Islam and International Relations

Faiz Sheikh is a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Hamburg, Germany. He is involved in the European Commission funded Initial Training Network, Power and Region in a Multipolar World, a collaborative project involving 11 institutions across 9 countries. He has published articles in Politics, Religion & Ideology.

• Acknowledgements / List of Abbreviations / Glossary of Arabic Terminology / 1. Introduction / PART I: CRITIQUING INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS / 2. Islam(ism) and International Relations / 3. International Relations, Islam, and the Secular Bias / 4. A Framework for Studying Religion in International Relations / PART II: DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVES / 5: Sovereignty and Political Islam / 6. Accounting for Community / PART III: PLURALISM OR POLARIZATION: POSTSTRUCTURALISM AND RELIGION / 7. Value Pluralism and the ‘International’ of International Relations / 8. Conclusion / Bibliography / Index

Faiz Sheikh judiciously examines the widely held assumption that a system of states and Islam rub uncomfortably against each other. In so doing, he rescues political Islam from radicalised interpretations and international relations from preconceived secularism. Avoiding a facile reconciliation of value pluralism and religious certainty, moreover, he sensibly holds out hope of counter-balancing restraint. Therein lies wisdom, and a path forward from supposed civilisational antipathy.