Reviews for Modernizing Islam: Religion in the Public Sphere in the Middle East and Europe

The average rating for Modernizing Islam: Religion in the Public Sphere in the Middle East and Europe based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-08-27 00:00:00 Jon Day Gregory Gause delivers a book that will no doubt be a classic study on the political characteristics of oil monarchies and the ways in which these régimes maintain power despite the ongoing processes towards modernity. The sheer volume of money in which these régimes have access to combine with in some cases a small domestic population (relying on foreign workers for the heavy lifting) gives them a tremendous advantage in maintain power. In all of the countries surveyed (Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar) relationships had been developed through spiritual control and tribal relationships making normal political participation a much smaller scale than a standard republic. For those looking to gain an understanding of the political structure of the Middle East this is a great place to start and well worth the time to read.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-02-10 00:00:00 Melissa Fitches This is an in-depth review of the rise of the Taliban out of the ashes of the Soviet war and US/CIA intervention. Rashid does a really good job of explaining the complexities, religious ideology, and human rights atrocities committed by the Taliban.