Radical Islam: Medieval Theology and Modern Politics [Hardcover]

Emmanuel Sivan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

As good a guide as any to the ideological currents that motivate and sustain some radical Islamics. -- (B.B. Lawrence, Choice)

Not just scholars but everyone seriously interested in teh contemporary Middle East is in Sivan's debt. -- (G.H. Jansen, Los Angeles Times)

[E]xceptional...professional, insightful, and persuasive...A well-informed interpretation of recent events based directly on relevant Arabic writings. -- (Michael W. Dols, History)

[T] his gem of a small book... book makes a large and almost entirely new body of information available. -- (Daniel Pipes, The New Leader) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

In recent years radical fundamentalists have had a formidable intellectual and social impact on Sunni Islam countries such as Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon. This highly acclaimed book by an eminent Arabist focuses on the development of Sunni Muslim fundamentalism, discussing how it rejected Western values, broke with pan-Arabism, and took on an activist political position. This enlarged edition contains a new chapter, "In the Shadow of Khomeini," which considers to growth and influence of Shi'ite radicalism since the Iranian Revolution, reviews the principal areas of controversy between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims, and assesses whether rapprochment between the two groups is likely. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Yale Univ Pr; First Printing edition (April 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300032633
• ISBN-13: 978-0300032635
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,131,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a good primer to Muslim fundamentalism, September 21, 2003

By 

doc peterson (Portland, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Radical Islam: Medieval Theology and Modern Politics, Enlarged Edition (Paperback)

Islamic fundamentalism (or "radicalism" if you prefer) is not a recent development, in spite of recent events. A case could even be made that Wahabism is a strand of fundamentalism in the broader interpretation of the word. Sivan examines Islam's fundamentalist appeal in Egypt (with the "Muslim Brotherhood", the group responsible for the murder of Sadat), Islamic Jihad in Lebanon and Syria, and the briefly touches on the shi'i revolution in Iran. At the heart of each of these groups is a disaffection with the Middle East's place in the world economy, and the political notion of a "nation-state." The appeal of fundamentalism is explored, and a good introduction to the interpretations of the Qu'ran that fundamentalists find is also discussed.

However, the book is not without its shortcomings. As a reader mentioned earlier, there is a Sunni slant to the fundamentalist movement (Shi'ii's are scarcely mentioned at all, and when they are are put in a 'negative' light), and Wahahbism - perhaps the first "fundamentalist" movement within Islam is ignored entirely. Furthermore, I had hoped that some discussion would have taken place regarding "where do we go from here?" Needless to say the issues that give fundamentalist (or even "radical") groups their appeal have not changed, so the continued existence of these groups is a foregone conclusion.

It is a good introduction to the "radical" movement, but is hardly the final word or greatest authority on the topic.

2 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Islam Sunni, October 19, 2007

By 

William Garrison Jr. (Bellevue, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Radical Islam: Medieval Theology and Modern Politics (Paperback)

Contents Page: The Mood; Doom and Gloom, Jeremiads, The Global Village, Education and It's Discontents, Does Modernitiy Deliver?, Can Islam Cope?, Ordeal and Discord, Barbarity and Nationalism, No to Jihad?, The New Jahiliyya, Farewell to Pan-Arabism, The Nagging Doubts, Nationalism and It's Discontents, Severing the Gordian Knot, The New Tyranny, Turning Inward; In Quest of Authenticity, Treason of the Clerics, The Specter of Ataturk, Media: The Subliminal Message, Cultural Pessimism, From Pessimism to Activism, Authenticity, Democracy, Socialism, and Minorities, The Sunni Revolution, Counter-Society, Withdrawal and Revolt, The Right to Revolt, Ibn Taymiyya: Apostacy and Revolution; Counter-Propaganda and Internal Disputes, Resource to Violence, Continuity and Change, The Conservative Periphery, Radicals and Conservatives, The Villain of the Piece, State Reform, Women: Tempted by the Devil, The Limits of Tolerance, Facing the "New Jahiliyya", Assessment by the Left, The Marginal Observers; Islam: The Challenge, The Watershed: Lebanon; Iran: Intellectuals Turned Mystics; Self-Critique; The Danger of Born-Again Islam; In the Shadow of Khomeini; Sunnis and Shi'ites, The Heritage; Historical Perceptions, Political Theory, Eschatological Myths, Controversies and Ecumenicism, Idiom and Content; Exporting the Revolution.

4 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, objective analysis, April 20, 2002

By 

lili barr (Princeton,NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Radical Islam: Medieval Theology and Modern Politics, Enlarged Edition (Paperback)

forcefully written, sharp, profound analysis of Fuindamentalism