Intellectual Origins of Islamic Resurgence in the Modern Arab World

There is no longer a shortage of books on the Islamist phenomenon in the Arab world. To justify another survey, an author must at least bring some new angle to the topic. And that is where the current study falls short. The author is well informed and his intellectual breadth is impressive, but he seems to have little new to say. Individual parts of the book are quite good, however, especially chapters on Sayyid Qutb and Sheikh Fadlallah. Abu-Rabi also briefly deals with the secular critics of the Islamists. But one looks in vain for an integrative theme or original insights.