Guests of God

Pilgrimage and Politics in the Islamic World

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Middle East Religions, Islam, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, International, International Relations
Cover of the book Guests of God by Robert Bianchi, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Robert Bianchi ISBN: 9780190291075
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: September 9, 2004
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Robert Bianchi
ISBN: 9780190291075
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: September 9, 2004
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Each year, about two million pilgrims from over 100 countries converge on the Islamic holy city of Mecca for the hajj. While the hajj is first and foremost a religious festival, it is also very much a political event. No government can resist the temptation to manipulate the hajj for political and economic gain. Every large Muslim state has developed a comprehensive hajj policy and a powerful bureaucracy to enforce it. The Muslim world's leading multinational organization, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, has established the first international regime explicitly devoted to pilgrimage. Yet, Robert Bianchi argues, no secular or religious authority - national or international - can really control the hajj. State-sponsored pilgrimage management consistently backfires, giving government opponents valuable ammunition and allowing them to manipulate the symbols and controversies of the hajj to their own ends. Bianchi has been researching the hajj for over ten years and draws on interviews with and data from hajj directors in five Muslim countries (Pakistan, Malaysia, Turkey, Indonesia, and Nigeria), statistics from Saudi Arabian hajj authorities, as well as his personal experience as a pilgrim. The result is the most complete picture of the hajj available anywhere, and a wide-ranging work on Islam, politics, and power.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Each year, about two million pilgrims from over 100 countries converge on the Islamic holy city of Mecca for the hajj. While the hajj is first and foremost a religious festival, it is also very much a political event. No government can resist the temptation to manipulate the hajj for political and economic gain. Every large Muslim state has developed a comprehensive hajj policy and a powerful bureaucracy to enforce it. The Muslim world's leading multinational organization, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, has established the first international regime explicitly devoted to pilgrimage. Yet, Robert Bianchi argues, no secular or religious authority - national or international - can really control the hajj. State-sponsored pilgrimage management consistently backfires, giving government opponents valuable ammunition and allowing them to manipulate the symbols and controversies of the hajj to their own ends. Bianchi has been researching the hajj for over ten years and draws on interviews with and data from hajj directors in five Muslim countries (Pakistan, Malaysia, Turkey, Indonesia, and Nigeria), statistics from Saudi Arabian hajj authorities, as well as his personal experience as a pilgrim. The result is the most complete picture of the hajj available anywhere, and a wide-ranging work on Islam, politics, and power.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Magika Hiera by Robert Bianchi
Cover of the book The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Robert Bianchi
Cover of the book Emotion in Memory and Development by Robert Bianchi
Cover of the book Apartheid and Beyond by Robert Bianchi
Cover of the book John Locke: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Robert Bianchi
Cover of the book Tech Generation by Robert Bianchi
Cover of the book Evangelical Christianity and Democracy in Africa by Robert Bianchi
Cover of the book Where the Conflict Really Lies : Science, Religion, and Naturalism by Robert Bianchi
Cover of the book You by Robert Bianchi
Cover of the book Holy War in Judaism by Robert Bianchi
Cover of the book Oxford American Handbook of Hospice and Palliative Medicine by Robert Bianchi
Cover of the book The Mormon Menace by Robert Bianchi
Cover of the book The Political Economy of Progress by Robert Bianchi
Cover of the book In the Beginning Was the Word by Robert Bianchi
Cover of the book San Francisco - With Audio Level 1 Factfiles Oxford Bookworms Library by Robert Bianchi
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy