Can the contemporary Islamic finance movement be shown to meet the requirements of modern commerce? In the wake of the terrorist attacks on America the UN Security Council passed a resolution targeting transnational sources of terrorist funds. The United States and the International Monetary Fund are encouraging the governments of the Middle East to adopt policies of economic liberalism and a new type of capitalism, based on Islamic values and beliefs, is emerging.The aims of the book are: * to explore the political implications of the slow but steady accumulation of Islamic capital* to...

"Rich new material. . . . combines a great deal of original material with a comparative sweep which is rare in Middle Eastern studies. It also deals fairly and squarely with some of the most important questions relating to the contemporary Middle Eastern economy."--Roger Owen, Harvard University
"An important and long-awaited book. It will make a major impact on and contribution to the fields of Middle Eastern studies and comparative politics. . . . illuminates a key determinant of political change throughout the Arab world that has remained obscure in even the most comprehensive existing...