What are Islamists? Bush's new "preemptive" wars, the massacre of the Iraqi people and the occupation, the brutal suppression of the Palestinian Intifada by Sharon, are accompanied by a dirty and racist campaign “against the fanatical and deranged Islamists who threaten us all.” Even sections of the Left often end up adopting a similar “both sides” logic between the imperialists and “Islamic fundamentalism.” For the anti-war movement unfolding around the world and for the Left, it is vital to answer the question “what are Islamists really.”

Chris Harman examines the historical course of Islamism through its contradictions, exposes its class roots, and shows under what conditions the role of Islamist movements can be reactionary or they can become bearers of a radical challenge to imperialism and local oppressive regimes.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]