Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition: Essays by Western Muslim Scholars (Perennial Philosophy) [Paperback]

Joseph Lumbard (Author), Seyyed Hossein Nasr (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Perennial Philosophy | Publication Date: May 14, 2004

This book offers an analysis byWestern Muslim scholars of the key reasons behind the dangerous breaksown in understanding between Islam and the West.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This book capably argues for a return to the true spirit of classical Islamic intellectualism, disregarding the distractions and obstacles created by the West. Its strongest chapter, "Recollecting the Spirit of Jihad" by Reza Shah-Kazemi, marshals the history and traditions of the noble Muslim warrior, who never killed out of revenge, protected Jews from slaughter and embodied the true spirit of jihad, which means an inner spiritual struggle. The writer contrasts heroes of Muslim history, like Saladin, with the manipulative terrorists of Al-Qaeda, who politicize and deliberately misconstrue jihad. In the following essay, "Roots of Misconception," Ibrahim Kalin contends that propaganda against Islam, from the Crusades through contemporary movies and news media, is responsible for the inaccurate Western view that Islam needs to be modernized. T.J. Winter's "The Poverty of Fanaticism" contains probably the first academic recognition of the phenomenon of "salafi burnout,'" which takes place when a college-age male follower of the literalist Wahhabi/Salafi philosophy trades his conservative views, beard and religious dress for a Western girlfriend and capitalistic outlook. Although all the authors are Western Muslims—a quality rightly admired by Seyyed Hossein Nasr in his foreword—the absence of an essay by a Muslim woman is glaring. This book is a good resource for progressive Muslims, graduate students and readers already well versed on the politics of Islamic theology.
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About the Author

Joseph Lumbard is the founder of The Islamic Research Institute and is currently Professor of Islamic Studies in the Arabic Studies Department of The American University in Cairo. He is a specialist in Sufism and Islamic Philosophy, and has had numerous articles published in journals of traditionalism, comparative religion, and philosophy. In the wake of September 11, 2001, Dr. Lumbard founded the Islamic Research Institute (IRI) to provide a forum in which Muslim scholars are able to contextualize issues pertaining to Islam and apply the traditional teachings of Islam to the exigencies of modern life.

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: World Wisdom (May 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941532607
• ISBN-13: 978-0941532600
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,465,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Different from the usual fare, with rare insights into Islam, June 25, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition: Essays by Western Muslim Scholars (Perennial Philosophy) (Paperback)

There are many books today which deal with the so-called crisis in the Islamic world, from Bernard Lewis' "What Went Wrong?" which takes a narrow and often absurdly one-sided view to the West-Islam problem, to books by Muslims trying to explain away their real shortcomings by blaming everyone but themselves. This book does neither. To my knowledge the perspective that both sides should be embracing a more deep-rooted and traditional practice and understanding of Islam has only appeared in perhaps a few articles in the Western press and in one or two recent books. The rest of the literature out there seems to be caught between either a complete dilution of Islam in favor of modernity or a mindless rejection of all things Western in favor of a cult of zealous legalism.

I reccommend this book for two reasons. First, it starts from a point of view of pragmatism that is refreshing in such an emotional time. A prime example is Ansary's article analyzing Bin Laden's strategy using game theory, which is original and extremely persuasive. Second, it takes into account the vast ocean of Islamic civilization and the intellectual and spiritual history to which it gave rise. Both sides of the issue of Islamic fundamentalism have almost completely insulated themselves from the great tradition of scholarship and traditional spirituality. For example, both Jerry Falwell and Osama bin Laden seem to agree that the Koran allows cart blanche to carry out war as one sees fit (if one is a Muslim). Dakake's article makes it clear that only a total ignoramus or a delusional maniac could accept such an interpretation in light of the history of just war theory in Islam.

In general, one finds insights about Islam and the present situation that it is difficult to find elsewhere. You will not find rehashing of the same tired analysis we are pelted with on a daily basis in our media. Agree or not, the points of view presented here are important and are, to my mind, very persuasive.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars View from a Marine, November 26, 2004

By 

Stephen T. York (Springfield VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition: Essays by Western Muslim Scholars (Perennial Philosophy) (Paperback)

