Book Description

The spread of Islam around the globe has blurred the connection between a religion, a specific society, and a territory. One-third of the world's Muslims now live as members of a minority. At the heart of this development is, on the one hand, the voluntary settlement of Muslims in Western societies and, on the other, the pervasiveness and influence of Western cultural models and social norms. The revival of Islam among Muslim populations in the last twenty years is often wrongly perceived as a backlash against westernization rather than as one of its consequences. Neofundamentalism has been gaining ground among a rootless Muslim youth -- particularly among the second- and third-generation migrants in the West -- and this phenomenon is feeding new forms of radicalism, ranging from support for Al Qaeda to the outright rejection of integration into Western society.

In this brilliant exegesis of the movement of Islam beyond traditional borders and its unwitting westernization, Olivier Roy argues that Islamic revival, or "re-Islamization," results from the efforts of westernized Muslims to assert their identity in a non-Muslim context. A schism has emerged between mainstream Islamist movements in the Muslim world -- including Hamas of Palestine and Hezbollah of Lebanon -- and the uprooted militants who strive to establish an imaginary ummah, or Muslim community, not embedded in any particular society or territory. Roy provides a detailed comparison of these transnational movements, whether peaceful, like Tablighi Jama'at and the Islamic brotherhoods, or violent, like Al Qaeda. He shows how neofundamentalism acknowledges without nostalgia the loss of pristine cultures, constructing instead a universal religious identity that transcends the very notion of culture. Thus contemporary Islamic fundamentalism is not a single-note reaction against westernization but a product and an agent of the complex forces of globalization.

Customer Reviews (6)

A new foundation for understanding modern Islam's sentiments and radicalism
Globalized Islam: The Search for a new Ummah pinpoints growing Islam militancy not abroad but in the West, arguing that the revival of Islam among Muslims over the last few decades is more a force of the pressures of globalization than a reaction to the West. In moving beyond the traditional, more common ' East versus West' argument, GLOBALIZED ISLAM provides a new foundation for understanding modern Islam's sentiments and radicalism, offering an essential key to understanding not evident in similar-sounding discussions.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Excellent analysis, although slightly verbose, but very insightful
This book picks aparts the predjudices and simplifications used in popular culture, media, etc. and gets to the heart of how individual Muslims are reacting to (not necessarily against) globalization and westernization. I can't put it down, and it is an extremely helpful introduction to the politics of Islam in the Middle East, Western Europe, and the United States (and even a bit of East and South Asia).

Interesting Points, Difficult Reading
This is a quite interesting, but somewhat difficult to read, book on the movement of Islamic people away from the traditional countries to live in the West. Obviously they bring their religion with them, yet at the same time they live in the west and generally have adopted Western ways.

Intermixed with this is discussion on the more radical elements of Muslim people. He especially talks a lot about Ben Ladin and other armed groups such as Palestinians, Chechens, the Balkans and others. He appears to view them as only the radical fringe.

When he talks about Christians, he generalizes, ignoring the radical fundamental fringe in the United States that blows up abortion clinics; and the conflict in Northern Ireland. This may well be due to his being French and living in Europe.

The points he makes are sometimes difficult to understand, but that may well be because of the language. I'd hate to have someone review a book I'd written in French.

Where is Islam headed?
There are plenty of ideas in this book.And I think it is worth reading, even though I rarely agreed with Roy's arguments or his conclusions.

The author begins by saying that "culturalists" say that "Islam is the issue."And he disagrees with them.Yes, the culturalists include just about everyone: Islamists, moderate Muslims, Islamophobes, anti-Islamophobes, and orientalists.But not him.He's not so sure it even makes sense to discuss a Muslim culture.And he sees what most of us think of as Islamic struggles actually being examples of nationalism and ethnicity.While Islam may provide some people with a sense of identity, he points out that in the war against Israel, there's no real difference politically between the seculars and the Islamists.And he asks if jihad is really closer to Marx (Karl, not Harpo or Groucho) than it is to the Koran.

I sort of blinked when I read that.While it might be true, I didn't quite agree with Roy's logic.He continued by explaining that the Chechens and the Levantine Arabs are engaged in liberation struggles.I think he's wrong about the Levantine Arabs.I see their struggle as being neither pro-religious, nor pro-nationalistic, nor even pro-ethnic, but very specifically anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-ethnic, and against human rights.Roy calls the Levantine Arabs a people, but I see them as an antipeople who have no positive goals for themselves that need to be satisfied but only goals of hurting a people they have banded together to fight.All this is quite the opposite of a liberation struggle.And using Islam as a means to get people to identify with one side in this fight does indeed make Islam at least part of the issue.

Roy continues by discussing the fact that Muslims still come up with polemics against competing religions.According to the author, Christians, for the most part, do not.Well, the Catholics do not.The Evangelicals and the Christian Right Wing do.And Roy concludes that the Christians aren't really competing against Islam.But once again, I think he's overlooking the possibility that some people might consider polemics to be poor form.I'm as willing as anyone to discuss the advantages of polytheism over monotheism.But I do not want to appear as though I am trying to impose religious practices on others.

Next, the author discusses the Westernization of Islam.Some of this section was quite interesting, especially the age-old differences between Sufis and Salafis.And later, there is a section on the future of Muslim terrorism and questions of deterritorialization.Once again, I had to ask what he really meant by that.Muslim terrorists exist in time and space just like the rest of us.At best, he meant to differentiate between explicit state support and implicit support from many of the people in a state.

Near the end of the book, Roy says that this is a time of great intellectual confusion.As an example, anti-imperialist "supporters" of Women's Rights support the Taliban!Well, if he thinks he is confused, that is fine.I'm not.If you support the Taliban, you do not support Women's Rights.

Yes, it is true that some Christian moderates are in an alliance with some Muslim fundamentalists.Some of them appear to be in this alliance to fight against Christian fundamentalists and Jews.And it may be interesting to see why. And yes, some Jewish moderates and Christian fundamentalists are allied as well, just to defend themselves.Once again, it may be interesting to see if these alliances extend to anything more than that.And I think it could be a good idea to investigate the very rare alliances of Muslim moderates and Jewish fundamentalists.But I think Roy has not offered us much merely by saying that there are alliances which cut across religious and political boundaries.

I found the book interesting, and I think it contains some intriguing facts.

One thing right
One thing is 100% correct here.Islamism is a direct reaction tot he west, employing western concepts like 'human rights' and such other odd ideas to then attack the west.THe Islamic world was much more liberal and moderate before it came into contact with the west.The current wave of terrorism and hatred is based much more on islamic reading and studying in the west then actually the original 'Islamic civilization' before contact with the west.for instance the hatredof 'womens rights' is more based on a hatred of the western woman, then it is the way Islamic women actually used to act.The anti-semitism of modern islam is anothee aspect that was wholly stolen from the West.The search for the 'real' islam is a waste and this book is correct in understanding the Islamism is merely a search, like communism, for a third way.It is the wests coddling of Islam that has emboldened its most fanatic members, it is the lefts support of terrorism that created the 'left wing' terrorism that then transformed into militant Islamic terrorism, it is the wests self hatred that has made Islam hate the west. ... Read more

