This work provides seeks to foster a better understanding of the multifaceted phenomenon of political Islam, especially in the context of the post-Arab Spring Middle East. The aim of this work is to refute the oft-cited cliché that "Islamists" are hostile to representative and accountable government and seek a return to some distant, barbaric past. To the contrary, many Islamists have made innovative contributions to religiously informed political thought in the Islamic context. In actual fact, no "Islamic state" has ever existed in the history of Islam, and the Islamist conviction that religion and life (state) are inseparable is a highly contested issue. The aim of this work, then, is to illustrate political Islam as an invented tradition. "This study provides both an important and necessary historical contextualization and a clear analysis of the political alternatives in the Middle East and Muslim world in the 21st century. The second decade of the 21st century is emerging as a time of significant change in political and societal institutions in the region. People are speculating about the end of the political order that was created at the end of World War I, and Roberts's analysis provides readers with a good guide to understanding important dimensions of these transformations."-John O. Voll, Professor Emeritus of Islamic History, Georgetown University"Roberts's work is a refreshing contribution to the discourse on Islam and politics. ...