Islam as a religion is central to the lives of over a billion people, but its outer expression as a distinctive civilization has been undergoing a monumental crisis, argues former Iraqi defense and finance minister Ali A. Allawi; buffeted by powerful Western influence, Islamic civilization today is a shadow of its former self. The most disturbing of these influences—the imperial expansion of the West into Muslim lands and the blast of modernity that accompanied it—are now compounded by a giant third wave, globalization. Assessing the status of each of the building blocks of Islamic civilization, Allawi concludes that Islamic civilization cannot survive without the vital spirituality that underpinned it in the past. He identifies a key set of principles for moving forward, principles that will surprise some and anger others, yet he believes must be considered. Recognized by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy with a Silver Book Prize, this book is "interesting, thought-provoking and worthy of careful reading."—International Affairs
