Experts say Islamic law, or sharia, holds wide appeal for Muslim populations in many countries and is beginning to spread via democratic means, but it is also being used as a tool of Islamic militancy and extremism.

Religion's place in the Iranian political system has long been debated among scholars, but a president who blurs the line has refocused attention on the topic

A Malaysian court’s ruling against a Muslim convert to Christianity highlights the difficulties of blending sharia law with modern legal frameworks.

Evangelical Christians have been a force in U.S. society dating back to the nineteenth century. But experts say in recent years their influence on U.S. foreign policy has grown, from humanitarian activity in Africa to human rights in Asia.

Backgrounder: Some experts say a "Shiite crescent" holds the potential to transform Islamic politics in the coming years.

Pope Benedict XVI's first year has been quiet and at times confusing to his critics. But experts caution against reading too much of a theological shift into the pope's tranquil beginnings.

An illuminating account by Walter Russell Mead of the birth and rise of the global political and economic system that, sustained first by Britain and now by America, created the modern world.

The killing of Punjab's governor, Salman Taseer, was symptomatic of widespread religious intolerance and fanaticism in Pakistan, says CFR’s Ed Husain.

The government's expanding investigation into an alleged Turkish military plot to seize power exposes the military's declining influence as democracy gains in the country, writes CFR's Steven Cook.

While U.S. efforts to forge a better relationship with the Muslim world are important, it will also take leadership within that world to challenge the myths that lead to anger and disapproval toward the United States.

The passage of a burqa ban by the French National Assembly is a response to France's "idea of women's dignity," voter support, and a desire to blunt "the rise of fundamentalism," says CFR's Isobel Coleman.

The charging of a Nigerian with trying to blow up a U.S. airliner casts new attention on Nigeria's growing Muslim militancy and social challenges, writes CFR's John Campbell.

Violence against U.S. diplomatic missions in Libya and Egypt highlights the difficult road ahead for U.S. relations with these struggling states, says CFR's Robert Danin.

Arab world pro-democracy movements raise questions about how much Islam will figure into the political calculus in emerging governments in Tunisia and Egypt, as well as new ones that might arise elsewhere, says religion expert Ebrahim Moosa.