Religion and State in Syria

Thomas Pierret is a Lecturer in Contemporary Islam at the University of Edinburgh. He has edited two volumes on contemporary Islam and published numerous book sections and entries for the Encyclopedia of Islam.

• 1. The era of the 'founding sheikhs' (1920–79); 2. Landscapes after the battle (1979–2007); 3. (Re)defining orthodoxy against reformist trends; 4. The turban and the chequebook: political economy of the Syrian religious elite; 5. Ulama and Islamists in the political field; 6. Reforms and revolution; 7. Conclusion.

'Empirically rich and with penetrating analysis, Pierret's book provides an alternative history of modern Syrian politics, quite different from those focusing on the Ba'th regime. It challenges simplistic views about Syrian Islam and its relation to the state, showing the great complexity both of the Islamic sphere in the country and of the relations by which both the Ba'th regime and the variegated ulama and Islamists have sought to use or oppose the other.' Raymond Hinnebusch, Centre for Syrian Studies, University of St Andrews