Leif Stenberg

For the general reader interested in global political affairs Islamist organizations like the Palestinian Hamas, the Lebanese Hizbollah and the transnational a-Qa’ida, as well as individuals like for example Usama bin Laden, may appear as incomprehensible and beyond rational understanding. Numerous scholarly books on the subject have not always helped readers to fathom the phenomena of Islamism, or as it is called in the title of Peter Mandaville’s latest book, Global Political Islam. However, Mandaville, a Professor of Government and Politics at George Mason University, Washington DC, takes the effort to explain and analyze the complex topic of political Islam in a very coherent manner. Moreover, this book is, as it is stated in the introduction, directed to students and scholars in the humanities and social sciences, but in my opinion it is a most readable book also for readers interested in the subject of global Islamic movements in general. The reason for such a statement is that the book not only comprehensively analyzes global political Islam, but also provides a theoretical perspective of the relationship and interaction between Islamic traditions, Islamic movements and the practice of politics – a perspective that is of value to anyone interested in contemporary interpretations of Islam.