Political Islam

Political Islam or Islamism - in contrast to Jihadism or terrorism - does not necessarily first and foremost have anything to do with violence. On the contrary, the large majority in the Islamic movement turned away from the use of violence long ago and is instead attempting to peacefully exert political and societal influence. Representatives of political Islam are well-trained political strategists who, in suits and ties and via organized Islam and Islamic organizations conduct resolute lobbying activities in Europe in order to promote the implementation of Islamic society. Christine Schirrmacher provides a sophisticated overview of the genesis of this global movement, its view of the world, and its goals, and she demonstrates that it is essentially a product of the twentieth century. The reader will additionally gain insight into the Muslim Brotherhood, the first institutionalized form of political Islam. At present it is the most interconnected and successful movement in the world. Prof. Dr. Christine Schirrmacher (MA in Islamic Studies 1988, Dr. phil. Islamic Studies 1991) studied Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Middle Eastern History and Islamic Studies in Gießen and Bonn, Germany. She is currently Professor of Islamic Studies at the ""Evangelisch-Theologische Faculteit"" (Protestant University) in Leuven/Belgium as well as at the state University of Bonn/Germany, where she teaches at the department of Islamic Studies and Middle Eastern Languages. Additionally she had guest professorships, eg at the State University of Erfurt (chair of Islamic Studies) and at the department of Anthropo-Geography at the State University of Tubingen/Germany. Dr Schirrmacher has given guest lectures on several continents, eg recently at the University of Hongkong, Sofia/Bulgaria and Brest/Belarus and has visited most countries of the Middle East. Schirrmacher is head of the International Institute of Islamic Studies (IIIS) of the World Evangelical Alliance as well as of its German speaking counterpart run by the Evangelical Alliance of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. She is ""Commissioner for Islamic Affairs"", i. e., the official speaker and advisor on Islam for the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA). Schirrmacher also lectures on Islam and security issues to the German parliament and different government institutions, eg to the Academy of Foreign Affairs Germany, is author of about 15 books on Islam some of which are translated into English, Spanish, Romanian, Korean and Swahili. She is engaged in current dialogue initiatives, like the conference ""Loving God and Neighbour in Word and Deed: Implications for Muslims and Christians"" of the Yale Centre for Faith and Culture, Yale University, New Haven/Connecticut, in July 2008.