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Review
"Esposito has written that rarest, and most useful, of books: a consideration of 'Islamic Fundamentalism' by someone who knows what he's talking about."--The Village Voice Literary Supplement
"Offers a valuable history of the leading figures and movements in the 20th century Islamic revival, underlining the trend in recent years away from violence and toward parliamentary practices."--The New York Times
"One of America's foremost authorities and interpreters of Islam...offers an informed and reasoned discussion of Islam in politics."--The Wall Street Journal
"There is no superior voice explaining Muslims to us."--Times Higher Education Supplement
Product Description
Much of the reassertion of religion in politics and society has been subsumed under the term Islamic fundamentalism. Read the first page
Concordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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It is unfortunate that many Christians and Jews feel negatively toward Islam. To be fair, it is unfortunate the Islam emerged as a teaching meaning to supercede Christianity. However, Christianity seems to have begun and has largely remains convinced of itself as a one true way. Perhaps from all this, folks from all sides will learn the dangers of placing authority in supernatural claims.
But given that Christianity, Judaism and Islam exist as they are, it seems helpful that John Esposito has been able to make it clearer just how Islam does exist these days. Answers are by no means easy or simple nor is it constructive to just try to write off a strawman Islam.
Esposito has presented so much information on the various forms and usages of Islam today that it would be too much to ask him to expand his early sections on the history of Islam. Nevertheless readers unconvinced somehow here as to the contributions of Islam may want to also read books focused on Islam's history. Reading the Quran also can't hurt. It may seem repititive but it does present powerful images that may explain to doubters Islam's appeal.
People exploit religions, People use religions to exploit other people. This hardly is confined to Islam nor is Islam hardly confined to such activity. For roughly 1 billion people Islam provides help: Esposito's contribution herein is making it overwhelmingly clear how many various forms that help has taken and how many of these forms are constructive.
This is not to belittle the fact that Muslims, generally do stand opposed to most secular Western principles and values. But to stand in opposition to someone's values is one thing, to desire a Nazi-style elimination of him is another. This is the problem with the McCarthyistic demonization of Islam, a paranoic fear fueled by the false presumption that Islam's inherent anti-modernistic tendencies imply that the religion and its adherents are obsessed with a holocaustic elemination of all Westerners. The protagonists of such a view take their que from contemporary Islamic millitants, failing to see that such terrorists, (albeit the anti-Islamic nature of their deeds), are generally REACTING to Western POLITICAL interventions upon Muslim self-determination -- interventions that are often themselves instigated by misguided political theorists (who perhaps desire continued funding for thier think-tanks). This creates a viscious cycle of negative-feedback, like an amplifier that picks up and magnifies its own sound: intervention creates resentment which leads some to militant reaction which instigates more intervention; and so the pattern continues culminating in the likes of Laden. What Esposito seeks to do is pull the plug out of the amplifier. A sympathic course safeguards him from fanning the flames, which is why he is endeared by a large Muslim audience and even gets invited to speak at Muslim conferences. Few other non-Muslims have contributed to such an irenic enterprise as he has. For this he stands as a bridge between two communities.
THE ISLAMIC THREAT is a must read for anyone interested in the complex and multi-faceted dynamic that govern contemporary Western-Islamic relations.
The author is trying to put things in perspective -- we do not view people who base their violent actions on the Bible (like the Ku Klux Klan) as representative of Christianity, so why do we view terrorists who base their violent actions on the Qur'an as representative of Islam?
For people who wish to stay secure in their stereotypes of Islam, this book will not be useful. But Esposito, a Catholic and a professor of Islamic Studies at Georgetown, has no pro-Islamic agenda. It's his academic field. And he tries to put the record straight and explain the Islamic world in this book.
(Simply the fact that Saudi Arabia is described by some reviewers as a "moderate" Islamic state when its version of Islam is actually an extremist fundamentalist one clearly shows the total lack of understanding that most people have of the Islamic world.)
Do yourself a favor and get this book. It tries to clarify the media stereotypes, tries to foster understanding, is not pro-Islam (it's actually more critical of Islam than Muslims might wish), and is extremely balanced and objective. It presents a bigger picture, and if you truly want to educate yourself about the world with respect to Islam, then this is a great book.
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