Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition is the first book to account for the religious, historical and political dimensions of Islamic fundamentalism in a single volume. It provides analyses based upon spiritual principles, rather than conjecture based on political prejudices. This book provides the context necessary for a deeper understanding of important issues pertaining to Islam and the contemporary Middle East. It accomplishes this by explaining the traditional Islamic perspective in a contemporary language. Some essays analyze the historical background of Islamic militancy, demonstrating how the scriptures and teachings of Islam condemn religious fanaticism and gratuitous aggression. Others examine the conditions that allowed for the rise of such an aberration, while yet others address the divide between East and West, bringing into relief the pressures of modernization and globalization which have produced an internal confusion which fans the flames of religious extremism.

Written as a collaborative effort by a group of young Muslim scholars, this volume questions much of the prevailing “wisdom” regarding extremist interpretations of Islam. Contributors include Seyyed Hossein Nasr (Foreword), David Dakake, Reza Shah-Kazemi, Fuad Naeem, Waleed El-Ansary, Ibrahim Kalin, Ejaz Akram, and T.J. Winter.

Joseph E.B. Lumbard is the founder of The Islamic Research Institute and is currently Professor of Islamic Studies in the Arabic Studies Department of The American University in Cairo. He was awarded a B.A. magna cum laude in English Literature and Religious Studies from The George Washington University in 1993, and an M.A. in Religious Studies in 1995. He received an M.Phil. in Islamic Studies from Yale University in 2000, and a Ph.D.in Islamic Studies with distinction in May, 2003.

A specialist in Sufism and Islamic Philosophy, Dr. Lumbard has spent many years researching and writing about Islamic civilization, with an emphasis on its intellectual traditions. He has studied Islamic texts on Quran, law, theology, philosophy and Sufism with scholars trained in the classical Islamic tradition and has reached a high degree of proficiency in both Arabic and Persian. He is thus conversant with the technical vocabulary and the methodological issues particular to a broad range of Islamic intellectual disciplines. His articles have been published in journals such as The Islamic Quarterly, Transcendent Philosophy and Sophia, and in collections of essays, such as Knowledge is Light: Essays in Honor of Seyyed Hossein Nasr and How can I Find God? Essays by the Famous and not so Famous. He has spoken in academic forums around the world, participated in inter-faith dialogue in Jewish and Christian forums and has appeared on several radio and television programs.

In the wake of September 11, 2001, Dr. Lumbard founded the Islamic Research Institute (IRI) to provide a forum in which Muslim scholars are able to contextualize issues pertaining to Islam and apply the traditional teachings of Islam to the exigencies of modern life. Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition is a product of his vision and leadership in this important area