Book Description
In two previous books, Osama's Revenge and The Al QaedaConnection, seasoned investigative reporter Paul Williams revealed thealarming potential for nuclear terrorism on U.S. soil and the sinisterconnections among organized crime, illegal immigrants, and al Qaeda. Now,Williams broadens his focus beyond al Qaeda to provide readers with newlyuncovered information on terrorist activities in Pakistan, Iran, Iraq,other Muslim countries--and our neighbor Canada! What emerges is aharrowing picture of international terrorist activities, all aimed at thedestruction of the United States and the collapse of the Western world.This cataclysm will usher in "the Day of Islam," the dream of radicalMuslims to see all of humankind fall in submission before the throne ofAllah.Based on the "forgotten testimony" of the FBI's "Confidential Source One,"as well as other sources, Williams first presents evidence of Osama BinLaden's purchase of highly enriched uranium in Sudan and nuclear devicesfrom the Chechens and the Russian Mafia. He then offers further informationon the workings of Pakistani scientists and technicians from the A. Q. KhanResearch Facility to maintain and upgrade al Qaeda's "bespoke nukes" (withexplosive yields in excess of ten kilotons) for the"American Hiroshima."This information comes with empirical proof that should dispel any doubtsthat these weapons not only have been developed but have also beenforward-deployed from the seaport at Karachi to strategic locations withinthe Western world.Keeping the focus on Pakistan, he predicts a nightmarish scenario ifPresident Pervez Musharref should be overthrown and his arsenal ofsixty-eight nuclear weapons falls into the hands of radical mullahs.Williams also examines the role of the Iranians both in sponsoringterrorism and in planning the American Hiroshima. In addition, he uncoversmany unreported and startling accounts of the terrorist activities ofHezbollah in America and presents evidence that the marriage betweenHezbollah and al Qaeda has been consummated.Finally, he presents intelligence showing that grave threats to Americacome, not from just our southern border, but from Canada and its amazinglyopen policies regarding radical Islam. The greatest threat of all, heconcludes, comes from within --not only from the radical mosques withinevery major American city but also the Islamic paramilitary compounds inrural areas throughout the country, including Islamberg in New York State,where new recruits are trained for the great jihad against the UnitedStates under the very nose of FBI and Homeland Security officials.

Sure to be controversial, this shocking exposé sends a wake-up toAmericans lulled into a false sense of security in the post-9/11 era. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

"I will be patient until I outpatient Patience."--bin Laden's favorite Islamic verse.

This excellent book summarizes Islamic terrorism from the early 90's to 2007. It shows the often stated aim of destroying Western Civilization and replacing it with Islamic rule of the most fundamental nature.
It goes into great deal covering the leaders and the actions they have taken so far.It covers the training of terrorists in many countries and how these terrorists have spread to all the countries in the western hemisplere. It gives extensive details on how nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction have been obtained,the number involved and who the individuals were who aided in their spread. The book explains how this terrorism is funded.
It goes into great detail on the manufacture of small,suitcase sized,nuclear devices,the number that have been manufactured,how they have been stolen or purchased ,and how they are now distributed in several countries;and readily available by terrorist cells ,to be used whenever they feel the time is right.
There have been many terrorist attacks already,and if 9/11 hadn't taken place,many believe it would not have been possible.This book will show you that ,what we have been subjected to,is but the tip of the iceberg;and far greater attacks are planned,the weapons and operatives are already in place;just waiting for the orders to unlease the an unimaginable series of attacks.
The author does not just outline a series of speculations. He reviews ,with names,locations and dates what has already taken place aad what is already planned for the future.Every item discussed is backed up with references that are there to confirm his statements.
If you have any knowledge of the events that took place in the 1920's and 1930's that led up to WWII,this book should convince you,that WWII was a cakewalk compared to what is being put into place by Islam today. Tanks and fighter bombers of WWII vintage were toys compared to WMD's and suitcase size,nuclear weapons that can be transported ,and operated by one terrorist ;and on top of that are most likely already widely distributed.
It is no longer a matter of if,now,but when.

Speculation presented as certainity
This book like the ones before on this subject by Paul Williams are quite disturbing to say the least.While his explanation of what a thermo nuclear bomb would do is horrifiying.The reader must realize that this is not what AlQueda wishes to inflict on the western world, it is mearly a factual description of the destructive power of a nuclear bomb.But he is crafty in making the description of the bombs capabilitys with the supposed wish of Alqueda be one and the same.Like saying a gun can tear your internal organs to pieces and describing all the scientific ways that your body would be destroyed by such a bullet entering your body, then telling you the wierdo next door was reading a gun magazine at the lcoal book store, so by Mr. Williams logic the wierdo next door is plotting to kill you with a gun and there is nothing you can do about it because your dumb and the police are dumb, but he is the smartest most evil weirdo in the world.And of course he is playing on the events of 911 to tell you that even though this event is ridulous to consider, 911 happened so of course this nuclear attack is also inevitable, like a weatherman predicting rain everyday for a month until it finally rains.See he was right, even if it takes 10 years or 100 years, what an insightful investigator he is!!

Valid theme obscured by hyperbole and poor fact checking
If Paul Williams had a very good editor and a competent fact-checker, this could have been a great and much-needed book.

Williams' theme is the intent of certain Islamic groups to wreak havoc on Western nations, particularly the United States. He claims that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda has already amassed and continues to acquire nuclear devices ofvarious kinds to accomplish this nefarious purpose.

The problem I have with Williams is his hyperbolic style and inattention to fact-checking. For example, in one chapter, he refers to the C-130 as a "giant" cargo plane. While it is the workhorse of the U.S. and other airforces around the world, it cannot be fairly considered a "giant" freight hauler. Williams also refers to "Reuter" as an American news agency. Reuters is British. Small things, but if an author is wrong in small things, why should he be taken unquestioningly in larger matters?

Rational people know that Williams is right on several counts. There is no question that certain Islamic movements consider mass murder to be a legitimate means to advance their cause and Williams reprints the chilling fatwa of Nasir bin Hamd al-Fahd to support his argument. Not only have the popular media carried many stories of attempts by al Qaeda and others to acquire nuclear materials, but there has been much testimony before the U.S. Congress as well on the issue. There is, unfortunately, the very real possibility that the U.S. or some other nation will be attacked at some time with a nuclear weapon.

Unfortunately Williams does not stick to this point. He instead casts too broadly to support his case and brings in much superfluous material on the terrorist network. After a while, his points become diffuse and even confusing.

One chapter in particular though is striking and that is about how Canada has become a sanctuary for alleged Islamic terrorists and how frighteningly easy it is for them to enter the US from Canada. To me that was probably the scariest chapter in the book.

Overall, it is regrettable that Williams did not have a better editor and more stringent fact checking. I think he was a story to tell and a frightening one at that. But in its present state, I don't think many will find "The Day Of Islam" to be convincing and that is unfortunate.

Jerry

Is this real or a paranoid fantasy?I cannot tell from the book itself.
I admit that I am betwixt and between on this book.On the one hand, I agree that the Jihadists represent a serious threat to the West and especially to the security of the United States and I think we would be worse than foolish to not suspect they have nuclear ambitions.On the other hand I am also am aware that anyone can write a book making all kinds of extravagant claims.The entire industry based on paranoid conspiracies is proof of that.So, is this really a book offering keen insights into true and dangerous events or is it a book drumming up fear and paranoia without real evidence?Frankly, I cannot tell.There are photographs of containers that claim to be nuclear material purchased by Al Qaeda in the Sudan and another of a portable nuclear device.Are these photos legit?Again, how could you tell?The portable nuclear device credits the photo to the FBI, but does NOT claim that it is in the hands of Al Qaeda, although its context would invite you to believe such devices are in their hands.

The fourteen chapters take us through the testimony of informants ignored by the establishment, of the truth behind AQ Kahn, of Osama's nuclear team, of the Jihadist efforts to attack the US through Mexico and Canada.There is a disturbing chapter of a camp being used for training Islamic Terrorists in the New York called Islamberg.Of course, the people who run the place deny everything said in this book and others.You can find their site easily through any search engine.However, their denials are always couched in the non-denial denials the Jihadists always use.

