8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Flawed delivery and writing style diminish the impact of Khalid's excellent analysis., February 1, 2009
This review is from: Islam after Communism: Religion and Politics in Central Asia (Paperback)
Adeeb Khalid provides an overview of the role of Islam in Central Asian, attempts to dispel misconceptions propagated by western scholars, and highlights the impact of communism on Islamic traditions and society. While "Islam after Communism" offers outstanding arguments and analysis, its impact is diminished because of the author's lack of objectivity and his inability to more clearly organize the material. I would recommend this book only for students of Islam or the history of Central Asia who are specifically interested in how Communism has affected the region or religion. However, I would advise readers of this book to be wary of Khalid's arguments because, in my opinion, he is (whether justified or not) extremely bitter and resentful of the way Western writers have portrayed Islam. This resentment simmers just below the surface of many of his arguments and seeps through in different parts of the book. That being said, if you can differentiate between his emotionally driven opinions and his historically accurate insights, Adeeb Khalid offers a sophisticated analysis of the Communist influence on Islam in Central Asia.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An Interesting Description of Central Asian Islam, December 30, 2009
This review is from: Islam after Communism: Religion and Politics in Central Asia (Paperback)
This short book is a brief history of Islam in Central Asia, and a longer argument about the nature of Islam in Central Asia (by which he primarily means Uzbekistan). Specifically, Prof. Khalid argues that Uzbek Islam is different from Islam in other regions (such as Pakistan or Saudi Arabia) because of its very different history. Decades of Soviet control, he argues, has had a profound effect on the way Uzbeks view their religion. The writing is sometimes choppy, and the historical sections assume a certain amount of background knowledge. I recommend this book to specialists or to college students with at least a minimal knowledge of Central Asian history and geography. It is too dense and obscure for more casual readers.
In the rest of this review, I address some more specific points.
1. Prof. Khalid does not shy away from attacking other authors. Salman Rushdie's views are "particularly pompous" (p. 208, n. 14). Ahmed Rashid mixes "arrogance and ignorance in equal measure" in describing Central Asia (p. 3). See also p. 209, n.20; p. 210, n. 4. Even where I agree with Prof. Khalid's conclusions, his arrogant tone does not help him persuade.
2. Specifically, Prof. Khalid spends a great deal of time attacking "essentialism" and its proponents, like Samuel Huntington and Bernard Lewis. "Essentialism" is the view, in this context, that a "pure" or "true" Islam exists, and that to the extent that cultures or sects deviate from the pure form, they are not really Muslim. Essentialism, in Prof. Khalid's view, is historically baseless, and also irresponsible because it creates and "us versus them" attitude that, in turn, leads to conflict. "Islam, for Lewis, is immutable and impervious to change brought about by history or society. ...Such essentialist arguments are much loved by today's Islamic extremists, who proceed from the assertion of total incompatibility of Islam and the West. Osama bin Laden and Bernard Lewis completely agree on this point" (p. 7).
Objectively speaking, I think Prof. Khalid is correct. Speaking as a non-Muslim, it seems clear to me that Islam can and has changed, at least in its outward forms, and today varies from region to region, from sect to sect, and from believer to believer. But in another, very important sense, Prof. Khalid is wrong. Sometimes perception is reality. To a radical Muslim, the notion of situational Islam is ridiculous. To the extent that Khalid's Uzbeks differ in belief or practice from Muslims in other places, they are not simply different - they are apostate. And the distiction is important enough in the eyes of many to warrant assassination and terrorism. Some Muslims may believe Islam is compatible with modernity, but others disagree. The terms "dar al-Islam" and "dar al-Harb," after all, were not invented by Westerners.
3. The upshot of the "essentialist" argument is Prof. Khalid's conclusion that Uzbeks should not be lumped in with other Islamic groups, or automatically assumed to be radical. Stated so simply, I completely agree. The reality, obviously, is not so simple, and the book provides its own evidence. Prof. Khalid minimizes the role and legitimacy of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), and yet the group exists, and actively fought coalition forces in Afghanistan. Its members may be small, but they came from somewhere - both physically and culturally. Prof. Khalid's tone suggests his dislike for President Bush, yet Bush's willingness to work with Uzbek President Islam Karimov until 2005 indicates that Bush was not guilty of tarring all Uzbeks as dangerous fanatics.
Although I disagree with some of what Prof. Khalid writes, I nevertheless enjoyed the book for the engaging discussion. Far better to encounter an idea, examine it, accept the good and reject the bad, than to remain unaware.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An eye witness :), March 21, 2009
This review is from: Islam after Communism: Religion and Politics in Central Asia (Paperback)
Being a grandson for a man who suffered from the Bolshevik revolution and a man who left his country for the sake of his faith, I consider myself as a part of this book.
I have not finished the book yet, but until now what I have gained from this book are three things:
1- New information about the hidden history of central Asia at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. And the role of the Muslim scholars "the Ulama" at that time.
2- A refreshment of what I have been told by grandparents about the soviet assault on Islam and the way they fought to keep it.
3- A new and clear picture of Islam and its meaning in central Asia nowadays.
If you want to know what Islam is to Central Asians I recommend this book.
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