Kai Hafez is a Professor (Chair) and currently also the Director of the Department of Media and Communication Studies at the University of Erfurt, Germany. He was a Senior Research Fellow of the German Middle East Institute in Hamburg and a Visiting Fellow to the University of Oxford. Hafez has been a frequent advisor to German governments regarding the Western-Islamic dialogue and is a member of the German Islam Conference. He is the author of The Myth of Media Globalization and the editor of numerous books, including Arab Media: Power and Weakness and The Islamic World and the West: An Introduction to Political Cultures and International Relations.
'This well-thought, well-written, well-argued book is a welcome addition to the debate on Islam, democracy and modernity. It aims at shattering stereotypes and well-ingrained ideas about the alleged militancy of Islamism or 'political Islam' and its anti-democratic character as well as its opposition to modernity. The remarkable ease and clarity with which Hafez writes render this book a joy to read.' Joseph Alagha, International Affairs