So, if the book is true it deserves four or five stars.If it is just a paranoid fantasy, it deserves less than one star.Since I cannot tell which it is I give it three stars as a compromise and encourage you, if interested, to take a look and decide for yourself.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

Must read for all Americans
This book is a must read for westerners in order to understand what radical Islam is all about. ... Read more

Book Description

The world's leading Islamicist offers a concise introduction to this rich and diverse tradition of 1.2 billion adherents.

In this informative and clear introduction to the world of Islam, Seyyed Hossein Nasr explores the following topics in depth:

•What Is Islam?

•The Doctrines and Beliefs of Islam

•Islamic Practices and Institutions

•The History of Islam

•Schools of Islamic Thought

•Islam in the Contemporary World

•Islam and Other Religions

•The Spiritual and Religious Significance of Islam

Customer Reviews (5)

slanted towards the Muslim view.
The book was helpful for me to gain an understanding of the Muslim point of view. However it definetly was biased in its view without any recognition of the wrongs that Islam has inflicted on society for the last 1400 years.

Islam and its Contrasting Contribution to Humanity
Seyyed Hossein Nasr concisely describes the rich diversity of the Islamic faith in the world.Nasr explains in plain English how the different Islamic communities came to life, spread and evolved over time (pg. 18 - 24).Nasr's journey through Islamic history usually shines through both its brevity and clarity (pg. 115-152).

Unlike Bernard Lewis in his superb book "What Went Wrong? The Clash between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East (pg. 96-116)," Nasr does not always explain clearly to his (non-Islamic) readers why Islam, unlike Christianity, has not experienced the need to separate the spiritual from the temporal (pg. 26-28, 110-113, 173-177).Nasr rightly reminds his readers of the unique contribution that Islamic science made to the development of Western science (pg. XXI - XXII, 121, 126).Regularly, this immensely important contribution of Islamic scientists through their own observations, experiments and ideas, is ignored.For example, in his otherwise excellent book, "The Essential Drucker," Peter F. Drucker mentions the contribution of China, but not that of Islam, to the development of the West's technological lead by the end of the Middle Age (pg. 338).Unlike China, Islam at its apex created a world civilization: poly-ethnic, multiracial and intercontinental as Lewis states (pg. 6).

Nasr does a good job at illustrating the rich interdependence that exists among the Qur'an, the art of calligraphy and architecture (pg. XIX, 40, 121 and 126).Nasr clearly explains which relationship the Prophet had with Allah and his human nature and how the Qur'an came to life through Divine guidance given to its Messenger (pg. 37-43, 62-64).Nasr goes on in showing how the Hadiths and their codification happened over time and which role the Shariah fulfills in an Islamic society (pg. 54-58, 75-80).Nasr also expands on the Schools of Islamic Thought and their history (pg. pg. 153-172).

Nasr rightly reminds his audience that the Qur'an has codified from the beginning a number of women's rights that were unheard of for a long time in the West, a point that is often conveniently forgotten (pg. 67-70).The further emancipation of women in the Islamic world, unfortunately, is not perceived as modernization but as westernization that amounts to a betrayal of true Islamic values in some Islamic quarters.Unlike Lewis in his book mentioned above (pg. 101-102), Nasr apparently does want to acknowledge that the Holy Law of God, promulgated by revelation, has evolved in practice under the guise of tradition and reasoning (pg. 80).Muslim rulers have added or subtracted rules over time.

Nasr also illustrates the six pillars of the Islamic faith: Declaration of faith and acknowledgement of Muhammed, the Messenger of God, praying, fasting, pilgrimage, almsgiving as well as the widely misunderstood and abused jihad in the Islamic societies (pg. 3, 91-110).Nasr's overview of Islam is ultimately an invitation to better know one of the major faiths whose influence is still far-reaching.

An Excellent Historical Perspective of Islam
This book turned out to be exactly what I was looking for, a historical book on Islam.The author is an Islamic scholar, and his credentials impress me a little more than Karen Armstrong, though I hold no grudge against her.I wanted to get an inside, learned perspective on the religion itself, without the preaching, and that's exactly what this book offers.I highly recommend it.

The negative review from "AtheistWorld.Com Book Review" is actually posted by Solomon Tulbure, as you will find by doing a simple Yahoo! search.That is truly sad.

Just a taste of Nasr's insight....
Seyyed Hosseein Nasr is the most profound and eloquent spokesman of Islamic thought in the United States today. This book is a mere introduction into the ocean of his thought. The other reviewer is simply trying to peddle his own book.The George Washington University, where Dr. Nasr is a professor, organized a conference in 2001 honoring his unparalled contributions to Islamic studies.Check out the site, ....., if you would like to have a sense of the depth and breadth of Nasr's thought.

AtheistWorld.Com Book Review
Very good book but NOT as good as "Islam Exposed" by Solomon Tulbure

The author is trying very hard not to step on toes and as a result leaves many important details out. ... Read more

Book Description
This updated version of Islam: The Straight Path includes a new Epilogue by John Esposito in which he addresses the impact 9/11 and its aftermath have had on both the Muslim and non-Muslim world, discussing Islam's relationship to democracy and modernity and focusing more sharply on the origins and growth of extremism and terrorism in the name of Islam.This exceptionally successful survey text introduces the faith, belief, and practice of Islam from its earliest origins up to its contemporary resurgence. Esposito, an internationally renowned expert on Islam, traces the development of this dynamic faith and its impact on world history and politics, discussing the formation of Islamic belief and practice and chronicling the struggle of Muslims to define and adhere to their Islamic way of life. Lucidly written and expansive in scope, Islam: The Straight Path provides keen insight into one of the world's least understood religions and is ideally suited for use in courses on Islam, comparative religions, and Middle Eastern history and culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A Historical, Unbiased Overview
A good introduction to Islam and it's history. The author explains the orgins and core beliefs of the relgion. The development of Islam is presented within its social and cultural context (which is how I think most religions should be studied but is especially important in Islam since it is incoporated into every aspect of a Muslim's life), and shows how itboth influened the cultures it appeared it and was influenced by them. I didn't notice any bias one way or the other.
The names of significant figures, leaders and groups are listed and its a little hard to keep straight. The author had a tendancy to repeat certain phrases and sentences from earlier sections almost word for word, which I found annoying but probably wouldn't bother most readers :)

A Very Good Intro to Islam
Esposito does a good job writting an introduction to Islam. This is a worthwhile educational piece for non-Muslims and Muslims alike.

Required reading
This book is for everyone that wants to learn about Islam and its diversity.There is no bias tainting this work, just sound scholalry research.

Islam:Fact or Fiction
Esposito does a fine job of relating Islam to the lay person.His text is easy to read, the definitions are solid and he dispells much of the myth surrounding Islam.The newest text references 9/11 and the radical sects which have surfaced since then.

I would highly recommend this text to teachers and students alike; as well as those who are simply looking for a way to properly understand the history, beliefs and laws of Islam.

