At present, John Esposito and John Voll are probably the most prominent writers on things Islamic in the United States. Both pair a sound academic grounding in religious studies with the ability to provide readable and balanced accounts on current affairs and important intellectual trends in the Islamic world. In 'Makers of Contemporary Islam' they present a number of Islamic thinker-activists - some of whom are quite controversial - in an empathic manner.
In composing this book the authors have tried to strike a balance between 'pure' intellectuals and political activists. In addition to that they have endeavored to ensure a fair geographical spread as well, by including representatives from North Africa, the Arab Middle East, Iran, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia.
In their introductory chapter Esposito and Voll give an account of the role of the intellectual in society. This issue is addressed from both a historical and cross-cultural perspective. The writers have also included a typology of the intellectual in Islamic society: distinguishing between traditional religious scholars (the so-called Ulama), secular thinkers, and modern Muslim activist intellectuals. While the relative influence of the first group has been on the decline ever since the arrival of modernity in the Islamic world, the second group was discredited and soon overtaken by the Islamists following the defeat of the Arabs by Israel in 1967.
The authors have emphasized the subtleties in the thought of the Islamists treated in this volume. It is made clear that all these thinkers take a critical stand towards their own cultural heritage and share an interest in dialogue and intellectual exchange with other cultures. This way a much-needed counterweight is provided for the commonly held image of Islamists as narrow-minded radical fanatics and extremists bound on a violent-ridden collision course with the West.
The Arab Middle East is represented by a Palestinian scholar of religion, Ismail al-Faruqi, and the Egyptian philosopher Hasan Hanafi. These two thinkers share a rigorous academic training in both Islamic studies and western philosophy. Al-Faruqi, who has spent his academic career mainly in North America, was very apt at representing Islamic thought in western philosophic jargon, which may greatly contribute to its accessibility for western thinkers. In addition to that he has written penetrating books on important Islamic concepts such as the tawhid - de absolute unity of God. Al-Faruqi has also been engaged in comparative religious studies. Hanafi is a very prolific writer who has spent time in France and the United States. His most important contributions are his treatment of the concept of 'heritage' and the introduction of the phenomenon of 'the Islamic Left': a strand of Islamism that endeavors to translate critical thought into action.
The account on Hasan al-Turabi, a leading Sudanese Islamist, is focussed more on subject's political career than his philosophy as such. Probably this is due to the fact that the authors have based themselves predominantly on earlier research conducted for the State Department. Yet again, their account is more nuanced than the usual - overly facile - qualification of Sudanese Islamism as state-sponsored terrorism. Yet they never become apologetic and clearly point out that Turabi has indeed not shied away from associating with the country's repressive regimes in order to pursue his own agenda. Esposito and Voll point out that the real influence of Turabi has by and large been limited to the local Sudanese political experience. In the intellectual field however his writings have been - and continue to be - very influential throughout the Islamic world.
The Tunisian Rachid Ghannoushi fits in a similar mold. Probably intellectually the least powerful, he has been instrumental in articulating the importance of dialogue between 'culture zones', in order to find ways to borrow from each other's achievements and yet retain cultural authenticity.
Moving further east we encounter the Pakistani economist Khurshid Ahmad, who has been involved in both the development of an Islamic theory of economics and the actual application thereof during his years as a cabinet member and government adviser. Khurshid Ahmad is also a key-figure in Pakistan's Jamaat-i-Islami, whose founder Mawlana al-Mawdudi has been extremely influential for the formation of Ahmad's thought and the furthering of his political career.
A very interesting figure is the Iranian Abdolkarim Soroush (pen name of Hossein Dabbagh). A pharmacologist-turned-philosopher of science, he has been able to remain at the core of Iran's Revolutionary establishment and yet maintain a controversial stand regarding the impact of Islam on science and politics. In this respect he takes an interesting position through his distinction between religion and 'knowledge of religion', which is very much informed by his expertise in textual studies and profound understanding of poetics. Maybe most surprising is Soroush negative attitude towards Iran's 'Mullahcracy'.
Two of Southeast Asia's most influential islamically oriented politicians are also included in this book. Not only do they share a common cultural-geographic origin and rather similar outlook, but both have also fallen from political grace. Anwar Ibrahim, a former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and anointed successor of Mahathir, is serving a long-term prison sentence for alleged corruption and sexual misconduct. Abdurrahman Wahid, long-time leader of the Nahdatul Ulama (NU), was impeached as president of Indonesia and forced to resign.
The only female in this book is Maryam Jameelah; an American woman of Jewish extraction, who decided to embrace Islam and has since then made a name as a writer on traditional Islamic values. I wonder if the authors could not have identified another female intellectual, who is more representative for women Islamists.
In conclusion, 'Makers of Contemporary Islam' is an informed and balanced contribution to the growing body of books on the role of Islam in defining relations between cultures and in international politics.
