“This is an original and distinctive contribution to the fields of history of religions, Central Asian studies, and Islamic studies. There are no comparable studies. It comes at a time when Central Asian studies after years of relative obscurity is now very much in the limelight. The issue of Islam and its relationship to ethnicity and nationalism is of central significance. DeWeese demonstrates a command of the body of relevant sources and in fact adds to it significantly. There is a mine of new information accompanied by a fine summary of the state of the art. The combination of the author's methodology, materials, and quality of analysis has produced a study that is distinctive in extending the frontiers of scholarship.”
—John L. Esposito, Georgetown University