Book Description
A National Public Radio reporter covering the last stand of the Taliban in their home base of Kandahar in Afghanistan's southern borderland, Sarah Chayes became deeply immersed in the unfolding drama of the attempt to rebuild a broken nation at the crossroads of the world's destiny. Her NPR tour up in early 2002, she left reporting to help turn the country's fortunes, accepting a job running a nonprofit founded by President Hamid Karzai's brother. With remarkable access to leading players in the postwar government, Chayes witnessed a tragic story unfold-the perverse turn of events whereby the U.S. government and armed forces allowed and abetted the return to power of corrupt militia commanders to the country, as well as the reinfiltration of bands of Taliban forces supported by U.S. ally Pakistan. In this gripping and dramatic account of her four years on the ground, working with Afghanis in the battle to restore their country to order and establish democracy, Chayes opens Americans' eyes to the sobering realities of this vital front in the war on terror.
She forged unparalleled relationships with the Karzai family, tribal leaders, U.S. military and diplomatic brass, and such leading figures in the Kandahar government as the imposing and highly effective chief of police-an incorruptible supporter of the Karzai regime whose brutal assassination in June 2005 serves as the opening of the book. Chayes lived in an Afghan home, gaining rich insights into the country's culture and politics and researching the history of Afghanistan's legendary resistance to foreign interference. She takes us into meetings with Hamid Karzai and the corrupt Kandahar governor, Gul Agha Shirzai, into the homes of tribal elders and onto the U.S. military base. Unveiling the complexities and traumas of Afghanistan's postwar struggles, she reveals how the tribal strongmen who have regained power-after years of being displaced by the Taliban-have visited a renewed plague of corruption and violence on the Afghan people, under the complicit eyes of U.S. forces and officials.
The story Chayes tells is a powerful, disturbing revelation of misguided U.S. policy and of the deeply entrenched traditions of tribal warlordism that have ruled Afghanistan through the centuries.
Customer Reviews:
Former NPR reporter discovers how the world works.......2007-10-04
In this book, Sarah Chayes travels to Afghanistan after 9/11 and stays there for several years. She begins as a reporter and ends up working in the non-government sector as a minor political player.
This book is written as her personal and professional journey in Afghanistan. She learns there that people are not what they seem. Different agencies of the US government and their allies work at cross purposes. Stupid bureaucratic rules lead to bad policy. Some people don't want to know the truth, or even worse, they know the truth but choose ignore its implications. Or they may even know the truth and want to cover it up.
My first reaction to all this was, "Duh." Anyone who studies foreign policy knows that this is how the world works; Chayes' own story simply provides details from a new place. My second, and more troubling reaction was, "Why is Chayes surprised by this?"
I was repeatedly stunned by her lack of knowledge and naivete. She studied Arabic in college, along with medieval Islamic history. She has a BA and MA from Harvard in these fields. Yet she apparently had no idea how tribal politics or patron-client political systems work. She's surprised that the US Army, US Special Forces, and US Agency for International Development might be supporting different players in Afghan politics. Heck, in Vietnam US forces supporting different players ended up shooting at each other. I'm sure the Soviets had similar experiences around the world.
Her great virtue, and I want to emphasize how impressive it is, is her courage. She is willing to put herself on the line. She returns to Afghanistan when she doesn't have to. She lives in residential areas, not in foreigner compounds. She leaves an attractive career at NPR to head an NGO in Afghanistan on a shoestring budget. She stays in place after receiving multiple death threats (and after investigating their credibility). She has a close friend, and many acquaintances, die. Her courage and her personal commitments as a liberal do-gooder shine through the book.
As a first-hand report of how Afghanistan works today, and how the foreigners in it live, this is an interesting book. However, it's written as a personal journey, which makes it two or three times longer than it need be - - we find out how Chayes learned things, not just what she learned. If you like these journeys, you'll like the book. I found those parts a bit tedious because of the naivete with which she began.
Some early chapters of the book also provide amusing anecdotes on how National Public Radio and other media outlets work. Apparently, they send reporters to foreign countries in order to write up stories consistent with the editors' preconceived notions. They are also supposed to write on the same subjects that other reporters have written on. Of course, we all know this, too, but it's nice to have the confirmation.
So, all in all, a mixed review.
How we are losing Afghanistan........2007-09-10
The author Chayes details how the United States is losing Afghanistan after our brillant success in toppling the Taliban. The main reason is due to support of narrow based warlords who are pillaging the country. Due to supporting the wrong people, we are tarnishing our options as the population is coming to view NATO/U.S. as one and the same with the warlords. Everybody has focused on the fighting in Iraq and how we are losing there, but Chayes book details how both the military and civilian authorities have turned over Afghanistan to the same people that ran it into the ground prior to the Taliban. In her neck of the woods at Kandahar, the US has supported a warlord named Gul rather than better representatives in the Pashtun tribes.
