Donate NowOver the previous few decades, Islam has emerged as one of the principal social and political influences in the Islamic world, shaping the positions and objectives of a variety of social movements, political parties, and militant groups. It also forms the core of several governments’ foreign policies—particularly in the Middle East—though how governments incorporate religion into their policy agendas generally receives less public attention.
Pulitzer Center Executive Editor Indira Lakshmanan moderated a panel at the Brookings Institution covering these issues which included discussions with Geneive Abdo, former Brookings fellow, Middle East and Southwest Asia; Shadi Hamid, senior fellow, Center for Middle East Policy; and Peter Mandaville, nonresident senior fellow, Center for Middle East Policy.