Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World

The Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World has excellent, broad coverage of not only Islam as a religion, but as a political, social, and economic construct, across nearly 1,500 years as it has radiated outwards from its origins in the Arabian Peninsula to strongly influence life on all continents. Coverage is focused on the “Muslim world,” where Islam is the majority religion, but articles on how Islam is practiced in North America and Europe demonstrate the breadth and depth of its influence. Entries are both broad and very narrow, as the topics require. Good indexing, cross-references, maps, etc. add to its value, particularly for the non-specialist.