Ever since standing on the flight deck of the USS Midway in late February 1980 watching the calm, warm waters comprising what was then called Gonzo Station recede in the ship's wake, I have tried to uncover insights into what was compelling the peoples of that restless corner of the world to act in ways I couldn't quite comprehend. Gonzo Station was a "box of water" at the mouth of the Straits of Hormuz where the aircraft carrier from which I been flying was tethered for 90-plus days. The USS Midway was the 1st major US warship to sortie towards the Arabian Sea in response the seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran. We flew one helluva of bunch of armed reconnaissance sorties in preparation for the ill-fated operation rescue attempt at Desert One in the sands of Iran. I left Gonzo Station with concern that we would be back. Several years later, I was fortunate to be selected by the Marine Corps to attend a respected graduate school in New England, where I decided to attempt to gain greater understanding as to what had driven the mullahs, imams, and ayatollahs to become so "political." But at that time, much of the scholarly writing on this topic was limited to work by individuals, generally all Muslims, born and reared in the Middle East but now living in the West. As much as they attempted to write from a perspective that would allow a WASP male like myself understand how stresses in Islam were beginning to manifest themselves in the political life of nations, they failed - - at least as I saw it. That is why Dr Lumbard's book Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betray of Tradition is an essential key for a male WASP like this retired Marine to try anew to understand the complex societal, cultural, and religious linkages behind the seizure of the US embassy in Tehran, the bombing of the Marine Barracks in Lebanon, and most recently, the latest act of war performed against America by certain twisted practitioners of Isalm - - namely, the horrendous attacks of 9/11. The contributors to this book and its editor speak to me in a manner I can readily understand. Of particular note is the chapter on "The Decline of Knowledge and the Rise of Ideology in the Islamic World" by the book's editor. It identified the net effect of the failures in the general and religious education systems of these nations and why the minds of young males are such fertile ground for manipulation. For persons such as myself who remain curious as to how events arise that have effected my private and professional lives, the opportunity afforded to me by this book regarding insights into the role of Islam within the lives of its believers from a convert who may have grown up or lived just down the street from me is invaluable. There is a reason why Christians or Jews convert to the other Abrahamic faith. If their god is the same god to whom we refer with the words "In God We Trust" on our money or etched on the walls of our most sacred buildings (and I believe he or she is), then we need more books like this one to enable us to feel completely "at ease" living with "non-jihadist" Muslims, born or converted. We must continue to search out the good in Islam so that our nation's policies towards Middle Eastern countries can be more effectively recast while we hunt down to their death those fundamentalist who have betrayed the traditions of this great faith.

Stephen T York
Lieutenant Colonel, USMC Retired

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Traditional Islam, April 9, 2006

By 

Conflict Anthropologist "Miles" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition: Essays by Western Muslim Scholars (Perennial Philosophy) (Paperback)

I thank Robert Spencer for putting in his views. However I respectfully disagree with his assessment of this book. This book I do believe gives a powerful counter to the Takfiri/Qutbist/Al-Qaeda ideology of infinite Jihad. The modern Islamic jurists who give the caveats about killing women and children, also follow a modern line of scholars, and NOT traditional Sunni scholars or the examples of their prophet and of the Sahaba (companions of Mohammed). I am not Muslim, however, as a conflict anthropologist I am working on doing research to develop alternative methods of counter-terrorism using traditional Islam as the foundation. This book has been an excellent resources for me in opening the doors to the very long and rich history of traditional Islamic scholars and their views on Jihad. Aside from a handful of fanatical early scholars like Ibn Tammiyah, the majority have never advocated what we see today in the extremist movement in Islam that is rapidly growing as it is being fed by the "War on Terror".
Surah 9:29 is scary at first glance, but not so scary when it's read within the context of Sunah (life, actions, and behavior of Mohammed) which heavily emphasizes respecting peace treaties with non-believers for example. This book mentions also examples of joint-Jihad in which Christian Arab tribes fought alongside Muslims against common enemies. So the Qu'ran needs to be understood within the context of Sunah and historical context. This is something good Islamic scholars do. Sadly not every modern Islamic scholar does this. But that does not mean that they represent Islam and all Muslims. At any rate, this is a form of review and not the place for debate. I will go to the website you named on your post to continue the debate if you post a topic on this book. I hope what I said however is of interest to those interested in this book as I believe it is a vastly more accurate book then many others out there that try to scare the hell out of non-Muslims that we need to start fighting Islam like we did the communists during the Cold War.
This neoconservative view that is being followed now by the United States government only leads to self-fullfilling prophecy as it swells the ranks of extremist Islamist movements by giving legitimacy to them and fullfilling the extremist's claims that the United States is waging a war upon Islam.

Salam
Miles