Voices of Resurgent Islam

The Muslim world extends from North Africa to Southeast Asia. In addition to some forty-three Muslim (majority) countries, Muslims constitute a significant minority in another twenty countries. The more than 800 million Muslims comprise almost a fifth of the world's population. The size and geographic expanse of the Muslim world and its emergence as a world economic power whose political stability is of increasing importance to the Western world have made an understanding of events in the Muslim world a critical concern. The purpose of this volume is to provide some insight into a phenomenon that has swept the Muslim world. It has been described by various titles: Islamic Resurgence, Islamic Revival, Militant Islam, Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism. This volume will explore the origins, development, prospects, and implications of the Islamic resurgence through both analytical studies (on the history and major influences of the resurgence) as well as the statements of Muslim scholar/ activists engaged in the political, social, and economic aspects of the Islamic resurgence today. -- from Introduction (p. 3).