Encyclopedia of Islam

Encyclopedia of  Islam

began to change in the 1980s as a result of the 

Islamic revolution in Iran of 1978–79, the Leba-

nese civil war and the 1983 bombing of the United 

States Marine barracks in Beirut, and the assas-

sination of Egyptian president Anwar al-Sadat, an 

American ally, by a radical jihadist group in 1981. 

Even these developments, which were widely 

reported in the news media, did not have a long-

term impact on public awareness or knowledge 

about Islam and Muslims, although they inspired 

a number of Hollywood movies based on stereo-

types. One important exception, however, was the 

inclusion of lessons about Islam and the Middle 

East in secondary school curricula that involved 

consultations with experts and representatives of 

local Muslim organizations.

This situation changed dramatically as a result 

of the terrorist attacks conducted by al-Qaida 

against the New York World Trade Center and 

the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., on Septem-

ber 11, 2001. Islam, especially Islamic terrorism, 

permeated the media—most notably the 24-hour 

cable news channels and talk radio. Politicians, 

scholars, policy experts, and religious leaders gave 

many interviews and talks about Islam, the Mid-

dle East, and religious violence. American colleges 

and universities hired dozens of new lecturers and 

professors specializing in Islamic studies and the 

languages and histories of the Middle East. The 

number of Middle East National Resource Centers 

based at leading American research universities 

was increased with the help of additional funding 

by the U.S. Department of Education, which was 

committed to enhancing public understanding 

about the contemporary Middle East and other 

regions where large Muslim populations live. 

Increased resources were also provided for teach-

ing Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Pashto, and 

other critical languages.

Today there still exists, despite these significant 

steps forward, a widespread hunger in the United 

States and many other countries for even the most 

basic knowledge about Muslims—their religion, 

histories, cultures, and politics. One unfortunate 

consequence of the persistence of this knowledge 

“gap” is that some have exploited it to spread inac-

curate, prejudiced views about Islam and Muslims 

by citing anecdotal evidence or weaving together 

scattered bits of factual information, heresay, and 

even falsehoods. At times this is done to serve 

some greater ideological objective, but at great 

cost to the public’s ability to make wise judgments 

of their own, based on accurate information and 

scholarly expertise. The Encyclopedia of Islam is 

part of a much wider effort undertaken by many 

scholars and area studies experts to meet the 

demand for accurate information about Islam, par-

ticularly with regard to its place in the contempo-

rary world. This undertaking is based on a growing 

body of research involving the contributions of 

people who not only have knowledge and fluency 

in the relevant languages but have spent extended 

periods of time in the Middle East and other parts 

of the world where Muslims live, work, and strive 

to achieve what we might call “the good life.” The 

reader is encouraged to explore the variety of top-

ics covered by this reference work and follow up 

with more specialized readings listed at the end 

of each entry and in the bibliography provided in 

the back of the book. Before proceeding, however, 

it will be worthwhile to consider some questions 

anyone interested in exploring the subject of Islam 

ought to be asking.

What Is Islam?

This is a question that Muslims have been 

answering for centuries when it is raised in 

their homes, schools, and in the circles of gifted 

scholars, powerful rulers, and wealthy merchants 

and businessmen. It is also a question posed by 

many non-Muslims—never more than now, in 

the first decade of the 21st century. The answers 

given by Muslims, like those proposed by non-

Muslims, have varied greatly, depending on their 

education, social status, background, and the 

wider historical and cultural contexts in which 

they live.

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