Includes bibliographical references (p. 197-211) and index.

Introduction
I Da'wah in the East: The Expansion of Islam from the First to the Thelfth Century A.D.
2. Da'wah in the West: The Arrival of Muslims in North America
II Toward an Islamic Pietism
3. External-Institutional Versus Internal-Personal: Fundamental Strategies of Religious Proselytization
4. Hasan al-Banna' and Abul A'la Mawdudi: Pioneers of Modern Islamic Pietism
5. Khurram Murad: Contextualisation of the Islamic Movemen for the Western Audience
III The Institutionalization of Da'wah in Western Societies
6. "Paramosque" Structures and Their Development
7. Paramosque Srategies and Methodologies
8. Contemporary Apologetics:
The Literature of Proselytization
IV The Dynamics of Converson to Islam
9. Religious Conversion: The Traditional Western Paradigm
10. Conversion to Islam
Conclusion: The Future of Da'wah in the West
Notes
Bibliography
Index

This book explains the concept of Islamic "da'wah", or missionary activity, as it has developed in contemporary Western contexts. Poston traces the transition from the early "external-institutional" missionary approach impracticable in modern Western society, to an "internal-personal" approach which aims at the conversion of individuals and seeks to influence society from the bottom upwards. Poston also combines the results of a questionnaire-survey with an analysis of published testimonies to identify significant traits that distinguish converts to Islam.