I liked Sarah's book and give her high marks for her journals in Afghanistan. I would point out that Westerners have to be careful of how to tell Third World nationals on how to run their countries. Both is Iraq and Afghanistan, we face situations where people are coming to the forefront in the government. For us to tell them how to run their country smacks of colonialism. However, Chayes is right on the mark in staying that the U.S. made many mistakes in how they occupied this country.
Intelligent, fascinating, revealing. An exceptional assessment of post 9/11 Afghanistan!.......2007-08-07
If your thinking about buying this book, do yourself a favor, BUY IT! Regardless of your motives, this book is worth reading.
Sarah Chayes has produced a revealing and intelligent Occidental glimpse into post 9/11 Afghanistan.
Chayes experiences reporting for NPR and her experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco has given her the deft to negotiate the notoriously suspicious and misogynistic culture that permeates the Middle East. She is an observant and adept diplomat who does not mince words or appear to be beholden to any government agency or Non-Governmental Organization (NGO).
Afghanistan, Chayes observes, is "an entire nation comprised of generations suffering the effects of PTSD." I had never considered such a possibility and if Americans realized this concept, perhaps we could be a bit more productive in our re-construction and social efforts.
For the military, Chayes's analysis of the county's centuries old "yaghistan reflex," which has salvaged generations of Afghans from raiding empires is both brilliant and of important note. Chayes also reveals the not-so-subtle influences of Pakistan on Afghan political and social instability.
This is all wound around the story of Chayes's experiences and her brief but telling assessment of Afghan history.
Chayes includes a perceptive and frank quote by one of her associates, Ayse Yildiz, that could surmise the situation there at least as much as the book's title, "Here we are, a bunch of kids from dysfunctional families, working at a dysfunctional organization, trying to fix a dysfunctional country."
REVIEW EVERY BOOK YOU READ.
An Outstanding Piece of Analusis.......2007-05-07
Sarah Chayes gives a view of Afganistan which goes far beyond what we get in the usual media. She is a skilled detective and finds answers which the military and the State Department cannot.
Captivating and Insightful Account of Afghanistan.......2007-04-03
This is one of the most insightful and captivating books written on Afghanistan since 2001. Ms. Chayes skillfully intersperses first-hand anecdotes, historical context, and current events into a non-fiction page-turner. This book does a wonderful job of giving the reader a good understanding of what is really happening in Afghanistan and why we can't ignore its problems.
Amazon.com
The picture of Islam as a violent, backward, and insular tradition should be laid to rest, says Karen Armstrong, bestselling author of Muhammad and A History of God. Delving deep into Islamic history, Armstrong sketches the arc of a story that begins with the stirring of revelation in an Arab businessman named Muhammad. His concern with the poor who were being left behind in the blush of his society's new prosperity sets the tone for the tale of a culture that values community as a manifestation of God. Muhammad's ideas catch fire, quickly blossoming into a political empire. As the empire expands and the once fractured Arabs subdue and overtake the vast Persian domain, the story of a community becomes a panoramic drama. With great dexterity, Armstrong narrates the Sunni-Shi'ite schism, the rise of Persian influence, the clashes with Western crusaders and Mongolian conquerors, and the spiritual explorations that traced the route to God. Armstrong brings us through the debacle of European colonialism right up to the present day, putting Islamic fundamentalism into context as part of a worldwide phenomenon. Islam: A Short History, like Bruce Lawrence's Shattering the Myth and Mark Huband's Warriors of the Prophet, introduces us to a faith that beckons like a minaret to those who dare to venture beyond the headlines. --Brian Bruya
Book Description
No religion in the modern world is as feared and misunderstood as Islam. It haunts the popular imagination as an extreme faith that promotes terrorism, authoritarian government, female oppression, and civil war. In a vital revision of this narrow view of Islam and a distillation of years of thinking and writing about the subject, Karen Armstrong’s short history demonstrates that the world’s fastest-growing faith is a much more complex phenomenon than its modern fundamentalist strain might suggest.
Customer Reviews:
A great introduction to the history of Islam........2007-09-27
This is a really great book to understand Islam. I truly loved this book, and because of its small size, I was able to devour it within two days!
The most interesting chapter as far as I am concerned was on the present conflict between the Jews and the Muslims.
Muslims never hated the Jews. In fact, Muslims and Jews lived together side by side in peace since the beginning of time (so to speak). Prophet Mohammad ordered Muslims to respect Jews and live with them in peace since they are `people of the book' (meaning they have had their own revelations and are thus believers in God). Prophet Mohammad ordered Muslims not to try to convert Jews to Islam against their wish. In fact, Muslims believe in all of the prophets of Judaism, and most if not all are mentioned in the Muslim holy book known as the Qur'an.
