The contributions of Islam to world civilization are undeniable. However, in the last 100 years, Muslims have been confronted with the effects and ramifications of modernity, caused by the emergence of global capitalism. What does modernity ultimately mean for Muslims? How will the historical precepts of Islam meet the changes in our globalized world? To date, most scholars on Islam have tried to understand Muslim societies from historical observation alone. This simplistic academic approach does not allow us to understand the entire transformation that has taken place in Muslim societies. Sociological scholarship, on the other hand, argues that it would be difficult to understand Islam without first understanding the theoretical and practical underpinnings of the social structure of Muslim societies, which are embedded in the relationship between religion, the economy, politics, and society. This book, therefore, makes a connection between the economic system and its social and political consequences within Muslim societies. To do this, it examines the role of Islam within Muslim societies in the context of ongoing and increasingly powerful neoliberal economic processes in a globalized world. The Muslim understanding of secularism, modernity, the state, collective identity, immigration, and Islamic political thought and economic life are all shaped by forces of globalization and new market conditions. However, this is a mutually constitutive process, as Islam also influences the West and its perceptions of Islam because of the interdependent relations brought about by the global economy. These interdependencies create social and political transformation on both sides.

Tugrul Keskin brings wisdom and a deep cosmopolitan commitment to his scholarship. This may be the first book ever published that clarifies the social, political and economic context of Islam and the complex relations between Muslim and predominately non-Muslim societies. The Sociology of Islam will open up new inquires. It is an important book. Judith Blau Department of Sociology - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill In recent years the sociological study of Islam has emerged as a distinct forum. In this collection, Tugrul Keskin and his contributors exemplify some of the most useful approaches in this vibrant field. They explore how Islam is employed in several contemporary areas of sociological concern, including globalization, economic conditions, immigration, civic cultures, diversity, and public philosophy. As such, this volume should be of great interest to the students and scholars of Islam alike. Mohammed Bamyeh Department of Sociology - University of Pittsburgh This book is a must read for individuals in the policy and academic worlds who want to gain insight into complexities of Muslim societies. Contributors cover a large geographic area and provide profound analysis of relations between economics and socio-political development in several Muslim societies. Birol Yesilada Contemporary Turkish Studies Endowed Chair -- Hatfield School of Government, Portland State University