Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

World of Islam: a brief historical survey / Heribert Busse -- Sunni Islam / Bernd Radtke -- Shi’i Islam / Werner Ende -- Revivalist movements in Islam from the eighteenth to the twentieth century and the role of Islam in modern history: anticolonialism and nationalism / Rudolph Peters -- Distribution of Muslims throughout the world: figures and information on the present situation / Peter Heine and Riem Spielhaus -- Intra-Islamic discussion on a modern economic and social system / Johannes Reissner -- Islamic economics in practice: interest-free financial management / Volker Nienhaus -- Developments in law / Hans-Georg Ebert -- Status of Islam and Islamic law in selected countries -- Islamic Diaspora: Europe and America -- Discussion within Islam on secularism, democracy, and human rights / Alexander Flores -- Situation of women in Islamic countries / Wiebke Walther -- Islamist groups and movements / Guid Steinberg and Jan-Peter Hartung -- Mystical brotherhoods and popular Islam / Frederick De Jong -- Sects and social groups / Werner Schmucker -- Islam and non-Islamic minorities / Johanna Pink -- International Islamic organizations / Johannes Reissner -- "Orientalistics" and Orientalism / Reinhard Schulze -- Islam and cultural self-assertion / Rotraud Wielandt -- Islam and local traditions / Olaf Schumanm and Lode Frank Brakel -- Is there an Islamic linguistic sphere? / Otto Jastrow -- Islam reflected in the contemporary literature of Muslim peoples / Johann Cristoph Bürgell -- Contemporary painting and graphic art in the Islamic world / Peter Heine -- Contemporary "Islamic" architecture and representational art / Mohamed Scharabi