In whose name

"On 11 September 2001, the photographer Abbas watched the Twin Towers fall in New York - live on Siberian TV, thirteen time zones away. It spurred him to begin a journey through the Islamic world that would last seven years. The photographs published here are the final result of that project. Born in Iran, Abbas casts a sharp eye over a world seen by very few from the West until now. Seeking out people and places that have been overlooked by others, he reveals far more - and in greater depth - than photojournalists who focus on flashpoints or who race to break the latest news. Abbas is acclaimed for his special ability to freeze a moment in a particular social or political conflict, to frame actions or gestures that instantly become emblematic: what he calls 'the suspended moment'. Accompanied by Abbas's own candid personal travel diary, these photographs convey his robust enquiring spirit. 'I wanted to see how the umma [world community of Muslims] reacted to the jihadists in their midst,' Abbas says. 'How does Islam, a religion, sustain a political ideology - Islamism?' Recording a route through sixteen countries - including Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Israel a