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OT: Reading list for Islamic fundamentalism

rememberduane

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rememberduane Newbie

rememberduane

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:cop:

 

I think this is something we all find interesting and obviously it's a terrible threat to the United States (and world) today. I also feel it's one of the most commonly misunderstood issues facing us today, which is obviously problematic for how important it is.

 

I study this stuff at a pretty good university (has been arguably considered the best for Arabic/Islamic studies in the world for quite a while -- home to Montgomery Watt and others) and I just thought I'd share a few books that I've found really helpful. You know, the diamonds in the rough. It seems like everybody has something to say about this these days, but there are a lot of factual problems in the pop-lit and the media is absolutely a joke.

 

Obviously, you can find this info elsewhere, but these have really helped me understand political Islam and the world in which it takes place. I feel that if everybody read just these few books, our foreign policy would be in a way better state right now. I feel that understanding the problem is the only way to fix it -- but none of these books, to my knowledge, put forward the "answer". They simply provide the context and background -- the consensus of the realities of the issues.

 

Please don't feel like I'm trying to indoctrinate anyone or being holier-than-thou. I just thought I'd share some of the fruits of my labor. No one says you have to agree with these guys, but these books are definitely a great place to start, IMO. So here goes:

 

--

 

It's very important that you start with these two, in this order. The order of the others doesn't matter, but read these first!

 

A History of Islamic Societies by Ira M. Lapidus -- This is one big book, but it's well worth the time and cost. This is by far one of the best books for its breadth but also its density. It begins with the pre-Islamic Arab societies and masterfully takes Islam all the way to the present day. This isn't a political history, but traces all aspects of Islamic societies. It's also important because we tend to focus on the Middle East and forget that most Muslims are not from the Middle East. The largest populations of Muslims in the world are in Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. I can't recommend this book enough.

 

and

 

A History of the Modern Middle East by William Cleveland -- This is a must-read for anyone interested in current events, and I wish I could put it on a reading list for the White House and Congress. Cleveland clearly and elegantly weaves the political history of the Modern Middle East from the decline of the Ottoman Empire to the present day. Its scope is limited to the Arab countries, Turkey, Israel, and Iran, but his treatment is immense. Just absolutely necessary to understand why things are the way they are today.

 

--

 

Okay... here I'm going to focus more on Islamic thought, specifically regarding fundamentalism. I'll note that these books are NOT worth reading without the context of the first two books I listed or similar. Obviously there are multiple treatments of the topics the first two books cover, but from my experience most academics would recommend those two.

 

Voices of Resurgent Islam ed. by John L. Esposito -- This book is a GOLD MINE of information. It was compiled in the early 80's but its still SO poignant and helpful. It consists of three sections -- the first dealing with approaches to "resurgent Islam" and some of its ideological underpinnings. The second is arguably the best part -- it outlines the life and works of some of THE most influential Islamic thinkers of our time. These are the people that provide the ideological groundwork for political Islam, terrorists, and legal Islamist groups. The treatments of Qutb and Mawdudi are superb, but it also covers Iqbal, Ayatollah Khomeini, Shariafi, and Gaddafi. The third section is interesting as well in that it consists of self-addressing articles/essays from people involved in political/resurgent Islamic movements.

 

Fundamentalism: A Very Short Introduction by Malise Ruthven -- A very short, very impressive survey of fundamentalism in the modern world, from Christians to Muslims to Jews to Hindus and even Buddhists. This is really interesting for contextualizing purposes and some of his arguments are really quite poignant. I know it's funny to include a book like this -- but why not? It's helpful, and Ruthven is a very well respected academic up at Aberdeen!

 

Intellectual Origins of Islamic Resurgence in the Modern Arab World by Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi -- This is a profoundly impressive work which took the author more than five years. It was originally a work solely on Sayyid Qutb, but it grew to include both some of the origins of his thought and some of his legacies. For that, it's a spectacular work, not least for a rather rare examination of Hasan al-Banna (founder of the Ikhwan al-Muslimin or Muslim Brotherhood). I strongly recommend this considering the influence of Qutb.

 

Islamic Fundamentalism ed. by Anoushiravan Ehteshami and Abdel-Salam Sidahmed -- A really broad compilation of what I would call case studies in the modern Arab world. No real focus on South Asia or even much in North Africa, but it provides several examples that both supplement your knowledge of Middle Eastern history and provide analogies for other major movements.

 

Political Islam: Revolution, Radicalism, or Reform ed by John L. Esposito -- Another HUGE win for Esposito as an editor. This book focuses less on ideology and more on politics, exploring Islamism as illegal opposition, institutionalization, and legal opposition. This book is worth buying just for the introduction and the first chapter discussing the political CAUSES of violent reactionary movements. No less important is the chapter on Pakistan and South Asia in general.

