Islam in Revolution: Fundamentalism in the Arab World, Second Edition

This book is key to understanding the diverging and converging roots of political Islam, one of the underlying forces of political upheaval and anti-Western sentiment that also fuels terrorism in the Mideast and beyond. It is one of the few books that explores trends in both Sunni and Shi'a Islamic schools, and links them both to political movements in areas where the U.S. is now engaged in the GWOT. It is a very useful primer for those who want to delve beyond the headlines. It would benefit from an update or epilogue by the author that continues to track trends since it was written.

This book, though published in 1985 and therefore not dealing directly with the Taliban or Osama bin Laden, remains a valuable (especially now!) study of Islamic fundamentalism. The author, R. Hrair Dekmejian, looks at the history, social-psychological roots, ideology and practice, motives and goals, of Islamic fundamentalist movements in the Arab world. Among the more interesting parts of the book are the author's profile of fundamentalist psychology (alienation, dogmatism, inferiority-superiority, activism-aggressiveness, authoritarianism, intolerance, paranoia-projectivity, conspiratorial outlook, idealism-sense of duty, etc.) and the bases for Islamic revivalism (misrule, class conflict, military impotence, modernization and culture crisis, and identity crisis). The author also examines specific Islamic fundamentalist groups in the Arab world, the potential consequences of Islamic fundamentalism, and "Islamic Fundamentalism and U.S. Interests." Despite being more than 15 years old, "Islam in Revolution" could not be more timely today. I strongly recommend it if you want to understand current world events!