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Title: Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam by John L. Esposito ISBN: 0-19-515435-5 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.93 (27 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Interesting, but, oh dear...
Comment: John L. Esposito casts himself in the role of King Canute in his latest book, apparently attempting to single handedly hold back the tides of Islamophobia which he perceives to be sweeping the West in general and post 9/11 America in particular. Esposito takes an opposing view to that expressed by the likes of Alan Dershowitz that we should waste no time agonising over motivation, cause and background to Islamic terror attacks. Esposito feels it is important to understand the background to the conflict and the way the people involved think. I agree. It's an excellent aim. And far from just politically correct - to understand the enemy (and Esposito points out the Muslims in general are not the enemy) aids, is even essential to, the fight. To understand is not to excuse. Nor is it to forgive.
Unfortunately, at times Esposito blurs the lines a bit and by the end of the book I felt this had eaten into his credibility quite a bit. He seems to have bought into the whole Post-colonialist reading of history and that isn't the least of it. One of Esposito's central ideas is to demonstrate that Islam and the West are not incompatible and that there is no "Clash of Civilisations". Again, I agree that there is no clash of civilisations. However, Esposito spends much of his time talking about how Muslims and Christians can live side by side - far less time talking about how Muslims and secularists can cheerfully live side by side. Which is a worry. He also perhaps goes a little far in sticking up for the idea of Western standards of Human Rights as being unnecessary and patronising in an Islamic World context. A little bit of cultural relativism goes a long way, but at times Esposito ends up sounding like a left wing version of the numerous big business defenders of "Asian Values" in places like Malaysia. Worst of all is his defence of the work done by people like Hamas and Hezbollah in the realms of education and "public service". Esposito seems to dislike the tendency of Western governments to limit funding to these groups and apparently is of the view that a clear and genuine seperation exists between the abovementioned groups terrorist activities and their charitable works - this is a dangerous point of view that can at best be put down to willful naivety.
So a good book in concept then, but heavily flawed in execution. Esposito's coverage of the various thinkers behind militant Islam is useful and he obviously has a passion for his subject but while I would recommend this book as something to provoke, moderate and get the old brain ticking over I would caution against taking it as completely gospel.
Rating: 5
Summary: One of the Few Impartial Voices Explaining Islam
Comment: John Esposito is a professor of religion and International Affairs at Georgetown, born and raised a Catholic, and one of the founders of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown. He's also a consultant to the State Department, which means he's politically knowledgeable. His books are not only level-headed and impartial, they're knowledgeable -- he has a Ph.D. in Islamic studies, which is more than the authors of most of the sensationalist books on Islam on the market at the moment. He really has no agenda except (as obvious) to promote understanding between religions.
Given that, it's refreshing to read this book. It gives the background of why people like bin Laden exist (he doesn't excuse them -- he just tells us why they exist), gives the Islamic doctrine of jihad (which, despite people who throw the term around indiscriminately, means a defensive war under certain limited conditions), and tries to explain how the doctrine of jihad is being misused. People who refer to the "real meaning of jihad" as what happened on 9/11 are simply displaying ignorance and a resistance to becoming informed.
Dealing with 9/11 means dealing with the complex morass of issues that provoked it. Esposito helps us understand some of those issues. He also provides a glossary in the back for Arabic terms that the media has no trouble using as if they know what they mean (such as shari'a).
The media distorts Islam so out of proportion that any attempt to correct inaccuracies is denounced as "whitewashing." Esposito does not whitewash. He tries to explain and promote understanding. He is not pro-Islam. In fact, he's not pro-anybody. He states facts and he doesn't explain everything in terms of good-guy/bad-guy, white/black, good/evil. Although that is bound to make some people uncomfortable, the world is not black and white.
I highly recommend this book if you want to stop being manipulated by the media and to make a sincere attempt at understanding some of the turmoil in the world today.
Rating: 4
Summary: An excellent primer
Comment: Esposito, certainly one of the foremost scholars today who deals knowledgeably with the interrelationship of Islam and Christianity, has produced this short but extremely readable and relevant book detailing in succint form what he believes to be the issues that are the basis for the struggle between radical Islam and America. I highly recommend this book for people who come to the issue with little prior knowledge about the issues shaping the problem, or anyone who wants to have a better understanding of the topic, regardless of the amount of knowledge they bring to the table. This book just may whet your appetite for more reading on the subject!
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Title: What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam by John L. Esposito ISBN: 0195157133 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: The Islamic Threat : Myth or Reality? (Third Edition) by John L. Esposito ISBN: 0195130766 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 July, 1999 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam by Gilles Kepel ISBN: 0674010906 Publisher: Belknap Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror by Bernard Lewis ISBN: 0679642811 Publisher: Modern Library Pub. Date: 25 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence by Mark Juergensmeyer ISBN: 0520240111 Publisher: University of California Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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