demystifies the phenomenon of Islamism and the forces that drive it, situating the movement within a clarifying history that views Islamism, for the last two hundred years, as the product of a war against Western domination and as a consequence of the disappointments of modernization. Roger Hardy builds his narrative around personal travels and his encounters as a journalist covering Mideast and Islamic issues for more than three decades. He illuminates the political role of Islam in several distinct countries and regions: Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Southeast Asia, and Europe. At the same time, he unravels a history of Islamism from its origins in colonialism to its present manifestation in Al-Qaeda and global jihad. In a provocative conclusion, Hardy warns that without a more comprehensive understanding of Islamism, the West will forfeit its peace-brokering advantage and indeed lose the "hearts and minds" of Muslims.

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