The Religious Right and the Talibanization of America

This highly original book suggests that the practices of Taliban and the American far right, two very significant and poorly understood groups, share common features. This commonality can be found in the philosophical basis of their ideological beliefs, in their comparative worldviews, and in their political practices.  As Raja argues, the Taliban are much less the product of an irrational fundamentalism, and the radical right in America is much more the result of such a mindset, than Americans recognize.  After providing a detailed explanation of his theoretical concepts and specialized vocabulary, the author develops a discussion of the subject in this brief but penetrating book.  This is a book that should attract a wide readership among both academics and the general public.

Masood Ashraf Raja is Associate Professor of Postcolonial Studies at the University of North Texas, USA and Editor of Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies. Besides his academic writings, Raja also publishes on political Islam and on US relations with the Islamic world.