This book considers the ways in which Muslims view the way they are being viewed, not viewed, or incorrectly viewed, by the West. The book underscores a certain “will-to-visibility” whereby Muslims/ Arabs wish just to be “seen” and to be marked as fellow human beings. The author relates the failure to achieve this visibility to a state of desperation that inextricably and symmetrically ties visibility to violence. When Syrian and Palestinian refugees recently started refusing to be photographed, they clearly ushered the eventual but inevitable collapse of the image and its final futility. The photograph has been completely emptied of its last remaining possibility of signification. The book attempts to engage with questions about the ways in which images are perceived within cross cultural contexts. Why and how do people from different cultural backgrounds view the same image in opposing ways; why do cartoon, photographs, and videos become both the cause and target of bloody political violence – as witnessed recently by the deadly attacks against Charlie Hebdo in France and in the swift military response by the US, Jordan, France, and others to videotaped violence by ISIS.

For decades North Africa and the Middle East have experienced overlapping identities and integration processes. With the exception of Morocco, the countries of North Africa have supported the re-launch of pan-Africanism in the form of the African Union and its growing institutionalization; but they also share an Arab identity and are members of the Arab League. Islamism commands wide support among the regions of North Africa and the Middle East, and the impact of European integration can increasingly be seen in varying forms. This comprehensive volume focuses on overlapping identities and integration processes in the Mediterranean basin and queries to what extent these various identities and integration processes are compatible or in conflict. Incorporating both theoretical and empirical material, it unites contributions from a variety of countries, thus exploring these issues from different perspectives.

As the world’s second-largest faith and by some accounts the most fast-growing, Islam is often at the forefront of intense public conversation in debates about politics, international relations, globalization, modern society and culture. From the rise of ISIS and revolutions in North Africa and Middle East to more tempered discussions about what it means to be a Muslim in the West and foreign policy making, this student focused textbook, unpacks how we talk about and represent Islam, its place in and relationship to “the West”. Supported by an accessible introduction, real-world case studies, a glossary of terms and discussion points at the end of each chapter, Nathan Lean offers students a comprehensive and alternative framework to Islam and the West in the 21st Century

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated (Second Raisina Dialogue, New Delhi, on 17th January 2017)that the civilisational legacy of 'Realism, Co-existence, Cooperation and Partnership' moulded India's strategic vision. The above statement reflects India’s ambitious project to attain great power status, which has been a constant element in India's foreign and strategic policy since its independence. The quest for great power status is a shared belief and behaviour. Moreover, Prime Minister Modi has been continuing, at a fast pace, with the reforms initiated in 1991 by Prime Minister Narasimha Rao and pursued by his immediate predecessors. We can notice in Narendra Modi's approach of 'strategic interconnectedness' or 'multi-vectored engagement' or panchamrit a continuity that aligns perfectly with the policies of his immediate predecessors. At the dawn of independence, the non-alignment approach facilitated liberal capitalist economic development with socialist flavours on an upward trajectory. Narasimha Rao rehabilitated India into the orbit of neoliberal political and financial architecture. Modi's objective is to take India into the league of leading countries in the multipolar world order through his Multivectored Alignment. There exists a symbiotic relationship between foreign policy strategy and domestic economic growth. Modi's Make in India project, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and similar initiatives constructed on multi-vectored alignment or strategic interconnectedness have given India unprecedented visibility worldwide. This book is a collection of essays penned by a few established scholars in the field and budding scholars under the guidance of established scholars. One retired diplomat and one retired Vice -Admiral, contributed each piece, rooted in their own experiences. The attempt is to comprehensively analyse India's strategic culture, doctrine, and foreign policy behaviour.

Since September 11, Western governments have legitimized and empowered "nonviolent Islamists" as representatives of Islam for all Muslims in the West, an approach that has worried Muslim moderates. Citizen Islam addresses the implications of this approach. The book opens with an overview of the theology and history of Islam, to show that violence and intolerance are not fundamental aspects of the religion. It then explains the growth of Islamism in Europe and in the United States before suggesting that both are finally beginning to recognize the threat posed by nonviolent Islamists. Lastly, it outlines steps that Western and Muslims leaders can take to strengthen moderate Islam and counter the threat of Islamism. Written by Zeyno Baran, a Turkish-born Muslim, Citizen Islam sheds a sharp light on Muslim communities in the West. It concludes that there is much that Western governments can still do to reverse the spread of Islamism. But they must act quickly.

"In this work sixteen leading scholars, both Muslim and non-Muslim, examine the origins and historical development of Islam - its faith, community, institutions, sciences, and arts. Beginning in the pre-Islamic Arab world, the chapters include extensive overviews and perspectives from the story of Muhammad and his Companions, to the development of Islamic religion and culture and the empires that grew from it, to the influence that Islam has on today's world."--Home page.

Reconceiving Religious Conflict deconstructs instances of religious conflict within the formative centuries of Christianity, the first six centuries CE. It explores the theoretical foundations of religious conflict; the dynamics of religious conflict within the context of persecution and martyrdom; the social and moral intersections that undergird the phenomenon of religious conflict; and the relationship between religious conflict and religious identity. It is unique in that it does not solely focus on religious violence as it is physically manifested, but on religious conflict (and tolerance), looking too at dynamics of religious discourse and practice that often precede and accompany overt religious violence.

The Bloomsbury Companion to Islamic Studies is a comprehensive one volume reference guide to Islam and study in this area. A team of leading international scholars - Muslim and non-Muslim - cover important aspects of study in the field, providing readers with a complete and accessible source of information to the wide range of methodologies and theoretical principles involved. Presenting Islam as a variegated tradition, key essays from the contributors demonstrate how it is subject to different interpretations, with no single version privileged. In this volume, Islam is treated as a lived experience, not only as theoretical ideal or textual tradition. Featuring a series of indispensable research tools, including a substantial A-Z of key terms and concepts, chronology and a detailed list of resources, this is the essential reference guide for anyone working in Islamic Studies.

In addition to the important breaking points of the last century – such as the abolition of the Caliphate, the World Wars, the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Iranian Revolution and the foundation of a ‘New World Order’ which directly affected Muslim societies – the new conjuncture formed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks brought about various structural problems and changes in the Muslim world. Political and economic developments in the last ten years in particular have brought many Muslim countries to the edge of crisis. Along with political, economic and social issues, the fact that modernisation and secularisation have become dominant in Muslim societies shows that the outcomes of these changes are of great importance. In this respect, this book offers a significant contribution to debates on the processes of change and transformation in the Muslim world. In addition to theoretical debates, the main dynamics of political and social change in Muslim societies are discussed here using specific examples from each country. As such, this volume will provide the reader with a practical understanding of the historical turning points in the Muslim world over recent years.