Saudi Arabia's puppet...
This man is on the payroll of Saudi Arabia and by Palestinian Business men who hate Jews and the West. He is the Middle East's puppet. Beware of this mans writing. He is nothing but a shill for the Jihadis. You will find no truth here, only the fifth column. Georgetown University should be ashamed to have this man on staff.
... Read more

Book Description
Hailed in The New York Times Book Review as "the doyen of Middle Eastern studies," Bernard Lewis has been for half a century one of the West's foremost scholars of Islamic history and culture, the author of over two dozen books, most notably The Arabs in History, The Emergence of Modern Turkey, The Political Language of Islam, and The Muslim Discovery of Europe. Eminent French historian Robert Mantran has written of Lewis's work: "How could one resist being attracted to the books of an author who opens for you the doors of an unknown or misunderstood universe, who leads you within to its innermost domains: religion, ways of thinking, conceptions of power, culture--an author who upsets notions too often fixed, fallacious, or partisan." In Islam and the West, Bernard Lewis brings together in one volume eleven essays that indeed open doors to the innermost domains of Islam. Lewis ranges far and wide in these essays. He includes long pieces, such as his capsule history of the interaction--in war and peace, in commerce and culture--between Europe and its Islamic neighbors, and shorter ones, such as his deft study of the Arabic word watan and what its linguistic history reveals about the introduction of the idea of patriotism from the West. Lewis offers a revealing look at Edward Gibbon's portrait of Muhammad in Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (unlike previous writers, Gibbon saw the rise of Islam not as something separate and isolated, nor as a regrettable aberration from the onward march of the church, but simply as a part of human history); he offers a devastating critique of Edward Said's controversial book, Orientalism; and he gives an account of the impediments to translating from classic Arabic to other languages (the old dictionaries, for one, are packed with scribal errors, misreadings, false analogies, and etymological deductions that pay little attention to the evolution of the language). And he concludes with an astute commentary on the Islamic world today, examining revivalism, fundamentalism, the role of the Shi'a, and the larger question of religious co-existence between Muslims, Christians, and Jews. A matchless guide to the background of Middle East conflicts today, Islam and the West presents the seasoned reflections of an eminent authority on one of the most intriguing and little understood regions in the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Islam is nothing to do with West, Like wise, West is nothing to do with Islam
All seem that Islam is in conflict with West and vise versa. But the thruth is Muslim Arabs(not Islam) and West has long been rivals, poilitically and economically, since the raise of Islam as a religion in Arabs's land. The conflict is a rather power struggle than a belief in Islam as religion. Unfortunately, since arabs are muslim majority, it seems that the problem lies on the Islam as a religion. This is very dangerous for humankind.

No Matter whatever the writer try to explain. All idea that position Islam a religion, or any other religion, against something, i.e, West, is bad idea.

West agaist Islam
One understands the relationship and the conflict between the Christian west and the Islam east.Good study.

Well written and interesting
This book is an introduction to the history of Islam's interactions with the West.It begins with an overview of the advances of Muslim armies into Europe and explains that Western voyages of discovery soon led to the West surpassing the Muslim world economically and then militarily.And we see that in the century prior to the end of World War One, the Muslims were in steady retreat against Europeans.Lewis shows how in Western eyes, the Ottoman Empire went from being regarded as wicked and threatening to being mysterious but weak.

That brings up the issue of how Muslims live under non-Muslim rule.And we discover that the major issue is simply whether or not Muslims are free to practice their way of life.

Lewis then brings up the issue of translating Arabic terms.In most cases, translations are not a big problem.But there are some concepts which are not really the same in Arabic as they are in Western languages, such as "state," "freedom," "democracy," or "revolution."The author shows how the meaning of these words relates to Muslim behavior when Muslims have Western allies in wartime.

Perhaps the most interesting section is the one on Orientalism.Here, the author describes the frightful politicization of Middle East studies.Lewis shows how politics, generally antizionist politics, has often substituted for scholarship in this field.In my opinion, this understates the problem.The academic world has to maintain standards to be of value.If these standards are abandoned in one part of history, that will bring down the esteem and value of the entire discipline.

This is a very informative book, and it's easy to read.I highly recommend it.

Disjointed, but some interesting insights
Bernard Lewis, of course, is the well-known Princeton professor (emeritus) who emerged, after 9/11, as the principal "interpreter" of the world of Islam for U.S. audiences. In the introduction to this book, he proposes that he will illustrate the way that the worlds of Christendom and Islam view each other. Unfortunately, as noted by the previous reviewers, this is a collection of essays (several of which were previously published) rather than a de novo work, and the individual parts are only variably subordinate to the overarching goal. Despite this limitation, which gives the book a disjointed feel, there are some valuable insights here. The first essay is a very brief review of the history of the interaction between Islam and Christendom, which makes the important point that, for much of the history of that interaction, the European kingdoms were of only peripheral interest to the vastly greater civilization of Islam. Subsequent essays briefly review the history of the Shi'a, and the problems of cross-cultural communication illustrated by the difficulties encountered in attempting translation of Islamic texts. There are effective critiques of the late Edward Said's theory of Orientalism, which claims that the study of non-Western, and particularly Islamic, history by Westerners constitutes cultural imperialism masquerading as historical analysis. But the most useful insight to be gleaned from these essays is the explication of the role that religion plays in the world of Islam, and the contrast between Islamic and non-Islamic views of the proper relation between religion and the State. Although we are slowly becoming more aware of this fundamental difference between our own view of the place of religion in the affairs of man and that of many, perhaps most, in the Islamic world, Lewis manages to make this difference explicitly clear. The insight would be most valuable to those seeking to build new polities in the Middle East.

pretty good comparsion
In Islam and the West, Lewis takes a look at the relationship between Islam and the West. The have had conflict for since the early days of Islam. Lewis takes a look at conflicts such as the crusades, the three Muslim invasions of Europe-Moors in the Iberian Peninsula, Ottamans in Eastern Europe and the Tartars in Russia. He also looks at how the Muslim world in North Africa and the Middle East was one time more advanced then the Europe and how the two have reveresed positions.

What Lewis spends a lot of time on is the perceptions of Islam had of the West and the perceptions that the West had on Islam. He looks at each side tried to discredit the other and how each perceivced themselves. Lewis also deals with the rise of political Islam in the 20th century after the end of WWI after the break up of the Ottaman empire.

Overall, a pretty good comprision and hsitory like Lewis's other works. ... Read more

Book Description
The book provides readers with a thorough and unifiedtopical introduction to the global religious community of Islam. KEYTOPICS: The book examines is connections with Judeo-Christian morals. Theintegration of the doctrinal and devotional elements of Islam enables readersto see how Muslims think and live. It also reviews pre-Islamic history soreaders can see how Islam developed historically. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Introduction to Islam
This text was one used in my grad-level course on Islam.I enrolled in this class because, as a Christian, I wanted a deeper understanding of Islam.In particular, I wanted to be able to speak intelligently within Christian circles about Islam, particularly because of the current political tension that has so many fearfully approaching the topic, often with a set of stereotypical, illogical ideas.My motives for reading this book are definitely the lens through which I write this review.I found this book full of tedious information but ultimately lacking practical synthesis.If you want a historical account of the roots, both political and philosophical, of Islam then this is a fine book, although his chapters are often organized in a rather confusing manner (my fellow students are in basic agreement on this point, each of us having to present on several chapters).If you want a book that will help the average person understand the basic tenants of Islam and assist the reader in understanding Islam as a movement; if you want to be able to feel like you really have a grasp on Islam, particularly in how it relates to the current global climate, then I would suggest you keep looking.Denny really doesn't delve into modern relevance until the last portion of the book.I also felt that the author was unconvincing to some extent.He obviously is arguing in favor of Islam as a religion, and I am not critiquing this.But, he fails to offer some much needed critique of enculturated-Islam's past, and when he does, he has a tendency to justify unethical historical/political choices by claiming that Christianity has behaved in even more unethical ways.Now, while I wouldn't argue with his critique of enculturated-Christianity's often unethical behavior as an institutionalized movement (think "the Inquisition!"), but this is a logical fallacy.It is an error to defend one wrong by demonstrating another (perhaps worse) wrong.Critique of religious movements is healthy and necessary for they often (being human-run) get "off-track" and a little more critique would have strengthened Denny's argument in favor of Islam.All-in-all, I would suggest this book as a supplement to a library on Islam but not as a primary text to understand the movement.

