The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?

Are Islam and the West on an inevitable collision course? What are the implications of events in Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the West? Recent events such as the World Trade Center bombing, Algeria's civil war and the fundamentalist Islamic government that might follow, Sunni-Shii fratricide in Pakistan, and reports of terrorist networks with bases in the West only enhance the Western view of Muslims as medieval fanatics, and feed talk of an impending clash of civilizations. From the Ayatollah Khomeini to Saddam Hussein and Sheik Abdul Rahman, the image of Islam as a militant, expansionist, and rabidly anti-American religion has gripped the minds of Western governments and media. But these perceptions, John L. Esposito writes, stem from a long history of mutual distrust, criticism, and condemnation, and they are far too simplistic to help us understand one of the most important issues of our times.
In this second edition of The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality? Esposito, a leading expert in political Islam, analyzes the fall out from these recent events from North Africa to Southeast Asia and places the challenge of Islam in critical perspective. Exploring the vitality of Islam as a global force and the history of its relations with the western world, Esposito investigates just how pervasive the threat of Muslim radicalism actually is. He offers a systematic assessment of politics in key nations (including Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Libya, Lebanon, Sudan, and Tunisia) and in particular Islamic movements (from moderates to radicals), demonstrating the diversity of the Islamic resurgence—and the mistakes western analysts make in assuming a hostile, monolithic Islam. Esposito examines the potential challenge or threat of Islam and looks at the issues facing Islam and the West in the 1990s, from democratization and pluralism to American foreign policy, human rights, and the status of women and minorities in the context of Islamic revivalism.
Timely and compelling, The Islamic Threat is essential reading for all those interested in "overcoming the increasingly dangerous gap separating Western and Islamic societies."

Are Islam and the West on an inevitable collision course? Are Islamic fundamentalists medieval fanatics--a threat to stability in the Muslim world and to American interests in the region? In this revealing work, a leading authority on the Islamic world takes a hard look at the challenge, diversity and sources of Middle East politics.

Are Islam and the West on a collision course? From the Ayatollah Khomeini to Saddam Hussein, the image of Islam as a militant, expansionist, and rabidly anti-American religion has gripped the minds of Western governments and media. But these perceptions, John L. Esposito writes, stem from a long history of mutual distrust, criticism, and condemnation, and are far too simplistic to help us understand one of the most important political issues of our time. In this new edition of The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?, Esposito places the challenge of Islam in critical perspective. Exploring the vitality of this religion as a global force and the history of its relations with the West, Esposito demonstrates the diversity of the Islamic resurgence—and the mistakes our analysts make in assuming a hostile, monolithic Islam. This third edition has been expanded to include new material on current affairs in Turkey, Afghanistan, Palestine, and Southeast Asia, as well as a discussion of international terrorism.

About the Author:
John L. Esposito is Professor of Religion and International Affairs, Georgetown University, and Director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding: History and International Affairs at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. He has served as President of the Middle East Studies Association and as a consultant to the State Department. His books include Islam: The Straight Path, Islam and Politics, Islam in Asia, and Voices of Resurgent Islam.