This accessible work balances the image of Islam as aggressive and fanatical with an objective picture of the main features of Muslim history and the compulsions of Muslim society.

Introduction: discovering Islam -- Muslim idea: holy Book and Prophet -- A theory of Islamic history -- The great Muslim empires: Ottomans, Saffavids and Mughals -- Sufis and scholars -- Islam of the periphery -- Under European rule: the colonial impact on Muslim Society -- Princes and paupers: Muslim societies in Saudi Arabia and south India -- Muslim society turned inside out: ethnicity, women and refugees -- The reconstruction of Muslim thought -- Only connect -- Appendix: Muslim chronology -- Bibliography: suggested readings -- Index.

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