mporary scenarios are responsible for the differences that exist among predominantly Islamic countries and regions. For example, the leadership of Ataturk in Turkey brought a greater degree of secularism to the nation, as did the leadership of the Shah of Iran for Persians during the latter half of the twentieth century. This analysis will provide an explanation of the different religio-cultural aspects of Islamic society in all three of these regions.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Islam once again became a powerful global presence. However, in large part the Iranian revolution undermined the secular and modernization movements that had been occurring in those Islamic societies considered to be the most modern: Iran, Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, Turkey, and Algeria. According to Esposito (2000), ôthe resurgence of Islam manifested itself in personal and public life, in piety and politicsö (10). In the Arab world, Muammar Qaddafi employed Islam to legitimize his seizure of power and broaden his base of support. Qaddafi created his Green Book which describes his ôThird Wayö, an alternative to Western capitalism and Soviet Marxism.
Qaddafi expressed disdain for the conservative monarchies of the Arab world. Using LibyaÆs oil income and Islam, Qaddafi was able to strengthen Arab nationalism as he tried to increase his influence and leadership in the Arab world. Islamic ideology was used to support the overthrow of the Shah of Iran as Arab clerics and laymen like Ayatollah Khomeini became the main ideologues of popular revolution. Islamic fundamentalism experienced resurgence in the Arab world at this point. Rising fundamentalist Islamic movements catalyzed increasing criticism of the policies of EgyptÆs Anwar Sadat. Underground groups emerged that were committed to the overthrow of SadatÆs regime in favor of an Islamic government. In large measure due to his negotiated peace with IsraelÆs prime minister Menachem Begin,...