Scholars of contemporary Islam in thrall to ideas of globalization are constantly surprised at what Peter Mandaville calls “transnational Muslim politics” and others call “diasporic Islam”: the assumption that a village or tribal society is now truly international. They point to the transformations taking place in society and the consequences therein. Some of the political turbulence is attributed to the rapid changes taking place in these societies. Like Mandaville, they are inclined to cite examples of individuals (like the scholar Mohammed Arkoun) who are born in one part of the traditional Muslim world (North Africa) and live and work in Europe (France, in the case of Arkoun) to show the impact of ideas across borders.