Customer Reviews

God Has Ninety-Nine Names: Reporting from a Militant Middle East

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I have read David Pryce-Jones review of Miller's book and, although I agree with Pryce-Jones that Miller misses the real root of the problems that plague the badly-named "Middle East," I do not share the British author's severity of judgement. "God has ninety-nine names" is, before anything, a series of photographs in words. The reader will not get the depth that a profound analysis of the region should have, but we are trading the scholarly insights of a historian (and Miller is not a historian) for the immediacy of a reporter. I found several problems with this book, but none was so grave as to make me change my strong recommendation. Miller writes with the typical attitude (it has been called arrogance sometimes) of those who come from the developed Western world and marvel or gasp at the way the unwashed masses of the Third World behave. She equates westernization with modernization and both with progress, and in the Middle East there is cosmetic westernization, shallow modernization, and scant progress, with the exception of the State of Israel, an altogether different sort of bird in a very dismal aviary. When confronted with the harsh reality of strong men impossing their will on their subjects, and whole countries going macho and abusing their women (and those women in many cases applauding and encouraging such attitudes), then Miller seems to understand that she is in a different world, one that never knew of chivalry, or the Renaissance, or the French Revolution until those concepts and philosophies were imported to the area by Europe. The Middle East then appears as a dangerous place where secular and not-so-secular governments, some allied to the West, some its declared enemies, fight mostly vicious little wars against the religious militants who want to overthrow them and impose Shari'a throughout the Islamic world. The level of nastiness seems to have gone down, curiously, in Iran, where Shari'a is supposed to be working since the Shah left. Miller writes chapters on ten countries, including Sudan, Egypt, Israel, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. That the only country in the region where fundamentalists can participate politically as opposition, elect mayors, and run their show mostly as they see fit, is Israel, should not surprise anyone. That as soon as they acquire power (as in Sudan and Iran) fundamentalists make it practically impossible for others to be critical, except in open rebellion, should not be a surprise, either. Miller describes the area well, and her sense of being in the middle of things, plus the importance of the reporting, adds to the immediacy of the information we get. It would have been interesting to have chapters on Iraq, Turkey, and the Gulf States, but what she covers is well represented. I do not remember if Miller states that she speaks and/or reads Arabic, but the impression I got is that she can do neither. If this is the case, it would only show that, even though she reports candidly and helpfully, her understanding and vision must be limited. Pryce-Jones, of course, is right: power, and power defined and limited by honor and shame, are the key. Miller finally lets us get a glimpse of this phenomenon in her chapter on Jordan, where honor, shame, and conspiracy theories have prominence in pages 354-5. Her "Conclusions" chapter is special, since some of her opinions expressed before on the book, are refuted with a very politically-correct jab at the U.S. and its democracy, free markets, and (naturally) materialism. This is an uneven but valid work that should get the reader interested in the region. If that is the case, let me recommend "The Closed Circle: an interpretation of the Arabs," by David Pryce-Jones; "The Arab Predicament," by Fouad Ajami; "Among the Believers" and "Beyond Belief," both by V.S. Naipaul; and any book by Bernard Lewis.

Anyone drawn to study history, culture or politics will find this book well worth the read.

I was drawn by the sub-title, "Reporting from a Militant Middle East" because I've long felt the need to get some sort of understanding of the religious, social and political complexities to be found in the Middle East. This was the perfect book to meet that need.

Miller writing style is understandable and approachable. Her commitment to detail is unwavering, and because of that, one walks away with the feeling of really having learned well what she had to teach from her 20 years of experience as a reporter in the Middle East.

Finally, a single source to unravel the mysteries of so many separate and yet, connected, Islamic groups - some with influence throughout the Middle East, others that are very specific to certain cultures and countries.

This book has made my list of Favorite Books of All Time.

A good overview of the forces that have shaped militant Islamic movements in the Middle East & North Africa over the last several decades, along with a brief history of about a dozen countries in the region.

Although I can appreciate some of the criticisms leveled at Ms. Miller by other Amazon reviewers ("lacks depth" - e.g., it's a different read than something by Robert Kaplan), "God Has Ninety-Nine Names" does provide those who know relatively little about the region with an opportunity to quickly learn about the history of, and pre-1996 developments in, countries such as Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, etc. If you don't have the time to delve deeply into the history of the region and its religions, politics, economics, etc., spending a week reading this book will still afford you a much more intelligent analysis of what you're viewing on television nightly.

