The Muslim World In The 21st Century

Islam is not only a religion, but also a culture, tradition, and civilization. There are currently 1.5 billion people in the world who identify themselves as Muslim. Two thirds of the worldwide Muslim population, i.e. approximately a billion people, live in forty-eight Muslim majority countries (MMC) in the world– all of which except one are in Africa and Asia. Of these MMCs in Africa and Asia, only twelve (inhabited by about 165 million people) have ever achieved a high score on the Human Development Index (HDI), the index that measures life expectancy at birth, education and standard of living and ranks how "developed" a country is. This means that the majority of the world's Muslim population lives in poverty with low or medium level of human development. The contributions to this innovative volume attempt to determine why this is. They explore the influence of environment, space, and power on human development. The result is a complex, interdisciplinary study of all MMCs in Africa and Asia. It offers new insights into the current state of the Muslim World, and provides a theoretical framework for studying human development from an interdisciplinary social, cultural, economic, environmental, political, and religious perspective, which will be applicable to regional and cultural studies of space and power in other regions of the world.

This engaging introduction to Islam examines its lived reality, its worldwide presence, and the variety of beliefs and practices encompassed by the religion. The global perspective uniquely captures the diversity of Islam expressed throughout different countries in the present day. A comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, and global introduction to Islam, covering its history as well as current issues, experiences, and challenges Incorporates key new research on Muslims from a variety of countries across Europe, Latin America, Indonesia, and Malaysia Central Asia Directly addresses controversial issues, including political violence and ‘terrorism’, anti-western sentiments, and Islamophobia Explores different responses from various Islamic communities to globalizing trends Highlights key patterns within Islamic history that shed light upon the origins and evolution of current movements and thought

Islam is the second most common faith in the world with over a billion adherents. Understanding Islam as a twenty-first century faith has potential to address one of the contemporary world's sorest points, and, at the same time, to release the energies of one of the world's most potent forces. Moreover, overcoming suspicion of Islam is a pertinent 21st century challenge facing the U.S. as its attempts to mend a decade of deteriorating ties with Muslim peoples world-wide. This book explores suspicion of Islamic education in the U.S., analysing the extent to which such a sentiment is based on verifiable data. The agreement between general broad principles of research ethics and Islamic teachings concerning life are discussed as well. Other chapters address the two controversial issues concerning women's rights and age of consent for children in Muslim communities. How media representations of Islam can contradict and re-interpret the sanctity of life upheld in the holy book are also analyzed. In addition, this book explores the importance of new Islamic presences in Europe, and the authors address the relationship between the state and Islamic religion, the integration of Muslims in Europe and the role of Islam inside European society.

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.

Islam is not only a religion, but also a culture, tradition, and civilization. There are currently 1.5 billion people in the world who identify themselves as Muslim. Two thirds of the worldwide Muslim population, i.e. approximately a billion people, live in forty-eight Muslim majority countries (MMC) in the world- all of which except one are in Africa and Asia. Of these MMCs in Africa and Asia, only twelve (inhabited by about 165 million people) have ever achieved a high score on the Human Development Index (HDI), the index that measures life expectancy at birth, education and standard of living and ranks how "developed" a country is. This means that the majority of the world's Muslim population lives in poverty with low or medium level of human development. The contributions to this innovative volume attempt to determine why this is. They explore the influence of environment, space, and power on human development. The result is a complex, interdisciplinary study of all MMCs in Africa and Asia. It offers new insights into the current state of the Muslim World, and provides a theoretical framework for studying human development from an interdisciplinary social, cultural, economic, environmental, political, and religious perspective, which will be applicable to regional and cultural studies of space and power in other regions of the world.

In this accessible and carefully researched text, the authors broach one of the most urgent issues thrown up by the process of contemporary globalisation the future of the Muslim World. Their analysis probes the key material links between economic underdevelopment and Western Islamic cultural relations. This book is vital reading for anyone who wishes to understand the roots of the current high profile tension in global politics and to think beyond these conflicts towards the task of building a just and peaceful global order.

Ibrahim Kalin is a Senior Fellow or the Prince Ahvaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University and author of Knowledge in Later Islamic Philosophy: Mullp Sadrp on Existence, Intellect, and Intuition. --Book Jacket.

"Islam in the 21st Century: Challenges, Conspiracies & Chaos" is an attempt to present a Muslim perspective in the era of disinformation, misinformation and reductive historical and theological explanations related to Islam and the Islamic World. The Islamic states are part of the so-called Third World that is dominated by the West. The Western dominance is of a multi-dimensional nature, not just military or political hegemony. Economic and intellectual forces are important components of the dominant power that the West wields. The dominant countries of the West have not only penetrated the Third World, particularly, the Islamic or Arab countries in economic and political terms but also in very significant cultural areas. This hegemonic or dominant role is exercised by certain Western countries because of the ascendant position they occupy in the world market and the community of nation states buttressed by military and technological superiority. The Western policies towards the third world - that includes the Islamic world - are primarily determined by the analysis of economic and power interests, not by the evaluation of a religion. These policies are single-mindedly pursued by Western self-interest, at times brutally, with little regard for the lives of people there. It is a question of power politics and control. The chapter one of the Book highlights the prevalent state of affairs in the Muslim countries. The second chapter unveils the mechanism of western domination of the global economy and politics. The chapter three deals with Islam and the West which strictly adheres to the principle "crusade for morality stops where self interest starts." The fourth chapter concentrates on Islam & Muslims in the Post-9/11 America. The chapter five deals with the anti-Islam and anti-Muslim campaigns in Europe. The chapter six analyses the fake Arab Spring, Islamic or cultural resurgence and religious fundamentalism. The chapter seven presents projections about the Muslim World in 2030/2050.