Since the 1970s, Cairo has experienced tremendous growth and change. Nearly three million people now live in new urban communities characterized by unregulated housing, informal economic activity, and the presence of Islamist groups. Salwa Ismail examines the effects of these changes in Political Life in Cairo's New Quarters. Working in Cairo, Ismail interviewed new quarter residents, observed daily life in markets and alleyways, met with local leaders, and talked with young men about their encounters with the government. Rich in ethnographic detail, this work reveals the city's new urban...

In Rethinking Islamic Politics, Salwa Ismail proposes a whole new way of examining the political culture of Islamism. She revisits the main arguments and explanations that have been used over the past 20 years to understand Islamist activism, moderate as well as militant, and proposes a rethinking of Islamist politics.

The public self-presentation of individuals and groups in terms grounded in Islamic traditions bears in important ways on matters of civil society and the public sphere in both Muslim-majority and Western countries. It also has implications for the project of the democratic political community, including its respect for religious difference and equal citizenship. This book considers these implications as it assesses the role of Islam in the public sphere and the character of dialogues among Muslims and between Muslims and non-Muslims. Key Features Examines Muslims' interventions in and impact...

Provides an original analysis of the routine and spectacular forms of violence deployed by the Asad regime in Syria over the last four decades.

Provides an original analysis of the routine and spectacular forms of violence deployed by the Asad regime in Syria over the last four decades.