Although some Amazon reviewers have been highly critical of Ms. Miller and her NY Times pedigree, Ms. Miller, who lived and worked in the region for 25 years and was the Times' Cairo bureau chief, has assembled a relatively cohesive work using an array of interviews with the region's most notable political and religious figures. I think she is to be commended for her effort and for not being afraid to be critical of certain things that are happening in the Muslim world. Contrary to what some reviewers thought about her Arabic, I got the impression from the book that she did speak Arabic as well as French, but perhaps not fluently (thus the use of translaters for some of her interviews).

One drawback is that the book was published in 1996 and thus omits a discussion of developments since that time.

Judith Miller's book has generated some controversy which should tell us at least two things: First, this is an important book by a veteran writer and reporter that cannot easily be brushed aside. If it weren't so well-written and so well-researched, it would not have been deemed a "threat" to be publicly derided and often viciously criticized by those who have tended to apologize or excuse the excesses (including assassination, torture and terrorism) committed by some fundamentalist groups (e.g., Hezbollah), governments (e.g. Sudan, Iran) and guerilla movements (e.g. AIM in Algeria). Second, there is no denying it: This is a provocative book on a subject that has proven over the years to be a "hot button" for many. If you write or speak publicly about Islam, especially "political Islam," you are automatically treading into dangerous waters given the passions surrounding the subject.

Judith Miller is to be respected by all for her years of reporting and well-written and well-researched news coverage of the Islamic world over the years. She is also to be saluted for her courage in writing this book.

Strengths of book: Detailed profile of Islamic leaders and other figures. As a reporter, Miller writes in the "you-are-there" style of a veteran reporter. Very detailed stuff, well-footnoted.

Aspects of topic which book does not cover as thoroughly: Miller attempts to explain to the reader "what it all means." Overall, I think she does a good job. Islamic fundamentalism is a threat because of a) the disjunction between Western values and mores and Islamic ones, b) the rhetoric of hatred and hostility that fundamentalists espouse toward Westerners and Western nations c) the fact that fundamentalism is a growing political force in that region of the world. These are threads I was able to pull out of Miller's book. But they are a "subtheme." The main strength is the detailed character profiles and country-by-country profiles.

One needs to look elsewhere for a geostrategic analysis. Does Miller see political Islam, for example, uniting the Islamic world much like Communism unified a large landmass? What will the Islamic world look like politically over the next ten or twenty years? Miller is too much a reporter to give a sustained answer. I would recommend that readers interested enough to ponder Miller's book also look to works by 1) Dr. Daniel Pipes (on fundamentalist Muslims' perception of the world and penchant for conspiracy theories), 2) lawyer, Middle East historian and human rights activist Anthony J. Dennis (on potential of radical Islam to give rise to new Islamic confederation - his latest book is as provocative and insightful, in its own unique way, as Miller's) and 3) Bernard Lewis (emeritus Princeton Univ. professor of Middle East studies whose books are too numerous to mention) for further reading in this area. I believe all three have some or all of their titles listed in this Amazon Books data base.

Judith Miller is one of few who dares to blame the plight of minorities in Arab lands on the pervasive bigotry and racism of Arab society. For that she is to be commended, not scorned.

Ironically, Miller joins Moslem writers whose treatment of taboo subjects have been considerably more harsh than hers. Beyond the Veil portrays the Prophet Mohammad as a sex addict because he had up to 12 wives at the same time. Naguib Mahfouz' The Children of Gebalawi shows Mohamad as someone who smokes Hashish, and Nawal Saadawi recently declared The Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca, one of 5 pillars of Islam) a paganistic practice. Not to mention Salman Rushdi, whose Satanic Verses portrays the prophet as sexually perverted.

How honest is Edward Said, on the other hand? When covering Islam in Moslem countries, Said suggests that journalists and commentators should avoid subjects embarrassing to Arabs and Moslems. That includes the treatment of Christians, Jews, Bahais, women and other members of oppressed or minority classes whose plight in the Arab world has long been neglected by western scholars. Said suggests that no Christian or Jew can legitimately criticize the Moslem world. That includes scholars like Bernard Lewis, Yael Bat Yeor (who grew up in Egypt) and Miller, a Jewish reporter for the New York Times. In effect, Said advocates covering up Arab and Moslem atrocities. This can only perpetuate the suffering of those oppressed in Arab nations, including women.

Miller sheds light on this arena. Said advocates a double standard. Which one is more honest? My vote's with Miller.

