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.

Scott M. Thomas discusses his November/ December 2010 Foreign Affairs article, "A Globalized God: Religion's Growing Influence in International Politics."

Mohamad Bazzi argues that war has rendered Iraq a pawn in regional battles, and placed the entire Middle East at risk for sectarian conflict.

Mohamad Bazzi discusses Muqtada al-Sadr's involvement in the formation of Iraq's government and the selection of its new prime minister.

Religion is on the rise around the world, from the southern United States to the Middle East.

Religious leaders from Sudan discuss the upcoming referendum, as well as ways that the international community can strengthen human rights in Southern Sudan.

Award-winning investigative journalist and poet Eliza Griswold discusses her book, The Tenth Parallel: Dispatches from the Fault Line Between Christianity and Islam, as part of CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Conference Call series.

Learn more about CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Initiative.

Asch Harwood and John Campbell write that in Nigeria, cell phones can both be used to instigate--and anticipate--violence.

Mohamad Bazzi says, "Mr Ahmadinejad's struggle to burnish his credibility mirrors the entire Iranian regime's quest for renewed legitimacy."

Ray Takeyh argues that Washington's attempts to have Iran rejoin the international community will be unsuccessful, since the Islamic Republic is too mired in ideological and domestic disagreements to act in the nation's interest.

Imam Feisal speaks about the need for interreligious dialogue and cooperation while addressing the debate surrounding the community center near the World Trade Center.

Imam Feisal speaks about the need for interreligious dialogue and cooperation while addressing the debate surrounding the community center near the World Trade Center.

Linda Robinson reviews The Tenth Parallel, by Eliza Griswold.

Ray Takeyh clarifies the extent of the CIA's involvement in the 1953 coup in Iran.

Mohamad Bazzi says Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's rise could stoke sectarian tensions in Iraq--and help Iran.

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.

Mohamad Bazzi argues that Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is positioning himself as "kingmaker" in Iraq.

Mohamad Bazzi comments on the death of Shiite cleric Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah.

In The Flight of the Intellectuals, Paul Berman argues that it is not violent Islamists who pose the greatest danger to liberal societies in the West but rather their so-called moderate cousins, such as Tariq Ramadan.

Mohamad Bazzi explains how Muqtada al-Sadr reshapes Iraqi politics.