Faith and Power: The Politics of Islam

A British journalist accomplishes a tour de force in covering the rise and spread of Islam, its various forms and sects, its political role in a dozen countries, and the so-called Islamic resurgence of the present day-all in a general volume that provides a fine introduction for the non-specialist reader; and the specialists will not easily poke holes in it. The variety and complexity of Islam as a political phenomenon make sweeping generalizations virtually impossible, and Mortimer wisely does not try.