An Answer for Every Question Concerning Islam
I read this book because of a desire to understand as much as I could about Islam - I was not disappointed when I finished this book.The author provided an answer to every question that I had before reading this book and has given me the desire to read more about certain aspects of this religion.For me, the most interesting chapters were those that detailed the basic beliefs and practices of Islam, Islamic life and the family, Islamic community life and finally the issues concerning Islam in the modern world.I more fully understand their beliefs, but maybe more importantly, the challenges the religion faces as "progressive" Muslims try to open free dialouge about their religion - and the obstacles they face in doing so.
Highly recommend - if at all intersted in Islam, you will not be disappointed in the knowledge you will gain.

excellently presented
I bought this book because my knowledge of Islam was minimal and I wanted something thorough, but not scholarly.This book was perfect.It's laid out as an undergrad textbook, with the sort of logic we westerners expect to see when being introduced to something.The chapters each have an over-view, then break into well-defined sections.If there are four important things about something, Denny gives four section headings.He also reviews information, where needed.

The best thing about the text is Denny's strategy of leaving many words in Arabic (after he has explained the terms);that means you won't learn about an idea under a name specific this translator.Sometimes there's a longish space between iterations of a term - 50 pages, for example - but the excellent glossary and the very thorough index make it possible to recover the information easily.

The only fault I could find - aside from the somewhat self-satisfied tone of his first-person plural narrative style - is that he never addresses the way he sets up the book.Does Islam naturally lend itself to western academic organization?Did the author impose this organization on the material in the service of his readers?If so, what would a Muslim text look like?Or did the western academy get this principle of organization from the Arab world, as we got our number system?

The second edition is MUCH cheaper than the third edition - the post-9/11 edition - but the history of Islam hasn't changed.Save your money and get the second edition.

Iran
This text book is great for someone who wants to learn about Islamic doctrines. The author of the book is mostly discussing Sunni sect and at some point referes to Shi'ite Muslim in Iran.

Admirable
Denny does a great job of explaining what can be a very complex topic.I used this as a textbook for a history course, but it is still very readable for personal enjoyment.It is clear that Denny is very passionate about his work.Although the book is not a chronological history of Islam, the knowledge gained from it is useful when trying to understand that type of study. ... Read more

Book Description
In a Western world suddenly acutely interested in Islam, one question has been repeatedly heard above the din: where are the Muslim reformers?With this ambitious volume, Tariq Ramadan firmly establishes himself as one of Europe's leading thinkers and one of Islam's most innovative and important voices.As the number of Muslims living in the West grows, the question of what it means to be a Western Muslim becomes increasingly important to the futures of both Islam and the West. While the media are focused on radical Islam, Ramadan claims, a silent revolution is sweeping Islamic communities in the West, as Muslims actively seek ways to live in harmony with their faith within a Western context. French, English, German, and American Muslims--women as well as men--are reshaping their religion into one that is faithful to the principles of Islam, dressed in European and American cultures, and definitively rooted in Western societies.Ramadan's goal is to create an independent Western Islam, anchored not in the traditions of Islamic countries but in the cultural reality of the West. He begins by offering a fresh reading of Islamic sources, interpreting them for a Western context and demonstrating how a new understanding of universal Islamic principles can open the door to integration into Western societies. He then shows how these principles can be put to practical use. Ramadan contends that Muslims can-indeed must-be faithful to their principles while participating fully in the civic life of Western secular societies. Grounded in scholarship and bold in its aims, Western Muslims and the Future of Islam offers a striking vision of a new Muslim Identity, one which rejects once and for all the idea that Islam must be defined in opposition to the West. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Another excellent work by Mr Ramadan
Thanks again to Mr. Ramadan for keeping the door and the dialoge open on a very pressing and important issue for many of us "Western" Muslims.As a new Muslim woman from Latin America living in the USA I find each day many of the issues presented by Mr Ramadan, thanks to his inside, I am able to better undertand my role in this society while living and embracing the "true" Islamic identity and tradition. Thanks also for the great lessons learned with "In the Footsteps of the Prophet". Thanks for the loving and unsugared portrait of the Prophet you presented in this excellent book , it did touch my heart.

Hard thinking man arrives at refreshing vision
Ramadan is a serious thinker, devoted to making a difference. He takes both his faith and his Western homeland seriously, and this for him is a single commitment to God and his neighbors. His concern is the quality of life in the future world order. And his vision for the potential contributions of Western Muslims is refreshing.

Where many Muslims assume that the practices of other cultures are ungodly unless proven otherwise, Ramadan turns such logic around. Like Imam Malik, he argues that all customs (urf) or institutions which "seek the good" (istislah) are valid, and should not be rejected unless they specifically violate a moral prohibition of the Quran and Sunna. In that case the challenge to Western Muslims is like that faced by the first Muslims in mainly non-Islamic Mecca, or by the biblical Joseph in Egypt - how to inspire better human relations, and improve care for society's needs.

Ramadan sees a special responsibility falling on Muslims in the West. Working within Western institutions yet maintaining real ties to the non-Western world, these believers have a chance to serve as a voice of conscience. In a world order of profound inequality, many Western Muslims have both the hope and the opportunity to make a difference. And to grasp that opportunity they must act as full-citizens, taking responsibility for building better institutions in cooperation with non-Muslims of goodwill. As Ramadan explores the possibilities for economic, political and cultural life, the future seems ever more interesting.

--BG, author of "Different Visions of Love" and "The Gardens of Their Dreams"

Citizen Muslim
Islamic philosopher Tariq Ramadan asks a fundamental question. Is it possible for a devout Muslim living here to also be a responsible and loyal American? As a member of what Ramadan calls the Other, I find it disturbing it even needs to be asked. It isn't trivial and Ramadan doesn't ask it on behalf of Muslims. He asks it of Muslims because they ask it of themselves. We have people living among us who are unsure of the answer, millions of them apparently, some of them second and third generation Americans. More than a few have concluded the answer is no. Their devotion to Islam supersedes and is incompatible with any duty to their adopted country. The question cuts to the heart of what Americans have been asking since 9/11. What on earth are these people so angry about and what in heavens name does it have to do with us? In attempting to answer Ramadan directs his comments to those Muslims living in the West for whom religion is at the center of daily life, Muslims who are struggling with a very real identity crisis. Ramadan isn't proposing an interfaith dialogue, though he thinks one is important. He is proposing an intra-faith dialogue. He wants to reopen a debate that has been closed for a thousand years.
At issue is the long held Islamic view of a world divided into two parts, dar al-Islam and dar al-harb, the abode of submission and the abode of war. This view didn't originate in the Koran or with the Prophet. It was developed later by Islamic scholars to offer a code of conduct for Muslims living in or traveling through areas not subject to Islamic rule, places where any exercise of an alien religion was usually restricted and often prohibited. Muslims in these conditions were called not to compromise their faith, to remain apart, at all costs to avoid assimilating. Sometime around the 10th century it became pretty much accepted dogma throughout Islam. It still is. It is a view that has been noted with alarm by modern Western commentators. It is at the root of the attitude among many Muslims to reject as un-Islamic all things Western. Ramadan argues that the doctrine can and should be revised in light of changed circumstance. It is no longer an appropriate view of Europe or of North America because in the modern West the Muslim is free to practice his religion.
Ramadan draws an all-important distinction between faith and culture. Islam requires Muslims to dress modestly but exactly how that applies in different societies is open to interpretation. There is also a difference between what is required by law and what is permitted. That alcohol may be legal does not force one to drink. There may be occasions when civil law presses an individual to violate his conscience, to participate say in an unjust war, but those occasions are rare and there are ways for Muslims to deal with them short of outright rejection of the offending legal system. Islam has adapted to differing cultures before. Indonesians are very different from Pakistanis and they can both be authentically Islamic.
This all seems obvious to us, the Other. That it does not seem obvious to so many Muslims is incomprehensible. Americans are accustomed to immigrants. We expect them to become naturalized, take their citizenship seriously, participate fully in our society, make it their own, even take on leadership roles. Ramadan wants his fellow Muslims to do that too, and he believes they will. He certainly believes they can, and without compromising their religion.

