"This volume focuses on the reaction of the Afghan Muslim clergy to the modernizing policies of King Aman-Allah during the 1920s. It is a case study of conflict between Islam and modernization in the early twentieth century.".

"The bulk of the study in this volume is based on indigenous sources. In addition to the legal codes, it draws on official publications of the Afghan government, reports of parliamentary debates, periodicals, newspapers, and Afghan and British archival materials. It also draws on information provided by Afghan and Western historians and on personal interviews. British-Soviet rivalry and the extended Anglo-Afghan conflict are sub-themes of the book.

Both provide useful background information to recent political developments in Afghanistan."--BOOK JACKET.