 

Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age 1798-1939 by Albert Hourani -- Hourani is one of the legends of Islamic studies, and this book is one of the reasons why. It covers a period that provides the roots of what you see in the Islamic world today. Dealing primarily with the Arab world's interaction with European imperialism, it discusses such heavyweights as Jamal al-Din "al-Afghani" and his disciple Abduh. This book is ESSENTIAL in understanding the Arab mindset leading to the conflicting strains of secular nationalism and intense religious revivalism, and you can see why the latter would later bubble over in the 1970's.

 

--

 

I've specifically avoided any modern works discussing the Taliban or al-Qa'ida. I feel there is WAY WAY too much speculative crap being flung around. For instance, this hogwash that they buy into Wahhabi Islam. That's complete crap -- Wahhabis, first of all, utilize the Hanbali form of Shari'a. The Taliban and al-Qa'ida, deriving more prominently from the Deobandi movement, buy into Hanafi law. This isn't really a reconcilable difference. The reason why the term "Wahhabi" is used is because it is a leftover from the British colonial period during which any uncooperative Muslim group was called Wahhabi.

 

I will recommend spending more time reading about Islam in South Asia (Lapidus has a list of books in the relevant chapters) before embarking on trying to understand the Taliban and/or al-Qa'ida. They are very very intricate movements which require an intimate understanding of the vagaries and complexities of Pakistani and Afghani culture and broader Muslim interaction with such. I don't feel there are any treatments in one volume that I could wholeheartedly recommend.

 

I do, however, feel that many of those books will help you on your way to understanding them, and there are many sections on South Asia, which will be exceedingly helpful.

 

If you want more books, I've read many more on this topic in completion and would be glad to recommend them. I feel that the ones I listed are the most informative and accessible ones.

 

Hopefully I haven't wasted my time! :p:thu:

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JKD Newbie

JKD

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I appreciate the time taken to post this and am sincerely glad there's people like you that take the time to understand all this. It's surely only by understanding, cooperation and compromise that there'll ever be any peace...sadly it seems they might be hard to come by.

For me, I say bah humbug to religion. :D

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draelyc Newbie

draelyc

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I appreciate the time taken to post this and am sincerely glad there's people like you that take the time to understand all this. It's surely only by understanding, cooperation and compromise that there'll ever be any peace...sadly it seems they might be hard to come by.


For me, I say bah humbug to religion.
:D



Here -- this thread is for you... start on this page:

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1763941&page=207

(It really starts to get good around post # 4135 or so ... :cool: )

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chakosh Newbie

chakosh

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I'll add another one to the list:

 

Either With Good Intentions by Barry Rubin (published in 1981) or The Persian Puzzle by Kenneth Pollack. Both books detail the role of the United States in the years prior to the Islamic revolution in Iran. The first book ends off with Khomeini taking power, while the second goes through his reign a bit more. Keep in mind that With Good Intentions' data is repeated in The Persian Puzzle.

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rememberduane Newbie

rememberduane

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I'll add another one to the list:


Either
With Good Intentions
by Barry Rubin (published in 1981) or
The Persian Puzzle
by Kenneth Pollack. Both books detail the role of the United States in the years prior to the Islamic revolution in Iran. The first book ends off with Khomeini taking power, while the second goes through his reign a bit more. Keep in mind that
With Good Intentions
' data is repeated in
The Persian Puzzle
.

 

 

I would argue that the Shi'a Islamic Republic is a completely different phenomenon. It derives specifically out of Shi'a legalistic doctrine (Imams and Ayatollahs rather than an ulama and the four schools of Shari'ah law), and Persian culture certainly plays a huge part.

 

It's certainly just as fascinating, even if it doesn't fall into line. As little as it has in common ideologically, it definitely isn't coincidence that the outcome of the revolution in Iran led to an Islamic Republic at around the same time as you see resurgent Islamism.

 

I'm not familiar with those books, but I would personally recommend The Turban for the Crown by Said Amir Arjomand and Iran Between Two Revolutions by Ervand Abrahamian if you're interested in that stuff. Both Lapidus and Cleveland have good sections, if short, and Voices of Resurgent Islam has a good article on Khomeini.

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simbasa Newbie

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+ a brazilian! (Those in the know will get that joke...)


Knowledge is power, folks ~ educate yourselves!
:thu:
:thu:
:thu:



Tell that to those {censored}ers sitting in their caves waiting to turn the rest of the world to their will and set society back a couple of thousand years.:idea:

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