Encyclopedia of Islam in the United States

摘要

Even though Islam has existed as a major world religion for a long time, and even though the USA has been the focus (as well as the locus) of extensive research for less time, Islam in America is a relatively young research field. It has emerged because political and social and religious strands have converged, in some cases, violently or at least controversially, in the modern world. Because of this, scholars and students, at all levels of sophistication, as well as believers and those who study the sociology of faith, have seen a demand for wider and deeper reference resources in the field.rnMuch of the commentary and analysis so far has been quite specialized, often monograph and journal article material. International events changed sentiment and accelerated this interest in Islam as well as driving more cosmopolitanrnpublishing ventures and wider forms of communication about issues where Islam sits today. Two challenges at least present themselves here - one in making Islam essentialist (Islam as a fixed set of beliefs and practices and as separate) and the other in seeing Islam as bound up inextricably with politics.