Moscow: Publishing house "Gorodets", 2006. 288 p.

The" revival " of Islam, which began in the last third of the 19th century, did not lose its potential by the beginning of the 21st century. Having barely begun, the twenty-first century has left little doubt that one of its main features will be the extremely increased role of Islam as a factor influencing various aspects of world development. The rapid penetration of Islam into the West through expanding ties with Muslim countries, and the aggressive energy with which it is trying to take its place in the modern world, which is taking place within the framework of the globalization process, make it extremely relevant to study and understand Islam and the way of social life it defines. At the same time, it is obvious that there are two main scientific approaches, the use of which seems to be the most effective. On the one hand, it is possible and necessary to objectively assess the impact of Islam on the peculiarities of development on the basis of studying the specific national experience of various Muslim states. It is in this way that the whole set of possible options and nuances in the process of interaction between Islam and society can be identified. On the other hand, based on the oft-repeated statement that Islam is a religion of all people.

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not only religion, but also a way of life, the analysis of the problem requires a separate study of the influence of Muslim canons on various aspects of social development - politics, social aspects, and the economy.

The peer-reviewed book by two Russian economists-orientalists, specialists in the Middle East region N. Y. Ulchenko and N. M. Mammadova is an original and interesting study that resulted from the cross-use of both of these approaches. As the authors note, the desire of Islam to extend its influence on the sphere of economy led to the emergence of the concept of "Islamic economy". At the same time, attempts to apply it are evaluated on the basis of the experience of the economic development of modern Turkey and Iran, which, taking into account the completely different measure of the influence of Islam on the national development of the two countries, creates a very interesting situation for comparative analysis.

The methodological approach chosen by the authors gives the study structural clarity, allowing the reader to follow the logic of the presentation: if possible, presenting the very concept of "Islamic economy" in the form of a few briefly formulated fundamental principles, the authors analyze the experience of their use in Turkey during the periods of governments with the participation of pro-Islamic parties or one-party governments formed by them (the middle from 2002 to the present) and in Iran (from the 70s of the XX century to the beginning of the XXI century), due to the strengthening of radical Islamic tendencies in the power of Iran.

The results of the study conducted by the authors, first of all, cannot but surprise. The intensity of the use of Islamic rhetoric in formulating the principles of economic policy in the two countries, of course, is very different.

In Turkey, the prevailing tone was restrained moderation and caution, which is required both by the army's still-existing control over the observance by the ruling elites of the principle of secularism proclaimed by the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and by the civil part of society that was really secular in its beliefs, formed during the years of laicism's establishment from above, a significant part of which is also represented by an influential bureaucracy. and middle management. Nevertheless, the latter circumstance did not prevent the pro - Islamic elites from formulating their own special economic platform-both more socially oriented and aimed at reducing the use of Western financial assistance.

Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran's leaders have consistently tried to be tough on those economic mechanisms and institutions that they believe are alien to Islamic norms - whether it is foreign capital, private property, or market pricing of essential goods.

However, the "elasticity" of the pro-Islamic or Islamic elites of the two countries, understood as the ability to deviate from their own declarations under the pressure of economic reality and pursue a real economic policy in spite of them, turned out to be quite high in both countries, despite all the differences in the "starting" conditions of their activities. Analyzing the reasons for the ability of representatives of political Islam in Turkey and Iran to ultimately adapt economic policy not to ideological dogmas formulated under the influence of Islam, but to the requirements of the objective economic situation, it is necessary first of all to note the tendency recognized by political scientists to soften the radicalism of election slogans in a situation where they become a guide to extreme forces. This feature seems to be a characteristic feature of Islam, which, precisely because of its ability to change over time, remains relevant both in the public life of Muslim states and in the private life of their citizens.

So, the final conclusion of the authors about the illusory or "utopian" model of the "Islamic economy":" ...we have to doubt the possibility of the existence of an Islamic economic model in economic reality as a kind of independent, alternative to the Western ones " (p.267). They are echoed by a number of Muslim economists and financiers who have come

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to the conclusion that "the Islamic economy in its pure form is acceptable only within the framework of the Ummah (and then with great reservations), but not on the scale of world economic relations" (p. 268).

What comments arise in connection with the conclusion of the authors of the monograph? Rather optimistic. The willingness of relatively open or relatively closed economic systems of Muslim states to accept and use the economic models created and tested by the West, whether it is the general principles of a market economy or the main approaches to liberalization as opportunities for achieving sustainable development, convinces us that there is no insurmountable distance between the West and the East. The recognition of certain universal approaches to solving economic development issues, which is forced by the very experience of developing Muslim countries, is a solid basis for mutual understanding and cooperation. In turn, the attempt of Muslim countries to ensure close interaction between economic and social policies in the context of even a relatively low overall level of development of their economies may be of interest to a number of European states that are in a state of search for a balance between the market and social functions of the state.

I would like to believe that mutual constructive perception of each other's experience by East and West will contribute to more effective identification of the positive potential of the globalization process.

Evaluating the book by N. Y. Ulchenko and N. M. Mammadova in general very positively, we will also pay attention to some of its shortcomings, which, however, as often happens, are a continuation or reverse side of its advantages. Above, we noted a clear structure of the work, which is achieved by analyzing the most general provisions of the theory of "Islamic economy" in relation to the economic practice of Turkey and Iran. Although the authors did manage to achieve clarity of concept, the very presentation of the principles of the "Islamic economy" turned out to be excessively schematic, many nuances and features were overlooked. Then, in an effort to identify common patterns in the economic policies of the Islamic (pro-Islamic) elites of Turkey and Iran, the authors paid insufficient attention to the analysis of significant differences related to the degree of both deregulation of the two economies and the intensity of their relationship with the world economy. However, this aspect is also very important in the comparative context of the study.

This does not diminish the scientific and innovative significance of the work, which is a good example of a comparative study of the phenomenon of "Islamic economy", which is still poorly studied in the Russian literature.

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