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Routledge Studies in Political Islam

About the Book Series

This series provides a forum for the latest research on all aspects of political Islam. It includes a range of approaches and studies on individuals, movements, theory and practice.

10 Series Titles


Islamic State's Online Propaganda A Comparative Analysis

Islamic State's Online Propaganda: A Comparative Analysis

1st Edition

By Miron Lakomy
January 09, 2023

Explaining the means utilised by the editors of the Islamic State’s online magazines to win the "hearts and minds" of their audiences, this book is a result of a multidimensional content analysis of two flagship periodicals of the Islamic State: Dabiq and Rumiyah. Drawing from a number of ...

Religious Authority and Political Thought in Twelver Shi'ism From Ali to Post-Khomeini

Religious Authority and Political Thought in Twelver Shi'ism: From Ali to Post-Khomeini

1st Edition

By Hamid Mavani
July 16, 2015

Ranging from the time of the infallible Imams, to the contemporary era, this book provides a comprehensive overview of Shi’i religious and political authority, focusing on Iran and Lebanon, without limiting the discourse to Khomeini’s version of an Islamic State. Utilising untapped Arabic and ...

The Essence of Islamist Extremism Recognition through Violence, Freedom through Death

The Essence of Islamist Extremism: Recognition through Violence, Freedom through Death

1st Edition

By Irm Haleem
March 19, 2014

This book provides a critical and a conceptual analysis of radical Islamist rhetoric drawn from temporally and contextually varied Islamist extremist groups, challenging the popular understanding of Islamist extremism as a product of a ‘clash-of-civilizations’. Arguing that the essence of Islamist...

Islamic Revivalism in Syria The Rise and Fall of Ba'thist Secularism

Islamic Revivalism in Syria: The Rise and Fall of Ba'thist Secularism

1st Edition

By Line Khatib
March 07, 2014

Contemporary studies on Syria assume that the country’s Ba’thist regime has been effective in subduing its Islamic opposition, placing Syria at odds with the Middle East’s larger trends of rising Islamic activism and the eclipse of secular ideologies as the primary source of political activism. Yet...

Islam and Political Reform in Saudi Arabia The Quest for Political Change and Reform

Islam and Political Reform in Saudi Arabia: The Quest for Political Change and Reform

1st Edition

By Mansoor Jassem Alshamsi
February 25, 2014

This book examines the link between Islamic thought/jurisprudence on the one hand and political action on the other. It shows how reformism is deeply rooted in Islamic tradition and how Sunni scholars have become activists for change in Saudi Arabia....

Democracy In Islam

Democracy In Islam

1st Edition

By Sayed Khatab, Gary D. Bouma
December 20, 2011

Challenging the view of Islamic extremists and critics of Islam, this book explores the very topical issue of Islam’s compatibility with democracy. It examines: principles of Islam's political theory and the notion of democracy therein the notion of democracy in medieval and modern Muslim ...

The Flourishing of Islamic Reformism in Iran Political Islamic Groups in Iran (1941-61)

The Flourishing of Islamic Reformism in Iran: Political Islamic Groups in Iran (1941-61)

1st Edition

By Seyed Mohammad Ali Taghavi
April 14, 2011

During the 1940s and 1950s, Islamic reformism flourished in Iran. This book examines how Iranian Islamic groups came to rethink traditional accounts of religion and nurture a politicized version of Islam. The author shows how similar social and political circumstances, but different family and ...

The Muslim Brotherhood Hasan al-Hudaybi and ideology

The Muslim Brotherhood: Hasan al-Hudaybi and ideology

1st Edition

By Barbara Zollner
March 17, 2011

The Muslim Brotherhood is one of the most influential Islamist organisations today. Based in Egypt, its network includes branches in many countries of the Near and Middle East. Although the organisation has been linked to political violence in the past, it now proposes a politically moderate ...

The Political Thought of Sayyid Qutb The Theory of Jahiliyyah

The Political Thought of Sayyid Qutb: The Theory of Jahiliyyah

1st Edition

By Sayed Khatab
June 09, 2009

This new book takes a literary approach in its study of Sayyid Qutb, one of the most significant political thinkers for contemporary Islamists and who has greatly influenced the likes of Osama Bin Laden. Executed by the Egyptian state in 1966, his books continue to be read and his theory of ...

The Power of Sovereignty The Political and Ideological Philosophy of Sayyid Qutb

The Power of Sovereignty: The Political and Ideological Philosophy of Sayyid Qutb

1st Edition

By Sayed Khatab
June 09, 2009

The Power of Sovereignty explores the religio-political and philosophical concepts of Sayyid Qutb, one of the most influential political thinkers for contemporary Islamists and who has greatly influenced the likes of Osama Bin Laden. Executed by the Egyptian state in 1966, his books continue ...

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