"This is an ambitious and important book that offers a unique combination of historical depth and comparative range. It provides much more than a historical survey of the subjects analyzed, expounding a rigorous, comprehensive, and consistent explanatory paradigm for the evolution of modern Muslim discourses"
— James P. Jankoski, James P. Jankowski
"Mansoor Moaddel has deeper insights into modern Islam than any other social scientist in the world, as will be obvious to all readers of this remarkable book."
— Rodney Stark, Rodney Stark
"Moaddel's book innovates in considering the development of modern Islam simultaneously in several Arab countries, in Iran, and in India. Like William Sewell Jr., he argues for the centrality of historical episodes in shaping ideology. His attention to the colonial context, to the impact of Christian missionary work, and to nationalism does not cause him to downplay the agency of Muslim thinkers. His insight that the precise target of reformers in each time and place shapes the form of their Islamic activism allows him to avoid the essentialism that has often marred treatments of modern Islam."
— Juan Cole, Juan Cole
"The book contains a wealth of historical and contemporary information that would be of interest to social scientists and students."
— Mohammed A. Bamyeh, Middle East Journal
"Moaddel successfully fulfills his purpose in writing this book through synthesizing significant primary sources . . . and the secondary literature on political, socioeconomic, intellectual/theological, and ideological developments. . . . Moaddel does the field of Islamic and nationalist studies a great service by covering a broader geographic area (from Algeria in the west to India in the east) and by presenting a pattern of development over a longer historical period (from Islamic modernism to Islamic fundamentalism)."
— Eric Engel Tuten, H-Net Book Reviews
"Highly recommended for advanced students and those already familiar with the history of the Muslim world."
— David Owusu-Ansah, The Historian