The many faces of political Islam: religion and politics in the Muslim world

The Many Faces of Political Islam: Religion and Politics in the Muslim World by Mohammed Ayoob is an introductory book on political Islam. Main objective of Ayoob in writing the book, as he puts, was to provide an introductory text for the non-specialist reader while trying to highlight the complexity of the issue and avoid oversimplification of the subject. The book achieved more than it aimed, and filled the gap for an introductory book for students of different studies such as international relations, religion, sociology and history. The need for such a compact book where a wide range of the Muslim countries was included was obvious and the academic world appreciated Ayoob’s efforts in writing this work. As pointed out, the book not only provides basics of the subject to the non-specialists, but also is insightful for the students and the academic world.