In this book-length essay, Muhammad Saעid al-עAshmawy, the former Egyptian judge turned writer on contemporary Islam, engages with issues that have occupied Muslim communities for much of the 20th century. He addresses Islam's encounter with the “Other” (Jews and Christians), the role of religion in politics, and the application of Islamic law in modern Muslim societies. The author, whose writing was produced in English with the assistance of Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban in the capacity of editor, seeks to combat what he terms the phenomenon of Islamic extremism from which the book derives its title.