This handbook addresses the historical background of the Islamic world and reviews its basic
past intellectual achievements. It studies social progress of these regions and sub-regions in
comparison with other parts of the world. It uses large data sets and well established
statistically weighted Indexes in order to assess the nature and pace of the multiple facets of
social change in member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The handbook
extensively discusses the main challenges confronting the Islamic nations in the social
economic political and ideological fields. Though it is recognizable that social change in
the Islamic World is generally positive it remains highly variable in pace and there is room
to speed it up to the benefit of millions of deprived Muslim people. Hence the book studies
the different propositions and programs of action such as the United Nations' Millennium
Development Campaign and the OIC's Ten-Year Programme of Action to present an integrated and
comprehensive agenda of action to help improve the situation in the Islamic World.
