Examining Muslim communities around the world, this new resource introduces readers to the history, traditions, and great diversity among them. The comprehensive introduction explores Islam and its many manifestations today, the role the religion plays in believers' lives (especially its role in political life), the various groups that contend for the destiny of the Muslim world, and the many shades of Islamic fundamentalism and the political debate about it within the Muslim world. Chapter two focuses on the relationship between the Muslim world and the United States, and chapter three explores specific countries including Indonesia, Algeria, and the United Arab Emirates as well as the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.