This book examines the role of Shia Islam in the world today. It covers several regions and nearly two dozen countries from both a contemporary and historical perspective. It deals with various divisions of Shia Islam, but concentrates on the majority sect of Twelver Islam. Through this narrative, Global Shia examines the critical role played by groups such as the Khojas and Lebanese immigrants as well as post-revolutionary Iran in global Islam. Global Shia concludes with an analysis of the present global status of Shia.

This book analyzes the enduring appeal of the Sufi movement. Its first chapter deals with origins of the Sufi movement and then discusses of the various definitions attached to what came to define what would later be called the mystical dimension of Islam. The succeeding chapters deal with its historical development. Under this theme, specific chapters deal with the spread of Sufism during the Middle Ages and early Modern period and how it survived and even thrived during this time. The concluding chapter during this historical section traces its spread beyond the Islamic world and into the...