In recent years the Islamic world has emerged from the shadows of historical obscurity to present a major economic, political, religious and cultural challenge to the west. The supposed conflict between the western world and Islam dominates the headlines, and yet 'political Islam' remains an enigma to many people, who prefer the stereotypes of terrorism and fanaticism, to knowledge and understanding. This new module, taught by a leading expert in the area, aims to equip students to re-read the existing scholarship, which on the whole oversimplifies a very complex reality. It introduces the student to a number of tools of analysis and interpretation, obliging them to engage the topic critically. Another aim is to study the phenomenon of 'political Islam' through relevant cases studies. Examples for empirical analysis include the following: the de-territorialised use of violence in the name of 'Jihad' by Al-Qaida; Hizbollah's involvement in both legal and organised political activity as well as the violent engagement of Israel; Hamas's quest for statehood and its brand of political activism, ideology, and violence and the Muslim Brotherhood movement's aspiration to wed Islam to polity, society, economy and modernity.