<p>The events of the Arab Spring saw renewed hope for Arab Civil Society. However, the fall of authoritarian regimes did not always seem to benefit Civil Society &ndash; whilst Political Islamic movements often took advantage.</p>

<p>In Syria, Iraq, and beyond, groups like the Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL) are declaring Caliphates in the territories they seize in an attempt to fulfil the Political Islam ideal of a &lsquo;global Islamic Caliphate&rsquo; encompassing the Muslim world.</p>

<p>This collection of articles aims to address common questions about Political Islam, as well as to provide an assessment of the Islamic State and challenge common understandings on the issue of Islam and democracy.</p>

<p><strong>Contributors</strong><br />
Maximilian Lakitsch, Juan A. Mac&iacute;as-Amoretti, Adel Elsayed Sparr, Joseph Kaminski, Haian Dukhan, Sinan Hawat, Rana Khalaf, Mohammed Nuruzzaman, and M. A. Muqtedar Khan.</p>