Must Read for Western Muslims
It is a must read for muslims living in western countries. The book deals with the issues of BELONGING(specially immigrant muslims), EXTREMELY IMPORTANT concept of Darul Harb and Darul Islam and a thorough discussion of what is required of a muslim living/working/studying in non-muslim lands in general.

He mentions the CORE characteristics that makes muslim ummah, THE BEST NATION i.e. Telling Mankind the real purpose of life and conveying the message of the prophets. When muslims live amongst non-muslims they automatically are calling non-muslims to Islam by the way they act, they work or do any thing else whether they actually call people to Islam or not.

Tariq Ramadhan gives the western muslims confidence and encourages them to stop being isolationist and engage fully in the society around them to make the situation better for themselves as a community and also to fulfill their obligation of transmitting the message of the prophets to their fellow citizens. Even if these concepts are not new to you as a muslim, it is a must to read and reflect upon what brother Tariq says. Our reading, reflecting and then actually DOING DAWAH can make a difference of us entering HELL or entering PARADISE in the hereafter. No matter how bad the situation becomes for muslims and how bad the non-muslims treat muslims, muslims can NEVER EVER forget their obligation to save themselves and the non-muslims from Hellfire and Tariq makes an excellent case for that.

You would for sure like reading this book. I don't agree with each and everything in the book but I pray for him for writing about the core issues we face as muslims. And don't even once look at the price, reading this book is far better then eating at your favorite restaurant.

As the issues indicate the book is primarily for muslims but would help non-muslims too specially the ones interested to find out about muslims in the west in particular and Islam in general. If you are a non-muslim then I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND "What Everyone Should Know About Islam and Muslims" by Suzanne Haneef apart from reading the FINAL REVELATION to mankind, THE HOLY QURAN.

Great Book
I believe this is one of the best books I have read in a long time.It was the first time a scholar elaborates on what it really means to be both Western and Muslim.He tackles just about every issue facing Muslims in the West - and while obvously not everyone will agree with him - he is the first one to really discuss these issues as far as I know. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (12)

INFORMATIVE, BUT SLOW GOING AT TIMES
Hodgson covers the first few hundred years of Islamic history in this volume.He does not aim to tell about everything that happened, only give us a broad look at the period.Islamic literature, law and customs are all included.

My biggest problem here is with the introduction, which takes up about a fifth of the book.Hodgson feels compelled to justify his entire branch of study in this chapter, as if the subject were somehow unimportant.Again and again he points out that that what we know is not the full truth.Islam and the Arabs are too complex for that.I have never liked this approach both because it is obvious and unworkable.The whole truth cannot be known or fully appreciated, yes, but our limited brains are at the same time forced to make judgements and conclusions.Failure to recognize this has stripped many an academic work of much of its value.

There are better resources out there
Since you're reading about this book, I assume you're interested in a scholarly work, as opposed to "Idiot's Guide" or "___ for Dummies" style.In this case, I recommend that you read instead "The Legacy of Jihad" by Andrew Bostom and Hugh Fitzgerald, a scholarly work that is more comprehensive, better researched, and more objective.I purchased both books, but after reading a few hundred pages of both, I decided to keep "The Legacy of Jihad" and return "The Venture of Islam" to the bookstore.

Outstanding
I bought the 3 volume series of Marshall Hodgson's series on Islamic History after having heard about it in a conference. I count myself lucky that i have it with me. This series is a real gem, a scholarly work which deserves its place among the best of Islamic history books there are. Hodgson did not let his own bias filter through in these books and the result is a very objective and masterly look at Islamic history or 'Islamdom" as Marshall calls it. Definitely worth having this series on your shelves.

Sohail Abbas
abbas25304@gmail.com

A masterpiece survey of Islamic history. THIS IS THE ONE!
I originally read volume 1 and 2 for an upper division history course in university and the effect these books had on me is profound.

This is THE survey book on Islamic civilization and history. There are several other worthwhile survey books on the topic (especially Lapidus), but this is the master work in the field. This is where you should start.

It is sad, but true to say that the 3rd volume is not as good as the first two volumes. This is due to the fact that Hodgson passed away before he could finish it, and it was completed by his friends in the academic community. That being said, Volumes 1 and 2 are masterpeices!

Everything you ever wanted to know about Islmaic history is here in as much detail as can possibly be done in a survey work. If you want more detail, you should read books that delve into specific topics in more detail (i.e. The Assassins, the Abbasid Caliphate, Pax-Mongolia, The Saljuks, The Gunpowder Empires, Adib court culture, etc.), but for an all-emcompassing work on Islamic history, culture, and society, from pre-Islamic pegan times in the Arabian peninsula all the way to the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1921, Volumes 1 and 2 are THE MUST HAVE books on the subject. No library on Islamic History is complete without these two.

Hodgson himself has become a psudo-legend in academic circles because of this work. His obsession with detail, exhibited in this work, reminds me of J. R. R. Tolkin and his imagined "Lord of the Rings" histories except that Hodgson's work is the real thing! Venture of Islam has influenced writers outside Academic circles such has Frank Herbert's Science Fiction masterpeice "Dune." Herbert fans will recongize this as soon they look at the table of contents for The Venture of Islam

For those interested in reading more about Hodgeson himself, I highly recommend an essay written by Edmund Burke III which analyzes his academic works and how his life as a Quaker influecned his skills and style as a historian and a writer.

One cautionary note: This is not light reading. This work is indended for historians, or at the very least serious history students. Those seeking a casual "glossing over" of Islamic history should look elsewhere.

Archetypal Islamic History for Hodgson's Generation
When surveys of Islam are mentioned, Hodgson's three volume work is the most formidable of the three often mentioned-the other two being either that of Lapidus or Hourani (although Hourani's history is limited to Arab history only).This first volume focuses on Hodgson's justifications for his own idiosyncratic preferences which he obviously aspired to be broadly accepted in the field as well as writing the early history of Islam through the absolutist tradition of the Abbasid dynasty.His awkward terminology has in general not been adopted although his insistence on rigor and uniformity in the transliteration of Islamic languages has become standard, and the general outlines of the history that he presents have stood the test of time.Most may leave this book behind, being bogged down in the first hundred or so pages of caveats and academic hair-splitting; however, those who persevere onwards will find the going gets better when the actual history begins wherein the analysis and information conveyed are generally profound.

Throughout Hodgson's rather phlegmatic march through the history of the central Islamic lands (being Muslim Spain, North Africa, and the lands from the Nile to the Oxus River), there is undoubtedly a dusty quality to his work that shows his methodology to be at least a generation behind the times.It is evident that he was influenced strong by the rise and fall of civilizations world history of the likes of Toynbee, and there is some indication that were it not for his untimely death that he would have wished to write just such a history.Though this is a weakness in part of his work-weak because its broad strokes necessitates a glossing over many technical and philosophical issues (the devil and often the more interesting question are in the details)-it did at it time overcome many of the faults of Orientalist scholarship of and prior to his time by integrating Islamic history in the broader streams of human civilization with antecedents and inherited legacies rather than the usual misrepresentation of Islamic civilization as sui generis.

I still recommend Lapidus over Hodgson because Lapidus is more up to date, a single volume and bibliographically also more recent, although Hodgson's work has more style and continuity and coheres better than Lapidus's disjointed text. ... Read more

Book Description
"Why?" Years after September11, we are still looking foranswers. Internationally renowned Islamic scholar Akbar Ahmed knew thatthis question could not be answered until Islam and the West found a waypast the hatred and mistrust intensified by the war on terror and theforces of globalization. Seeking to establish dialogue and understandingbetween these cultures, Ahmed led a team of dedicated young Americans on adaring and unprecedented tour of the Muslim world. Journey into Islam:The Crisis of Globalization is the riveting story of their search forcommon ground.

