Since the Second World War, Islam and politics have combined to form a potent force known as Islamic fundamentalism. This force has, in recent years, grabbed the headlines as a new and grave threat to the West. Milton-Edwards analyses the roots and emergence of the new Islamic movements and the main thinkers that inspired them. Providing a much-needed historical overview, the main facets of Islamic fundamentalism are put in a global context, with a thematic debate of issues such as: * the effects of colonialism on Islam * secularism and the Islamic reaction * Islam and violence * globalisation and transnational Islamic movements * Islam in the wake of 9/11.

Table of Contents

1. A Diverse Tradition from Past to Present 2. The Advance of Secularism: Decline of Islam? 3. Identity and Revivalism 4. Islam Armed: Resistance in an Ideological Era 5. Going Global: Fundamentalism and Terror 6. Ground Zero and Islamic Fundamentalism

Author Biography

Beverley Milton-Edwards is a Reader in Politics and International Affairs in the School of Politics, Queen's University, Belfast. She is the author of Islamic Politics in Palestine, Contemporary Politics in the Middle East and Conflicts in the Middle East since 1945.