The word Islam means Peace, but for nearly 1,400 years its adherents have waged war--frequently on the grandest and most successful scales in history. This book introduces some of Islam's greatest military figures and analyzes significant events that are shaping the modern world. Nafziger and Walton detail the rich and diverse military histories of dozens of empires, nations, tribes, clans, and peoples.

Militant Islamists viewed the events of September 11, 2001, as merely one more step in an ongoing military campaign against the West and the United States. Major events in this...