From the mosques of Damascus to the madrassahs of Karachi to the homes ofJakarta, Ahmed and his companions met with Muslims from all walks of life.They listened to students and professors, presidents and prime ministers,sheikhs and cab drivers, revealing Muslim hopes and frustrations as theWest has never heard before. They returned from their groundbreakingjourney with both cause for concern and occasion for hope.

Rejecting stereotypes and "conventional wisdom" about Islam and itsencounter withglobalization, this important book offers a new frameworkfor understanding the Muslim world. As Western leaders wage a war onterrorism, Ahmed offers insightful suggestions on how the United States canimprove relations with Islamic nations and peoples. Written with equalparts compassion and urgency, Journey into Islam makes a powerfulcase for forming bonds across religion, race, and tradition to createlasting harmony between Islam and the West. It is essential reading foranyone concerned with the future survival of the United States as a worldleader, for the individual who faces the painful changes of globalization,and for the very future of our planet. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Hoping to drown the drums of war
An intelligent look at the different souls of contemporary Islam, or rather, at the different attitudes towards globalization within the muslim world. A great starting point to understand the 'other', for muslims and non-muslims alike, and a book that challenges the reader. Dr. Ahmed is especially skilled at pointing out the misunderstandings that feed the current atmosphere of hostility, and to tease out provocation from substantive message on both sides. In the end, if each side was really true to its values, there would not even be an opportunity for conflict. Will his message be loud enough to diffuse the 'conflict of civilizations'?

Comprehensive
Very well done and comprehensive but it would be better if you took Islam 101 and 102 first.

Solutions open new problems
This book was much needed. Unfortunately it is only a book, a drop of water in the desert, although we should never forget that single drops added up to dig the desert canyons. Much more must be done, and this requires confronting a problem not addressed by the Author.
Why are we, people of the western countries, making such a confusion between politics and religion and why, anyhow, religion appears to be the key to peace within the people referring to the three Abrahamic religions?
As modern people, living in a western democracy, we should be bound to separate Church and State. Which is not exactly achieved in too many of the western countries, USA included, and surely, despite the presence of Ahmed's Aligarh model, is not the case in the Islamic countries. Thus it appears that using a language to be appreciated by our Islamic travel mates means speaking a language that is not properly our own, although it is becoming increasingly popular in some countries having a Christian tradition.
There is a contradiction that needs been solved. I hope that our Author and other serious scholars show us how.

JOURNEY INTO ISLAM
My book came on time. I have ecompleted reading it.
I am wel pleased with my purchases from Amazon. THANKS!

A thoughtful interpretation of the Islamic world
This is an excellent, thoughtful study of the Islamic world and the impact globalization and our "war on terror" is having on these societies, by a professor of anthropology who has devoted his career to helping the west understand Islam.I strongly recommend it to anyone wanting to get behind the rhetoric which we are getting from the media and our government these days. ... Read more

Amazon.com
While the 16 years that have passed since the first edition ofthis book hit the stands have been marked by an increase in sensitivitytoward many ethnic, racial, and sexual minorities, the easy acceptance ofstereotypes and prejudices in the portrayal, depiction of, and reportingabout Islamic peoples has remained largely constant. In this updatedversion of this rigorous but engaging volume Edward Said looks at howAmerican popular media has used and perpetuated a narrow andunfavorable image of Islamic peoples, and how this has preventedunderstanding while providing a fictitious common enemy for thediverse American populace.Book Description
From the Iranian hostage crisis through the Gulf War and the bombing of the World Trade Center, the American news media have portrayed "Islam" as a monolithic entity, synonymous with terrorism and religious hysteria. In this classic work, now updated, the author of Culture and Imperialism reveals the hidden agendas and distortions of fact that underlie even the most "objective" coverage of the Islamic world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (48)

A Must Read For The Uneducated Westerner
Edward Said is one of my favorite social writers when it comes to Middle Eastern politics. Being a Palestenian Christian, it is obvious he wouldn't simply side with the East because of his religious ties with Islam. The book is very fair in showing exactly how the West's propaganda against the Middle East is a self-fulfilled prophecy. It's undoing will certainly be its downfall. This is a must read for anyone who wants to understand some tenets of journalism and is definately a must read for anyone who has ever taken an anthropology class. Pick it up!

Interesting but flawed thesis
In the latter stages of `Orientalism', Edward Said's monumental and controversial treatise on the `otherness' of Eastern cultures as perceived by Western writers and colonial figures, the German anti-Islamist Gustave von Grunbaum - writing some five decades ago - is taken to task. Said notes his `essentially reductive, negative generalisations' about Islam and supplies quotations to substantiate the charge. Despite Said's strictures, though, von Grunebaum's statements concerning the `basic anti-humanism of Islamic civilization' which `does not separate the things of Caesar from those of God' have a definite bearing on one side of the current debate in the light of more recent catastrophic events. This view of Islam as prescriptive, authoritarian, resistant to change is by its nature `Orientalist', in the pejorative sense which Said implies, because it is held by an outsider whose Western intellectual baggage must inevitably compromise any attempt on his part to be objective. Much as I usually defer to Said's prodigious scholarship I find myself in serious disagreement with him here. Likewise, the sequel `Culture and Imperialism' contains a discussion of W.B. Yeats in which Said objects to two American commentators on post '79 Iran quoting Yeats in their reports. He feels that the words of Ireland's greatest poet about `the worst being full of passionate intensity' would be better applied to the Western colonial intervention of 1953 than to those caught up in, or leading, the upheaval which would be its eventual outcome. Of course, many would take the view that Yeats' `Second Coming' could quite legitimately be referred to when the subject of the Ayatollah Khomeini's bloodstained Islamofascist regime is under discussion.

Unfortunately this propensity for denial and omission to some extent pervades `Covering Islam'. Written in the wake of Iran's 1979 `revolution' and the ensuing hostage crisis it deals with Western media perception of Islam and the Islamic world. Essentially what is presented is a further ramification of the argument in `Orientalism', which is referred back to, concerning the problem of negative, sometimes racist, Muslim stereotypes in mainly the US media. `I have no quarrel with the view that the Islamic world is in a dreadful state', Said concedes, acknowledging that at least some of the criticism might be justified. He also admits that most Islamic societies are `poor, tyrannical, militarily inept' and `incompetent, crude dictatorships', although without any attempt to analyse the possible underlying reasons for this. When even a respected authority like Bernard Lewis refers to Islam as something `static, determinist and authoritarian' - as distinct from the rationalist, secular West - he is in effect shouted down, possibly because Said senses in the remark some hint of an explanation which Lewis would like to offer for the inherent backwardness of Islamic countries. John Kifner of the New York Times gets similar treatment for an article in which he contrasts the Western mind - post-Reformation - with Islam, noting that the latter observes no separation of Church and State and remarking on the difficulty we in the West are bound to have in grasping the power exerted by Islam. Again, these seem to me pertinent observations although Said disallows them.

The main focus of the book is Iran and the various references to Khomeini, far from being critical, seem calculated not to offend his supporters whose hysterical adulation was dramatically pointed up at the time by the Western media. Incredibly, as an example of the hostile media slant Said even mentions an edition of Khomeini's `Islamic Government', published under the title `Khomeini's Mein Kampf' and carrying a preface by one George Capozi Jnr of the New York Post which compares Khomeini with Hitler. Given the nature of the regime and the psychology of its leader this would seem fair comment, but Said chooses instead to focus on Khomeini's reputation at home as a great reader of Islamic law who thus, as the nation's guide, fulfils the requirements of Iran's new constitution. His moral teachings are mentioned in passing along with his call for an Islamic republic which should `institutionalize righteousness' and act in the best interests of the oppressed. Sadly, these reassuring indications of the tyrant's honourable intentions merely disguise the brutal reality of a system which claimed many innocent lives. Nor, with the benefit of hindsight, is this regretted in the revised 1991 introduction. We have to look elsewhere to be informed about the regime's routine murder of gays, atheists, apostates, prostitutes and adulterers, not to mention the righteous Mullah's revolting prescriptions regarding bestiality and sex with children.

