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Title: The Islamic Threat : Myth or Reality? (Third Edition) by John L. Esposito ISBN: 0-19-513076-6 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 July, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.29 (28 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: A studied avoidance of the aims of radical Islam
Comment: I hate to say this because Professor Esposito is personally a nice guy but he functions chiefly via his published writings, and particularly this book which I have read and reread at length, as an apologist for the worst excesses of political Islam. And it's a shame, because Esposito is an intelligent and articulate individual who has and acts out of a deep desire for peace between the Islamic and Judeo-Christian worlds. Because he is actuated by a desire to sooth tempers and promote peace, Esposito either consciously or more likely subconsciously ignores the more troubling rhetoric emanating from the traditional Muslim world and makes excuses for whatever speeches or party platforms he cannot in good faith ignore. Esposito, like John Voll of UNH or Abadi at the U.S. Air Force Academy are of the school that it is "bad" to honestly report the violent words and objectives of the Muslim fundamentalists. Esposito et al explain away the violent and troubling imagery employed by the fundamentalist Muslims by explaining that these speeches are driven more by internal politics and that the fundamentalist movement in all these countries (Iran, Sudan, Algeria, Egypt) can be mollified if only we in the West pumped more economic aid into these countries and increased living conditions. Not so. And I think the Muslim Brotherhood, AIM, the FIS, the Refah Party, Al-Nahda, the Islamic Rennaisance Party and others would be offended by Esposito's patronizing suggestion that they drop their anti-Western agenda for money. Esposito should take a look at Turkey, one of the wealthiest and most economically and politically advanced nations in the Islamic world and a staunch NATO ally. That country has now gone to the Islamic camp with the elevation of prime minister Erbakan who has called for "uncoupling" Turkey from NATO and the West, the formation of an "Islamic NATO" with Iran and the foundation of an "Islamic Union of States." Erbakan's election and the electoral success of the Refah (Welfare) Party in Turkey proves once and for all that fundamentalist Islam is driven by more than just poor economic conditions. Even in Egypt, the fundamentalists have successfully recruited to their cause wealthy doctors and lawyers and have captured the professional bar and most medical societies. So, the liberals' cry that radical Islam is driven by economic privation rings hollow. Esposito points to the Iranian Revolution and the fact that it has not yet spread to many other lands as evidence of the fact that there is, in his words, "no global Islamic threat." Not so. The global threat from fundamentalist Islam has just begun. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War competition means that Islam now has a chance to flourish again in the light of day without being "crowded out" of the ideological field by other competing ideologies like communism and capitalism/liberal democracy. I think conditions are auspicious for the resurgence on a grand scale of radical Islam and that we have been lulled by the last 15 years into thinking that the Iranian Revolution was the high water mark
Rating: 5
Summary: Balanced and Objective
Comment: I can't believe that many of those reviewing this book actually read it. For one thing, they miss the whole point of this book, which is this: though of course there are wackos out there like bin Laden, Islam does not sanction them. The attack on the Twin Towers was not "Islamic," as people persist in believing, any more than McVeigh's attack in Oklahoma City was Christian, even though McVeigh acted in the name of the Christian Identity Christian fundamentalist group and was raised a Catholic.
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.
Rating: 5
Summary: Caution advised
Comment: The idea of portraying bin Laden as a "wacko" who is divorced from his religion.. may I ask who has read the Quran? Go to the foundation of Islam, their very scriptures call for killing unbelievers. McVeigh was an atheist up until his execution, and could not even quote scripture.
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Title: Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam by John L. Esposito ISBN: 0195154355 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
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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: Islam,: The Straight Path by John L. Esposito ISBN: 0195112342 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 November, 1997 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: Islam : A Short History (Modern Library Chronicles) by KAREN ARMSTRONG ISBN: 081296618X Publisher: Modern Library Pub. Date: 06 August, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Wahhabism: A Critical Essay by Hamid Algar ISBN: 188999913X Publisher: Islamic Publications International Pub. Date: 10 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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