Sami Zubaida is emeritus professor of politics and sociology at Birkbeck College, London. Among his books are Islam, the People and the State: Political Ideas and Movements in the Middle East (IB Tauris, 1993) and Law and Power in the Islamic World (IB Tauris, 2003).

Recent articles

The logic and application of sharia law needs to be understood in its theological and historical context if intense controversy is to be succeeded by calm and constructive debate, says Sami Zubaida.

Tariq Modood's revised multiculturalism acquiesces in rather than critiques the essentialising, religious mythology that surrounds the subject, says Sami Zubaida.

The argument made by Meghnad Desai for the confinement of religion to the private sphere does not take account of the dynamics of modern Islamic belief, says Sami Zubaida.

Iraq had a vibrant civil society and rich layers of secular political argument in the pre-Saddam era. These key ingredients must be reclaimed if democracy is to take root in the middle east, says Sami Zubaida.

Navid Akhtar’s documentary film seeks the roots of alienation of young Muslims in Britain and discovers a complex story that starts long before the July bombs in London. Six viewers – S. Sayyid, Max Farrar, Mohammed Sajid, David T, Abdul-Rehman Malik, and Sami Zubaida – assess the film and the issues it highlights.