Customer Reviews

Reforming the Prophet: The Quest for the Islamic Reformation

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W.R. Clement has written a concise and clear analysis of the cultural clash of East 'versus' West. The "War on Terrorism" and all the hyperbole are stripped away and Clement presents the essential differences between the two cultures and their followers. Particularly useful for westerners like myself, was the brief historical account of Islam and its spread across the Arabic world. One of the central themes of this book is that the Islamic world and the Judean world can never be rationalized with each other because they are so fundamentally different (at least in their present forms). Also, drawing on themes from his previous book "Quantum Jump: A Survival guide for the new Renaissance" (also a good read), Clement rightly points out that because Islam did not undergo a Reformation, as did the West, their sociopolitical & legal structure is all still founded and embroiled in Shari'a (religious) law. At this point, with the new Iraqi constitution having just been signed; it would be worthwhile to read this short, well-written book to bring yourself up to speed on the problems that will be faced by the Islamic culture in the coming years. Perhaps the most interesting point (from a biologist's point of view) is the last paragraph.