In Resistance and Control in Pakistan, one of the world's leading authorities on Islam, Akbar S. Ahmed, illuminates what is happening in the Muslim world today and assesses the underlying causes. He does this by telling the dramatic story of the revolt of the Mullah of Waziristan in northwest Pakistan and by placing it within the context of other movements occurring elsewhere in the Islamic world. From this he examines the social structure and operative principles in Muslim society and scrutinizes the influence of religion in a society that is undergoing modernization.

The author has revised Resistance and Control in Pakistan to include a fascinating new preface, in which he reconsiders this topic in the light of recent cultural and political developments.