James P. Piscatori

Based on a reading of classical Islamic literature, the writings of modem Muslims and on extensive travel and interviews, this book discusses ways in which Muslim peoples adapt themselves to a world composed of sovereign nation-states, having peaceful and equal relations with both non-Muslim states and collectivities of other Muslims. The classical and medieval legal theory of Islam appears to place two obstacles in the way of such adaptations; it divides the world into two areas, Muslim and non-Muslim, between which relations can at best be those of truce; and it demands that the life of societies should be regulated by the will of God as revealed in the Qu'ran, not by the will of rulers or of the people. Dr Piscatori shows that the traditional theory provides for some degree of territorial pluralism, which has been clearly reflected in the historical experience whereby stable nation-states have emerged and become part of the international order.

Islam in a World of Nation-States

The Iranian revolution greatly aroused outsiders' curiosity and misunderstanding of Islam. The relatively easy overthrow of the Shah and the pronouncements of the new Iranian regime brought to the forefront an image of 'militant Islam' which has survived in one form or another since the Crusades. At the time, there was the assumption in the West that Islam was inevitably revolutionary, militant, or at least anti-Western and that the Iranian example was likely to be repeated in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and other countries where Muslims predominated. Originally published in paperback in 1983, this book was designed to examine such assumptions and to analyse the complex roles which Islam plays in the political process of several countries. Although the authors called upon the insights of various disciplines, and chose different approaches, they all shared the conviction that the idea of 'Islamic politics' needed to be made specific if crude stereotypes about Islam were to be avoided.

Islam in the Political Process

Dale F. Eickelman

James Piscatori

In this updated paperback edition, Dale Eickelman and James Piscatori explore how the politics of Islam play out in the lives of Muslims throughout the world. They discuss how recent events such as September 11 and the 2003 war in Iraq have contributed to reshaping the political and religious landscape of Muslim-majority countries and Muslim communities elsewhere. As they examine the role of women in public life and Islamic perspectives on modernization and free speech, the authors probe the diversity of the contemporary Islamic experience, suggesting general trends and challenging popular Western notions of Islam as a monolithic movement. In so doing, they clarify concepts such as tradition, authority, ethnicity, pro-test, and symbolic space, notions that are crucial to an in-depth understanding of ongoing political events. This book poses questions about ideological politics in a variety of transnational and regional settings throughout the Muslim world. Europe and North America, for example, have become active Muslim centers, profoundly influencing trends in the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, and South and Southeast Asia. The authors examine the long-term cultural and political implications of this transnational shift as an emerging generation of Muslims, often the products of secular schooling, begin to reshape politics and society--sometimes in defiance of state authorities. Scholars, mothers, government leaders, and musicians are a few of the protagonists who, invoking shared Islamic symbols, try to reconfigure the boundaries of civic debate and public life. These symbolic politics explain why political actions are recognizably Muslim, and why "Islam" makes a difference in determining the politics of a broad swath of the world.

James P. Piscatori

About

Books

Join the club