DescriptionIn this dissertation, I will investigate Western and non-Western critiques of modernity as exemplified in the political thought of Leo Strauss and Sayyid Qutb. Many scholars argue that Strauss offered two solutions to the modernity problem: one is purely Philosophical, and the other is a combination of theology and philosophy. However, I argue that Strauss proposed a third and fourth solutions to resolve this problem: reviving the classical political philosophy and reconciliation between religion and philosophy. In addition, in this dissertation I argue that Qutb may be considered a Straussian thinker based on particular similarities between the two philosophers’ political theories on anti-modernity. In this study I aim to answer the following questions: What are the common problems in Strauss and Qutb’s political thought? Does Strauss provide one or multiple answers to the crisis of Western modernity? How can comparative political theory help us explain and understand postmodern alternatives, such as Islamism? Does Qutb fit the criteria for a Straussian thinker? Is Strauss a Qutbian thinker? In this dissertation, I utilize comparative political theory as a methodology that can enable us, as students of politics, to compare the political thought of Strauss and Qutb and to make it possible to establish a dialogue between them. This comparison will be based on how Strauss and Qutb conceptualize Western modernity as a problematic element in contemporary political and philosophical life.