MER Article Zubaida, Islam, the People and the State Sami Zubaida, Islam, the People and the State: Essays on Political Ideas and Movements in the Middle East (Routledge, 1989). Modem Western literature on political Islam in the Middle East today generally falls into two categories: US-style think tank writing and intellectual proselytism. Think tan Chibli Mallat • 2 min read