Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- 1. The world of Islam and the challenge of Islamism -- 2. Islam as a political force in international politics -- 3. Re-formatting the economy: Islamic banking and finance in world politics -- 4. Identity, power, and the Islamist discourse on women: an exploration of Islamism and gender issues in Egypt -- 5. The war on terror and the 'rescue' of Muslim women -- 6. Islam and identity in South Asia: at the crossroads of confusion and confrontation? -- 7. Islam and ideology in Central Asia -- 8. Islamisation and politics in Southeast Asia: the contrasting cases of Malaysia and Indonesia -- 9. Between rhetoric and reality: Islam and politics in the Arab world. This book examines the influence of Islamist movements in national and international power politics, in the equilibrium of the world of finance, and the articulation of gender issues in Islamic and non-Islamic countries alike.