Over the last two decades we have seen a vast number of books published in the West that treat Islamic fundamentalism as a rising threat to the western values of secularism and democracy. In the last decade scholars began proclaiming an existent or emerging "clash" between East and West, Islam and Christianity, or in the case of Benjamin R. Barber, "Jihad and "McWorld." More recently, some western scholars have offered another interpretation. Focusing on the work of contemporary Muslim intellectuals, these scholars have begun to argue that what we are witnessing, in Islamic contexts, is tantamount to a Reformation. An Islamic Reformation attempts to evaluate this claim through the work of emerging and top scholars in the fields of political science, philosophy, anthropology, religion, history and Middle Eastern studies. The overall goal of this volume is to question the impact of various reformist trends throughout the Middle East. Are we witnessing a growth in fundamentalism or the emergence of an Islamic Reformation? What does religious practice in this region reflect? What is the usefulness of approaching these questions through Christian/Islamic and West/East dichotomies? Unique in its focus and scope, An Islamic Reformation represents an emerging vanguard in the discussion of Islamic religious heritage and practice and its effect on world politics.

This book presents two extraordinary texts - The Shining of Swords by Al-Qarakhi and a new translation for a contemporary readership of Leo Tolstoy's Hadji Murat - illuminating the mountain war between the Muslim peoples of the Caucasus and the imperial Russian army from 1830 to 1859. The authors offer a complete commentary on the various intellectual and religious contexts that shaped the two texts and explain the historical significance of the Russian-Muslim confrontation. It is shown that the mountain war was a clash of two cultures, two religious outlooks and two different worlds. The book provides an important background for the ongoing contest between Russia and indigenous people for control of the Caucasus. The two translations are accompanied by short introductions and by a longer commentary intended for readers who desire a broader introduction to the tragic conflict in the Caucasus whose effects still reverberate in the twenty-first century.

This book presents two extraordinary texts - The Shining of Swords by Al-Qarakhi and a new translation for a contemporary readership of Leo Tolstoy's Hadji Murat - illuminating the mountain war between the Muslim peoples of the Caucasus and the imperial Russian army from 1830 to 1859. The authors offer a complete commentary on the various intellectual and religious contexts that shaped the two texts and explain the historical significance of the Russian-Muslim confrontation. It is shown that the mountain war was a clash of two cultures, two religious outlooks and two different worlds. The book provides an important background for the ongoing contest between Russia and indigenous people for control of the Caucasus.

The Middle East in Modern World History examines how global trends over the last 200 years have shaped the Middle East and how these trends were affected by the region's development. Covering a key period in the history of the Middle East, this book highlights three major trends within the region's development over the past two centuries: the role of the region as a strategic conduit between East and West, the development of the region's natural resources, especially oil, and the impact of a rapidly globalizing world economy on the Middle East. This new edition extends coverage to the present day and includes more thematic and interpretive discussion on the impact of global migration and the evolution of the roles of women. It also provides more theoretical insights into current historical research and recent developments in the region, firmly placing these developments within their historical context. Clearly written and supported throughout by maps, images, discussion questions, and suggestions for further reading, as well as including a comprehensive chronology and glossary that enable readers to develop a clearer picture of political, economic, social, and cultural life within the region, The Middle East in Modern World History is the perfect textbook for all students of the history of the modern Middle East within a global context.

The Middle East in Modern World History examines how global trends over the last 200 years have shaped the Middle East and how these trends were affected by the region's development. Covering a key period in the history of the Middle East, this book highlights three major trends within the region's development over the past two centuries: the role of the region as a strategic conduit between East and West, the development of the region's natural resources, especially oil, and the impact of a rapidly globalizing world economy on the Middle East. This new edition extends coverage to the present day and includes more thematic and interpretive discussion on the impact of global migration and the evolution of the roles of women. It also provides more theoretical insights into current historical research and recent developments in the region, firmly placing these developments within their historical context. Clearly written and supported throughout by maps, images, discussion questions, and suggestions for further reading, as well as including a comprehensive chronology and glossary that enable readers to develop a clearer picture of political, economic, social, and cultural life within the region, The Middle East in Modern World History is the perfect textbook for all students of the history of the modern Middle East within a global context.

Sibyl Robinson hears the evening news that Quebec's Lagado government has called a referendum it hopes will separate the French province from Canada. Upset by the announcement the unilingual anglophone leaves her flat on Cumae street and walks her dog Trio through Montreal's Little Burgundy district down to the Lachine Canal. On the way home she discovers the slain body a black youth in a school yard near her flat. Packets of cocaine are found in the boy's pockets and police assume the killing to be drug related. Sibyl's concern over the murder of 'one of her people' leads her to a friend of the slain youth and the two set out to find the killer. Their unusual investigation leads to officer Jean-Luc Turcotte as the culprit. He has been stealing confiscated cocaine from a police lock-up and soliciting black neighborhood youths to deliver the drugs to his selected customers. Detective lieutenant Marc Kelly is assigned to the case and Jean-Luc is eventually charged with the youth's murder. Sibyl who becomes a chief witness for the defense breaks with her son Mark when he decides to defend the white officer. A rather bizarre trial ensues and Jean-Luc is acquitted.