The Broken Crescent: The "Threat" of Militant Islamic Fundamentalism [Hardcover]

Fereydoun Hoveyda (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 027595837X | ISBN-13: 978-0275958374 | Publication Date: October 30, 1996

Militant Islamic fundamentalists blame the ills of their societies on the West and call for the overthrow of local governments and the resumption of Jihad against the "Infidels". Ambassador Hoveyda explores the historical and contemporary causes of the current wave of militant Islamic fundamentalism. Despite their terrorist attacks in the West, he also shows why fundamentalists are even more dangerous for Muslim countries that are desperately trying to catch up with the incipient global economy and alleviate their accumulated social and economic problems. If Western colonization and economic domination of the 19th and 20th centuries are to be blamed for the predicament of Muslim countries, Hoveyda points out that Muslims also bear a great responsibility for their situation. He shows how the triumph of fundamentalist interpretations of the Koran in the 12th century triggered the gradual decline of Islamic civilization. He also chronicles the history of militant Islamic movements of the past and present from the "Assassins" of the late 11th century to Ayatollah Khomeini. Having met his first militant Islamic fundamentalist at the age of four in Syria, where his father was serving as Persian Consul-general, Hoveyda draws upon a lifetime of personal experience as well as scholarship and experiences of others to provide an important insider/outsider examination of a worldwide concern.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This solid, easily readable book discribes the threat of "militant Islamic fundamentalism" on several levels.”–Choice

“[i]s a study of the perversion of Islam through bellicose, fundamentalist interpretations. Historical background of the first fundamentalist movements in the 12th Century is given, and an t effort to look at Islam in a modernizing world is made.”–Middle East Journal

“....should be required reading for all participants in international relations and public policy. Certainly everyone in the State Department should study this work closely. It is unquestionably the best book on the subject ever published. The National Committee on American Foreign Policy should be congratulated for sponsoring this research. Fereydoun Hoveyda has written the most sensible, analytic book about the significance and role of Militant Islamic Fundamentalism to appear, so far. He has explained much that the shallow thinkers of earlier studies have failed to comprehend. As was said at the beginning, this volume should be required reading for all supposed Islamic experts in the State Department and for all those who proclaim their wisdom on the matter of terrorism.”–Jewish Press

“Hoveyda's Broken Crescent is of major importance to all those who wish to comprehend the roots and the scope of militant Islamic fundamentalism in our present time as well as events in Iran....The book is well worth the money you will spend.”–Chanteh

Book Description

Hoveyda explores the historical and contemporary causes of the current wave of militant Islamic fundamentalism.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers (October 30, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 027595837X
• ISBN-13: 978-0275958374
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,727,431 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must read on militant Islamic fundamentalism, September 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Broken Crescent: The "Threat" of Militant Islamic Fundamentalism (Hardcover)

The Broken Crescent: The Threat of Militant Islamic Fundamentalism By Fereydoun Hoveyda, Praeger.

This book is of great importance to all those who want to comprehend the roots and the scope of militant Islamic fundamentalism in our present time. The author dissipates the confusing clouds that hang over most of the texts published about Islam by so-called experts. For one thing, he rejects the gobble-de-gook wooden style of most academic writings. It is easily readable and understandable.

The book reminds us that Islam as one of the of the major world religions, turned "fundamentalist" around the 12th century and has remained so up to now. Actually simple fundamentalism is found in almost all religions and "returning to the roots" of a religion does not imply militancy. The militants and the "official" clerics of Egypt's el-Azhar or Tunisia's Zeituni Islamic universities (for instance) share many current official interpretations of the Quran. But the latter do not invite the faithful to kill or commit other criminal acts as the former do.

Before the 12th century, the Muslim world was a relatively open society allowing speculative thinking and welcoming the classical cultures of antiquity, Greek, Persian, Indian, etc. Muslim scholars such as and scientists such as Avicenna or Averroes, flourished and produced an important body of work.

The triumph of fundamentalism stopped this and marked the beginning of a steady decline. Muslims rejected the science and philosophy they had developed. Their past work and knowledge was picked up by western universities and lead to the Renaissance in Europe. The author affirms that if fundamentalists had not won in the 12th century, the scientific and industrial revolutions would have happened in the Muslim world! He dubs as "unbearable" the cost of fundamentalism and its terrorist tactics is even more harmful. The leaders of this brand of super-fundamentalism, affirms the author, want to revive the Jihad in order to bring the whole world under their banner.

The book brushes up the history of militant fundamentalism and its revival by Khomeini after his seizure of power in Iran. In a way, American and other Western policies helped to achieve the success of militant fundamentalists in Iran, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Hoveyda's narratives contain a wealth of information. He demonstrates with clarity that militant Islamic fundamentalism is essentially a political movement and not a religious one.

Although Islamic fundamentalism may pose a threat to the West, it will be more "lethal" to the Muslim world itself. Moreover, Islamic fundamentalism cannot answer the needs of Muslim countries in the coming century. On the contrary, it will push them further back. In order to prevent total decay, Muslim intellectuals should undertake a formidable cultural effort and reject old fundamentalist interpretations... Hoveyda's work is a must read for all those interested in the question. As reviewer said: "Hoveyda has written the most sensible analytic book about the significance and the role of militant Islamic fundamentalism to appear so far." Indeed, this book is revealing... Guy Revol ++

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars AN EASY MANUAL TO ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM, July 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Broken Crescent: The "Threat" of Militant Islamic Fundamentalism (Hardcover)

This book by a former Iranian diplomat deserves far more attention than it has received. It offers a very readable survey of the latest literature available on Islamic fundamentalism in a number of languages. Hoveyda draws heavily on the writings of several European experts on Islamic fundamentalism including Olivier Roy, Maxime Rodinson, Amir Taheri, Bruno Etienne and Gilles Kepel, whose works may not be readily available to the American public. Hoveyda's conclusions may seem pessimistic. Roy and others have shown that Islamic fundamentalism is on the decline and, a decade from now, would not represent a major political force in any important Islamic country. This, however, does not mean that " the beast" of fanaticism could not raise its head here and there at some future point. A READER IN LONDON

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars AN EASY MANUAL TO ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM, July 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Broken Crescent: The "Threat" of Militant Islamic Fundamentalism (Hardcover)

This book by a former Iranian diplomat deserves far more attention than it has received. It offers a very readable survey of the latest literature available on Islamic fundamentalism in a number of languages. Hoveyda draws heavily on the writings of several European experts on Islamic fundamentalism including Olivier Roy, Maxime Rodinson, Amir Taheri, Bruno Etienne and Gilles Kepel, whose works may not be readily available to the American public. Hoveyda's conclusions may seem pessimistic. Roy and others have shown that Islamic fundamentalism is on the decline and, a decade from now, would not represent a major political force in any important Islamic country. This, however, does not mean that " the beast" of fanaticism could not raise its head here and there at some future point. A READER IN LONDON