational corporations, governments, universities, and the media worldwide. In 2005, Professor Esposito won the American Academy of Religion's prestigious Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion. This award honors a scholar who has been exemplary in promoting the public understanding of religion. A prolific writer, Professor Esposito is the author of over 25 books, including What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam, The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?, and Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, The Oxford History of Islam, and The Oxford Dictionary of Islam.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 5, 2024
Probably one of the worst books I have read about Islamic history and politics.
The author has a clear Wahhabi sympathy which leads him to provide a highly skewed representation of Islam, let alone the fact of him supporting a religious movement which has had dangerous implications for many countries with extremist tendencies.
Esposito writes a chapter about the caliphate and its history, and only mentions the Ottoman caliphate in one paragraph, whereby he denounces Sultan Abdulhamid. He also takes countless jabs at Sufism and makes the reader think the Salafiyya movement has had an immense impact on almost all Muslim majority countries today.
A quick search about the author reveals where his endowments come from and who he is an apologist for. It is a shame that such scholars with a high readership potential do not have a problem with shying away from objectivity and consciously mislead people.
Look elsewhere for Islamic political history, or Islam in general.
The author has a clear Wahhabi sympathy which leads him to provide a highly skewed representation of Islam, let alone the fact of him supporting a religious movement which has had dangerous implications for many countries with extremist tendencies.
Esposito writes a chapter about the caliphate and its history, and only mentions the Ottoman caliphate in one paragraph, whereby he denounces Sultan Abdulhamid. He also takes countless jabs at Sufism and makes the reader think the Salafiyya movement has had an immense impact on almost all Muslim majority countries today.
A quick search about the author reveals where his endowments come from and who he is an apologist for. It is a shame that such scholars with a high readership potential do not have a problem with shying away from objectivity and consciously mislead people.
Look elsewhere for Islamic political history, or Islam in general.
June 1, 2007
This book is a must read for anyone who would like to understand the complex relationship between Islam and politics. Esposito provides a straight-forward and thorough explanation of the role of politics in Islam and forces that have shaped the Muslim politics since the start of the religion.
February 6, 2018
Informative
November 30, 2013
Course reading. Skimmed last few chapters. Re-read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews