Ram Puniyani is currently the Chairman at the Center for Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai. He was a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, IIT Mumbai, and took voluntary retirement in 2004, and is currently working for communal harmony. He has been involved with human rights activities for the past two decades. He has also involved himself with groups working for workers’ rights. Ram Puniyani is also associated with various secular and democratic initiatives, namely, All India Secular Forum, Center for Study of Society and Secularism, and Anhad.

• Preface : World Gripped by Terror: Is Terrorism Due to Religion?Introduction : The Politics of Terror in Contemporary TimesI. TERRORISM TODAY: THE GLOBAL SCENEA World Gripped by TerrorChanging Goals of Colonialism–Imperialism : From ‘White Man’s Burden’ to ‘War Against Terror’Islam: Through the AgesII. TERRORISM TODAY: THE VIEW FROM INDIAHindutva TerrorismFrom Hindu, Hinduism, to HindutvaIII. INDIA: A VICTIM OF GLOBAL TERRORAl Qaeda Strikes: The Mumbai Terror AttackIV. RELIGION, POLITICS, AND TERRORISMCivilizations–Religions: Clash or AllianceReligion, Power, and ViolenceAppendicesBibliographyIndex

"Coming at a time when political terrorism in being freshly and heatedly debated in South Asian region and outside, this highly informative book answers most of our questions on the subject in a thought-provoking and lucid manner…. It deals impartially with all types of religion and ethnicity-based terror in our part of the world."