Said also states, at various points, his opinions on what qualifies anyone to report from Muslim countries or comment from the outside looking in. He regrets the fact that those who express negative opinions about the Islamic world often have no grasp of Islamic jurisprudence and are unfamiliar with the languages of the region. Zionist author Michael Walzer, for example, is referred to in this light. I would not normally defend Walzer (his characterisation of the Palestinian resistance as religious rather than political is patently absurd) but this seems a little unfair. By the same logic it might be argued that, in the `30s and `40s, to have criticised Hitler one should ideally have been a German speaker and possessed an in-depth knowledge of Germany's history and culture, also its legal system.

I have too high a regard for Professor Said to dismiss his thesis out of hand. It is valid up to a point. He is right to condemn the media charade of the hostage crisis following the takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran, the whole point of which was to force the return of the exiled Shah from the States to face trial. Over the 444-day period of the standoff a cavalcade of network `pundits', with their 3-minute soundbite approach to history, did little to advance public awareness of the background to the crisis. Of the struggle unfolding between the clergy and various political groupings in Iran very little was said. Of course, had there been serious analysis of this and other important issues it would probably have detracted from the entertainment value of the discussions centering upon conspiracy theories rather than facts. Thus, George Ball of the Washington Post's claim that the embassy takeover was `orchestrated by well-known Marxists' (how well known or who they were, exactly, was not specified) typified the general ambience of rumour and paranoia. Other equally informed contributors to the debate alleged PLO involvement and, because the Cold War still had a decade to run, inevitably the Soviet Union must have had a hand in it also. That the Iranian people might actually have suffered under the Pahlavi dynasty and therefore wished to bring its deposed head to account seems scarcely to have been considered. When the crisis was finally resolved rumours of torture and ill-treatment inflicted on the hostages by their captors were shown to have been a cynical lie conceived as part of the media's sensationalist agenda. This attention-grabbing, racist stereotype of the Muslim whose moral backwardness is bound to lead to uncivilized behaviour - played upon at length during the seige - unfortunately continues to have wide currency.

Said also notes hypocrisy in the charge that Islamic societies are theologically backward-looking if it is not equally applied to Israel. The terrorist Begin's citing of Biblical precedent to justify his war on the Palestinians is brought to mind. Indeed, the plethora of pro-Israeli books and journals masquerading as serious scholarship and responsible journalism, in their eagerness to portray Israel as a victim of Islamic violence, say little or nothing about the bombing and invasion of several Islamic countries by Israel and the US, or Palestinian dispossession. This is familiar territory and all of a piece with, elsewhere, Said's excoriating and entirely proper denunciations of Israeli oppression in the occupied territories. Various examples of hate propaganda in American right-wing publications are mentioned, one particularly repellent example being Martin Peretz of the `New Atlantic' who is shown nailing his racist, anti-Arab colours firmly to the mast in a theatre review. Such unpleasant media stereotypes seem to have multiplied following the OPEC price rises of 1974 and the increase in the cost of imported oil. This strand of Said's argument ultimately connects with his analysis, in the concluding chapter, of the corporate or government-driven agenda which dictates the angle of Islamic studies in American universities and the careers open to graduates in the subject area.

In sum, more than twenty-five years after its initial publication `Covering Islam' remains thought-provoking and merits reconsideration in the context of the post 9/11 debate. For the sake of balance, however, I would strongly recommend Muslim apostate scholar Ibn Warraq's rigorous critique of Islam `Why I Am Not A Muslim' as a powerful refutation of Said's assertion in his introduction that the religion is `doctrinally blameless'vis-à-vis the absence of personal freedoms in many Islamic societies. Also, those who might be persuaded of Islam's allegedly benign attitude towards women could do worse than read `Price Of Honour', Jan Goodwin' chilling account of its practical realization in some of these very societies. Of particular relevance to this discussion is her chapter on Iran entitled `There Is No Fun In Islam' - those being the Ayatollah's very words - which shows how the initial euphoria following the Shah's overthrow soon gave way tragically to the realization that one barbaric torture state had been swept away only to be replaced by another.

Contrarian worth reading . . .
First published in 1981 and updated in 1997, Said's critique of the media's coverage of Islam, particularly in the Middle East, is a thought-provoking challenge to any reader's perceptions of what is reported as news from that war-torn part of the world. Written before 9/11, subsequent military intervention in Afghanistan, and the current conflict in Iraq, the book's interpretation of events unfolding there (the aftermath of the Islamic revolution in Iran) are often prophetic. An understanding of Islam based solely on Western "interest," he argues, will lead to further and protracted conflict rather than resolution of differences.

Despite a carping tone that becomes irritating and a tendency to make its points with a thoroughness that seems like overkill, the book throws a searching light on how Islam is represented by news gatherers, experts, and policy makers. Emphasis on violence, anti-American rhetoric, and resistance to "modernization," for example, belie the fact that there is not a single monolithic Islam but many Islams and that what news organizations perpetuate is an undifferentiated form of cultural stereotyping - as if it were sufficient to say about the Dutch that they all wear wooden shoes.

Said's arguments are dismissed (see other reviews here) for reasons that may have some validity (as a Palestinian-American, his sympathies are clearly not pro-Israeli), but readers can benefit nonetheless from his contrarian views, especially since they throw into question assumptions about the Middle East, which so far show a tendency (as in the case of Iran and Iraq) to seriously misjudge political and cultural realities.

Important points, but...
In Covering Islam, Edward W. Said makes some vitally important points that remind us that our relationship with many countries (and not just in the countries/cultures/peoples who are Arabic orIslamic or in the Middle East) is informed by a media that does not always do justice to the people they cover -- in many cases, the media generalizes and demonizes. Making one of the most important points in the book, Said reminds us that Islam (like "Christendom" or "the West" or any broad cultural category) is not a monolithic homogeneous structure, but that many journalists, pundits, spokespeople, and citizens see and portray it as such.

Said cites many examples of journalists (and academics) who fall into lazy habits when looking at and writing these cultures. Unfortunately, it seemed to me that Said makes many generalizations himself, about American media and journalists (although, to be fair, he does give some examples in the last chapter of academics and writers who he believes have a more broad and insightful and accurate viewpoint) which made it harder for me to stay engaged with the book.

Finally, I wanted to know his solutions and suggestions, not just the problem. If everything an American journalist or adademic touches in a country such as Iran or Iraq or Afghanistan is tainted by post-colonialism and oil and government, how can the average person learn about that part of the world in a genuine manner? What information is trustworthy? Said has told us the problem, or part of it, but did not seem, in this book anyway, to offer solutions.

Islam covered
How Islam is portrayed in the Western media shows how the tail wags the dog - a minority determines how the majority sees the rest of the world by giving them access to selective information about the Other.

This book should be added to your post-9/11-book shelf.
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Customer Reviews (97)

A sobering view of what we are facing.
Dr. Gabriel has written an easily digestible accounting of what he experienced and how Islam as he knows it differs from how most of us in the West have been led to believe.I am becoming more firmly convinced that we need to devote more resources to actively study this religion/way of life in order to gain understanding and develop ways to communicate with the types of terror minded people he is writing about.The difference between the Noble Quran and the other translations is pretty startling...