Customer Reviews

Oil and Islam: Social and Economic Issues (The Petroleum Research Series in Petrolem Economics & Politics)

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Professor Noreng has done a great service to both Muslims and Non Muslims by writing this book. It offers great insights into Islam, muslim history, business and culture. The common thread linking all these diverse topics is oil wealth.

Professor Noreng presents the facts as they are, and offers detailed refernces to back them up. He does not engage in any finger pointing, blame game, and things of that nature. His book follows the phiolosphy of these are the facts, thess are my interpretations and judgements, but feel free to make your own judgement.

I am a born muslim. Even I learned a lot about Islam after reading this book. The Economics of Oil is dealt superbly. Remarkable book.

Has obvious relevance after September 2001, and with US forces now in Iraq and Afghanistan. The author shows how oil has been a very mixed blessing in Muslim countries. While producing great wealth, this has sometimes been unevenly distributed through the originating countries. And in cases like Saudi Arabia and Brunei, it was used to put off democracy by providing material benefits, that at least arguably were received by most of the population.

As an aside, it was through the industrialisation of Saudi Arabia, and many government contracts for this, that Osama bin Laden amassed much of his wealth, which then bankrolled his later activities. Though the book, written in 1997, of course does not mention him, as he was an obscure figure then.

The author also discusses Iraq, with almost half the world's proven resources. Here, the oil managed to pay for twenty years of war and internal repression. The consequences of which are still unfolding daily.

A good background primer on current political affairs.