Islam in a Globalizing World

“In Islam in a Globalizing World, Ambassador Simons has drawn on his unique experiences in the Muslim world and Eastern Europe to create a brilliant study of Islam's centuries-old efforts to adapt to modernization. Today, in an era in which the world of Islam is suddenly in the forefront of public concern, this impressive application of history should help readers to an intelligent understanding of the dynamic and, at times, conflicting forces at work in that world.”
—David D. Newsom, University of Virginia, and former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. He was also Ambassador to Libya, Indonesia and the Philippines
“In four fascinating essays, Mr. Simons gives us a provocative and accessible account of the challenges which the Islamic world has faced and those it has presented to western societies. In an elegantly woven narrative following Islam from its first century to the impact of today's IT-led globalization, the author persuasively builds his explanation of why radical Islam remains a marginal phenomenon in the faith now guiding one-sixth of the world's population. He also provides an excellent bibliography for the reader seeking a better understanding of today's most hotly debated issues concerning Islam.”
—Richard W. Murphy, Senior Fellow in Middle East Studies, Council on Foreign Relations; former U.S. Ambassador to Mauritania, Syria, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia; former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs

Former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Simons analyzes the challenges faced by the Islamic world as it has struggled over the centuries to adapt to modernization. The volume opens with a survey of the first thousand years of Islam, when its adherents acted as a major force of globalization. Coverage extends to a discussion of the influence of Islamic extremists in the contemporary Muslim world. The text is based upon lectures delivered by the author at Stanford University in 2002. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

University of Virginia, Former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Fomer ambassador to Libya and Indonesia and the Philippines - Newsom,David,D.

Today, in an era in which the world of Islam is suddenly in the forefront of public concern, this impressive application of history should help readers to an intelligent understanding of the dynamic and, at times, conflicting forces at work in that world.

Thomas W. Simons, Jr. is Consulting Professor, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University. He was the Ambassador to Pakistan from 1996 to 1998.