Fadlallah: The Making of a Radical Shi'ite Leader »

Jamal Sankari was born in Melbourne, Australia. He wrote his MA dissertation on the Islamic Liberation Party and its founder Shaykh Taqi al-Din al-Nabahani, and recently completed his PhD in Political Science at the University of Melbourne.

This unique book traces the trajectory of the most prominent figure of modern Islam - from his early intellectual development through his scholastic and political career - against a background of cultural, political and economic upheaval in Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon.

Demonized by the West, and denounced by Muslim conservatives for his 'moderation' and 'innovation' Sayyid Fadlallah was one of the first Islamic figures to condemn the events of 9/11, while at the same time criticising America's role in the Middle East.

Fadlallah is regarded by many as the spiritual leader of the Islamist party Hizbollah, which is still classified as a terrorist organisation by the United States though it has become more mainstream of late, sponsoring social programs for the poor and banning terrorist tactics. It's clear that Fadlallah's emergence as one of the world's pre-eminent Islamists would have taken place despite, rather than because of his affinity with Hizbollah. He remains one of the great advocators of dialogue across the Arab and Muslim world and has many followers and emulators.

Here, for the first time, we are given an insight into the enigmatic, multi-faceted, sometimes contradictory personality of this extraordinary Shi'i leader.