The Islamic world has a poor record in terms of modernization and democracy. However, the source of this situation is not religion, but factors including colonialism, international economic and trading systems, and the role of the military, among others. Recognizing these themes allows the consideration of possible remedies for change in the Muslim world.The Islamic world has a poor record in terms of modernization and democracy. However, the source of this situation is not religion-Islam-but rather factors including colonialism, international economic and trading systems, and the role of the military, among others. Recognizing these themes allows the consideration of possible remedies for change in the Muslim world.The distinguished scholars contributing to this volume identify key factors-some intrinsic to the Muslim world, and some external-that contribute to Islam's current predicament. Contrary to much prevailing thought and opinion, Islam is neither monolithic nor impervious to change. It is neither anti-democratic nor inherently anti-modernization. Islam itself, as this book shows, is not the root cause of the malaise of the Islamic world.

IntroductionCulture and Development by Heather DeeganDevelopment and Democracy: The Muslim World in Comparative Perspective by Mehran KamravaIs Gender Inequality a Barrier to Modernization and Democratization? by Valentine MoghadamIslam and Modernity by Tamara SonnIslam and Democracy: Is Modernization a Barrier? by John VollResponses to Modernization: Muslim Experience in Comparative Perspective by Tim McDanielMilitary Establishment and the Challenge of Reformism by Elizabeth PicardEconomic Foundations of States and Democratisation: Shifting Political Geography of the Arab Private Sector by Giacomo LucianiDemographic, Economic, and Social Conditions in Muslim Majority Countries: Prospects for Democratization by Ibrahim OweissThe Legacy of Colonialism: Impact on the Modernization and Democratization of the Muslim World by Ayesha JalalThe Muslim World's Poor Democratic Record: The Interplay of External and Internal Factors by Mohammad AyoobSystemic Factors and Economic Development in Islamic Countries by Peter NunnenkampThe Roots of Sub-Saharan Africa's Modernization and Democratization Dilemmas by Chuka OnwumechiliArab Liberal Legacies Full Circle by Saad Eddin IbrahimCentral Asia and Azerbaijan by Mehrdad HaghyeghiThe Case of Pakistan by Mumtaz AhmadMalaysia's Path to Modernization and Democratization by Osman BakarIslam, Modernization and Democratization: The Case of Iran by Shireen Hunter & Nasser HadianA Secular Democracy in the Muslim World: The Turkish Model by Binnaz ToprakConclusions