This ground-breaking and controversial work locates the antecedents of today's Islamic 'fundamentalism' in 16th and 17th century Iran and the forced conversion of the Sunnite population of Iran to the largely alien doctrines of Twelver Shi'ism; the concomitant extirpation of Sufism and philosophy; and the gradual rise of the 'faqih' or jurist.

Colin Turner

Chapter 1 Belief and submission reconsidered; Chapter 2 Religion in medieval Iran and the rise of the Safavids; Chapter 3 The consolidation of Safavid power and the rise of Twelver Shi'ite externalism; Chapter 4 'Allama Majlisi; Chapter 5 Externalism in focus; Chapter 6 Conclusions;