The Many Faces of Political Islam by Mohammed Ayoob

Title: The Many Faces of Political Islam: Religion and Politics in the Muslim World
Author: Mohammed Ayoob
Type: Non-Fiction
Genre: Politics
Series: No
Pages: 213
Copyright: 2008
Publisher: The University of Michigan Press

Rating:  3 out of 5

Summary: Summary from Good Reads

Analysts and pundits from across the American political spectrum describe Islamic fundamentalism as one of the greatest threats to modern, Western-style democracy. Yet very few non-Muslims would be able to venture an accurate definition of political Islam. Mohammed Ayoob's The Many Faces of Political Islam thoroughly describes the myriad manifestations of this rising ideology and analyzes its impact on global relations.

Feelings:
This is an academic book, don't be confused. That being said, it is an informative look at different political ideas in Islam. I liked that this book didn't see every group as the same but showed the differences. Many scholars look at Islamic groups as one and don't see that they can differ.

...interpretation of Islam as "civilization" (in the singular) rather than as a religion and code of ethics that affects and is, in turn, affected by multiple cultural and geographic milieus. Consequently, its popularization has augmented a unitary impression of Islam and Muslims in the West that conceals the enormous diversity not only among Muslim opinions in general but even among those groups characterized as fundamentalists or Islamists. (p. 23)

The book sets out to counter and show that political Islam is not the monolith that many scholars in the west lead us to believe.

In looking at the difference between countries and groups Ayoob demonstrates the diversity of political Islam and even makes a pretty convincing argument that Islam and Democracy are compatible. I recommend this book to anyone looking to gain a better understanding of political Islam.