I wonder if Judith Miller's knowledge of Islam included actually learning the 99 names for God, which define the essence of God for Muslims. If she had, I also wonder why it didn't give her reason to pause and then share the true core essence of this faith. I also lived a number of years in the Middle East, not as a professional, but as the American daughter of a father who worked there. I went to a local school, took public transportation, went to the markets, LEARNED ARABIC... in a nutshell, learned WHO the people are and WHAT they believe. Judith Miller's book betrays ANY knowledge of this sort. It's easy to become blocked by the smog and dirt of Cairo and donkeys in the streets (so shocking for Americans). She sounds like a tourist in her descriptions of the people and culture - and after so many years there. Reminds me of so many U.S. Embassy personnel I met - shrouded by the Embassy and cultural center walls and private chauffeurs. What a shame - she just didn't get it. If anyone wants to learn more about the Middle East, don't limit yourself to this book - you'll be doing yourself a disservice.

This is a very lousy book. It is a failing attempt to imitate Tom Friedman's From Beirut to Jerusalem. It is full of mistakes. Don't waste your money or your time buying it and reading it.
To illustrate what I mean by full of mistakes; take the chapter that discusses Lebanon, for instance.
The author talks about Iranians teaching children martyrdom in Shiite schools in South Lebanon. How could Persian-speaking Iranians communicate with Arabic-speaking Shiite youngsters? The author doesn't seem to be able to tell the difference.
This is not to belittle Iran's role in building Hizbullah in Lebanon, but Judith got it all with a wrong reasoning. She knows most of what happened, but she can barely explain why this did happen. When she comes up with words of wisdom, they prove to be unfit.
Another drawback in this book is Miller's assumption or her targeting of an audience that is not familiar with the Middle East at all. Whatever issue she mentions, she gives loads of quick surveys as background information. This becomes boring while the information she provides seem shallow for readers familiar with the Middle East.
Finally, even though Miller has a good journalistic style, such a style doesn't necessarily look good when writing a book that is a mixture of history and politics of a region with the biggest number of versions of the most complicated stories of the world's history.

Judith Miller is one of few who dares to blame the plight of minorities in Arab lands on the pervasive bigotry, racism and violence of Arab society. For that she is to be commended, not scorned.

Ironically, Miller joins Moslem writers whose treatment of taboo subjects have been considerably more harsh than hers. Beyond the Veil portrays the Prophet Mohammad as a ... addict because he had up to 12 wives at the same time. Naguib Mahfouz' The Children of Gebalawi shows Mohamad as someone who smokes Hashish, and Nawal Saadawi recently declared The Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca, one of 5 pillars of Islam) a paganistic practice. Not to mention Salman Rushdi, whose Satanic Verses portrays the prophet as sexually perverted.

How honest is Edward Said, on the other hand? When covering Islam in Moslem countries, Said suggests that journalists and commentators should avoid subjects embarrassing to Arabs and Moslems. That includes the treatment of Christians, Jews, Bahais, women and other members of oppressed or minority classes whose plight in the Arab world has long been neglected by western scholars. Said suggests that no Christian or Jew can legitimately criticize the Moslem world. That includes scholars like Bernard Lewis, Yael Bat Yeor (who grew up in Egypt) and Miller, a Jewish reporter for the New York Times. In effect, Said advocates a cover-up of Arab and Moslem atrocities. This can only perpetuate the suffering of those oppressed in Arab nations, including women.

Miller sheds light on this arena. Said advocates a double standard. Which one is more honest? My vote's with Miller.

I found this text to be a truly fascinating read; a thorough country by country analysis of the social, political and religious climate of the Middle Eastern countries. There is much to learn here, not so much as a study of the good or evil (take your pick) of Islam but as a tremendously thorough study of the cultures of these countries and how those cultures and practices developed. This is as good a "history' text as I have ever read. Most of the information is conveyed through conversations with the locals. The message here is not what is good or bad about Islam. It is a well researched text full of information that you can use to form your own opinion. I highly recommend "God Has 99 Names" to anyone with an interst in this area of the world.

In the breathless opening pages, Ms. Miller attends a hanging. I would have been terified, but she is such an honest reportorial voice that she tells us how it seemed even though she must have known how callous she would sound. She said it reminded her of a sack of potatoes. The thought of this lovely single woman going around the Arab world getting and telling her stories is thrillingly spine tingling to me. I'm afraid to walk in my neighbor at night. Gosh, I think Ms. Miller is brave. And she writes well. And she must be a lovely person with a good heart because throughout her whole book she talks of the many friends she made while on duty in the Middle East, friends of all differeing backgrounds, and her love of the region and the people really shines through the informative historical information about each place. Her sadness over the violence and the poverty also comes through. Her thesis that when you have a large, young, jobless population you are more likely to have militancy is true not only now in the present day middle eastern countries, but has been true through all of human history. I learned a lot from reading this book and would recommend to everyone.