By all measures, the late twentieth century was a time of dramatic decline for the Islamic world, the Ummah, particularly its Arab heartland. Sober Muslim voices regularly describe their current state as the worst in the 1,400-year history of Islam. Yet, precisely at this time of unprecedented material vulnerability, Islam has emerged as a civilizational force strong enough to challenge the imposition of Western, particularly American, homogenizing power on Muslim peoples. This is the central paradox of Islam today: at a time of such unprecedented weakness in one sense, how has the Islamic Awakening, a broad and diverse movement of contemporary Islamic renewal, emerged as such a resilient and powerful transnational force and what implications does it have for the West? In One Islam, Many Muslims Worlds Raymond W. Baker addresses this question. Two things are clear, Baker argues: Islam's unexpected strength in recent decades does not originate from official political, economic, or religious institutions, nor can it be explained by focusing exclusively on the often-criminal assertions of violent, marginal groups. While extremists monopolize the international press and the scholarly journals, those who live and work in the Islamic world know that the vast majority of Muslims reject their reckless calls to violence and look elsewhere for guidance. Baker shows that extremists draw their energy and support not from contributions to the reinterpretation and revival of Islamic beliefs and practices, but from the hatreds engendered by misguided Western policies in Islamic lands. His persuasive analysis of the Islamic world identifies centrists as the revitalizing force of Islam, saying that they are responsible for constructing a modern, cohesive Islamic identity that is a force to be reckoned with.

The Global Studies series is designed to provide comprehensive background information and selected world press articles on the regions and countries of the world. This edition of Global Studies: Islam and the Muslim World is a mini-encyclopedia on the subject. The Preface maintains that we are living in a globally interdependent world in which it is imperative for the non-Muslim world to understand the faith of 1.3 billion Muslims who live all over the world. Part I comprises two chapters: Chapter 1 is a timeline of the “Momentous Events And Influential Muslims That Have Shaped Islamic Civilization (570-1605 CE);” Chapter 2, “Understanding Islam, Muslims, Islamism, and Anti-Americanism,” comprises sections on the “Fundamentals of Islam,” “Islamism,” “Myths and Misconceptions About Islam and Muslims,” as well as “Islamophobia in the West and Anti-Westernism/Anti-Americanism in the Muslim World.” Chapter 2 also has several informative boxes and tables that present vitally important matters pertaining to Islam and Islamism at a glance. The two boxes are “The Ninety-Nine Names of God” and “Sensational Events in the Media about Islam and Muslims.” The six tables in the chapter are “Sunnis and Shi`as: A Comparison of Islam’s Two Major Sects,” “A Comparison of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity,” “Jesus and Muhammad: Founders of the World’s Two Largest Religions,” “Islam and the Nation of Islam: A Comparative Overview,” “Revolutionary Islamists and Muslim Secularists: A Succinct Comparison,” and “A Comparison of Revolutionary Islamists and Progressive Islamists.” Part II comprises informative “Country Reports” for the fifty-seven member states that represent the Muslim world’s interests through the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). Part III provides readers with world press articles on various aspects of the World of Islam. This book also provides readers with a list of annotated Internet sites on Islam. In addition, a list of articles and books on Islam and the Muslim world, a selected glossary of key terms, and a comprehensive and easy to access index are provided.