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'A pithy and popularised rejection of much of the received wisdom about the Middle East ...' Asian Affairs 'Fred Halliday's brilliant Two Hours that Shook the World was one of the most welcome books published in the aftermath of 9/11. In his new book he debunks 100 of the most pernicious 'facts' about the Middle East in his characteristically quiet, straightforward and efficient way.' Bookseller 'In this pithy book Halliday tackles most of the myths in just one or two pages of tight argument.' Saudi Gazette 'Fascinating reading ... Challenging proverbial 'wisdom', pat answers and politically motivated lies, he addresses 100 common misconceptions about the Middle East and how the region figures into US and European foreign policy.' Jordan Times 'Fred Halliday...seeks to provide a "moral vocabulary" for understanding the region through its incorporation into the contemporary world.' Church of England Newspaper 'Sometimes barbed, but often pithy and insightful.' Romford Recorder Praise for Fred Halliday: 'By far the best book on the catastrophe of 11 September.' The Observer 'Cuts the proverbial ice.' Daily Star 'Sober and balanced.' The New Statesman 'A writer of true calibre.' The Independent 'Fred Halliday's grasp of the Middle East makes him an invaluable source of readable and authoritative material on the main issues.'Irish Times
Asian Affairs, March 2006
A pithy and popularised rejection of much of the received wisdom about the Middle East
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First Sentence
In 1984 the British historians Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger edited a book with the challenging title The Invention of Tradition (Cambridge University Press, 1992). Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
In 1984 the British historians Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger edited a book with the challenging title The Invention of Tradition (Cambridge University Press, 1992). Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Another excellent work by Fred Halliday. Very informative on the mind set behind the myths.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
it is definitely not the best book of Halliday. There are some explanations that I do not agree with him, yet the book is well organized for people who have no single idea about the Middle East. It's OK for those ones who still suppose that the main transport in Turkey is via camels. The glossary at the end is an amazing source to understand some vocabulary used in the press.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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11 reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Some serious mistakes
10 Jun 2008
Format:Paperback
Some serious mistakes make me question the accuracy of this book. The most egregious of his errors is saying that alcohol is not banned in islam. I could not believe how someone like him can call this a myth. There is a unanimous decision by all islamic jurists that consumption of alcohol is forbidden. The author selectively quotes certain verses from the quran while leaving out others. I know the theory of abrogation is contested about certain verses of the quran, but on this issue there is unanimous agreement that the earlier verses discouraging alcohol were abrogated by later verses forbidding it. This was due to the fact that islamic law was applied gradually. The second big mistake the author makes is when he says that hijab, or covering the hair is not obligatory. For one there is debate whehter the niqab, or face veil is obligatory with most scholars saying the face veil is not obligatory. But on the issue of covering the hair there is an overwhelming majority of juritsts that say it is obligatory. The level of debate on this issue among islamic jurists is akin to the level of debate among biologists on the validity of evolution. These along with the fact that on some controversial issues such as whether the iraq war was about oil, he simply dismisses this as a myth in about 100 words. An issue like that needs a detailed response not 100 word answer that simply dismisses it as out of the question. Why 2 stars instead of one, well some of the myths he tackled were helpful especially to people that know nothing about the middle east, but in the light of such glaring errors one should consult other sources.
17 of 22 people found the following review helpful
What Middle Easterners should be reading
19 Nov 2005
Format:Paperback
I very much enjoyed reading through this book. As a Palestinian reader I admit I approached it with some apprehension having experienced many negative portrayals of Arabs in the past even in books claiming to be neutral. The book was rather surprising in its frank discussion of myths about the Middle East many of which are believed by Middle Easterners about themselves and their neighbors. I especially liked the author's objective approach especially when dealing with issues of religious faith. I recommend it for any one interested in that area regardless of where they are from.
A minor complaint is the author's Arabic, which should have been checked by a native speaker. The explanations of some words are just incorrect. For example, in the section about Arabic humor, he confuses that the word `nukta' (Arabic for `joke') with the word `nuqta' (Arabic for `point') claiming they are the same word.
A minor complaint is the author's Arabic, which should have been checked by a native speaker. The explanations of some words are just incorrect. For example, in the section about Arabic humor, he confuses that the word `nukta' (Arabic for `joke') with the word `nuqta' (Arabic for `point') claiming they are the same word.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Exceptionally good treatment of a complex region
30 Aug 2006
Format:Paperback
I have to admit that when I picked this book up, I was skeptical. However, I was soon blown away by the knowledge and wisdom contained in this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Islam or the Middle East. I particularly liked the discussion of Israel, because it is very balanced and historically accurate. The depiction of the Iraq war (2002) is spot-on: the U.S. was not after oil, and not against Saddam per se, but wanted to "reestablish control of the region". I think that is accurate. The book makes some great points, such as, ruling "cleptocracies" in the Mid-East use the Israel-Palestinian conflict to deflect criticism away from themselves. I also liked the assertion that Arabs have a great sense of humor (whereas we think of them as "grim" and "lacking in humor"). This jives with the Arabs I knew when I went to university in Germany: they were without exception, warm, humorous people. The book will surely disappoint extremists, but then again, reality tends to do that.
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