Prophet Ibrahim, the father of both Muslims and Jews, had many children. The Jews come from the lineage of one of Ibrahim's sons, while the Moslems come from another of Ibrahim's sons. Therefore, Muslims and Jews are cousins.
Throughout history, Muslims and Jews have fought together side by side. During the crusades they fought together to protect the holy land. During the Muslim occupation of Spain Muslims and Jews fought together side by side against the Europeans. During the British occupation of Palestine, both Moslems and Jews fought together against the British. There has never been any enmity within Jews and Muslims throughout history. It is only after the invasion by the Jews of Palestine, and the formation of the State of Israel on Palestinian land, that the aggression between Muslims and Jews started. That started the flame of hatred between them, and Muslim clerks twisted the sayings of Prophet Mohammad and the Qur'an for political reasons. In other words, they put words into the Prophet's mouth. Things he never said or did not mean were suddenly attributed to him. The Arab world, being uneducated, would blindly follow the teachings of the clergy, and this is where we are today. The hatred between Jews and Muslims is political. It is the same hatred the French had towards the Germans when they invaded Paris during World War II. If the United States were to be invaded today by the Russians or Chinese (or any other nation), the Americans would have the same hatred towards their aggressors as the Muslims have today of the Jews. Like the Muslims, the American citizens would be fighting the aggressor to regain their land by any means possible, even if it means twisting the words of Jesus Christ. For example, love thy neighbor, but only if he loves you. If someone slaps you, turn the other cheek, but then beat the hell out of him! You get the point. The conflict in Palestine is man and woman against man and woman, not Judaism against Islam.
This book will really give you a crash course on Islam. It starts off by explaining why a new prophet was needed in the Arab World. According to Armstrong, the Arabs felt left out for they did not have a prophet of their own. The Jews had many prophets, and there were manuscripts left to them from past prophets. The Arabs did not have monotheistic religious texts of their own in the Arabic language, and thus felt left out. Thus the arrival of Prophet Mohammad, an Arab, was a great welcome to many Arabs. The Qur'an, the holy book descended to Prophet Mohammad, was in the Arabic language, and thus directly accessible to all Arabs, unlike Jewish texts.
Prophet Mohammad did have Arab enemies, of course. Not all Arabs embraced his religion at first. As is so well known today, self-interest and politics plays a big role.
A very important point Armstrong makes is that Islam is a religion of peace. In fact, Islam is derived from the Arabic root "Salema", meaning peace and purity. Prophet Mohammad was against wars. In fact, he made an important treaty with the Meccans to prove his point. Prophet Mohammad preached non-violence. All the Muslim wars and conquests that took place after the death of Prophet Mohammad were politically motivated, not religious in any way. It is very easy to twist the words of a prophet, and all religions have done that with their prophets (look at how many different versions of the Bible are out there). Furthermore, there were many wars waged between Muslims themselves as to who should succeed the prophet. Most of the Prophet's friends and close relatives were eventually murdered as a result. All these actions would have been condemned by the Prophet. Again, man was fighting for his own self-interest and ambition and not in accordance with the holy teachings of Islam (again, as has happened in all religions).
The book then goes on with the history of Islam after the era of the Prophet (632-661). Armstrong explains the era of the Umayyads, the Abbasids, and the esoteric movements. The Muslim world had reached its height in glory, and the whole known world feared the Muslims. The Muslims contributed to philosophy, science, mathematics, and medicine, and Arabic texts were translated into Latin and Greek. The Muslim empire at the time was what the United States is today to the rest of the world.
The Crusades are also explained, as well as the interesting era of the Mongols (1220-1500). The chapter on the Mongol was very interesting, filled with facts and stories I never knew. For example, the Mongols contributed a lot to Islamic art and architecture as well as to the strategies of war. After the Mongol conquests, the Mongols and the Muslims lived together in peace, and were even integrated together. Many Mongols later became Muslims.
Armstrong then moves on to the era of imperial Islam (1500-1700), and introduces the reader to the Safavid Empire, the Moghul Empire, and the Ottoman Empire.
The book ends with a chapter on Islam agonists, and explains how the west finally conquered the Islamic world starting in 1750. This chapter is extremely interesting and entertaining, and will give you a glimpse at the present state of the Muslim world.
Armstrong mentions the book `The Satanic Verses', by Salman Rushdie. Even though the Ayatollah Khomeini condemned the author, and issued a Fatwa (a decree) to have the author killed (with a million dollar reward), all the Islamic clergy of other Islamic nations were against the Ayatollah's decree, citing freedom of speech and expression as an Islamic right. Now isn't this interesting? Again, for political reasons, Muslim citizens are stripped from their freedom of expression, speech, and thought. Outsiders looking at the way of life of Muslims should realize that the way Muslims live is not according to the teachings of their Prophet Mohammad, but according to the selfish greed of their leaders! This is really a very important point for westerners to understand.
This is a very important book and should be read by everyone interested in knowing more about the state of the Arab world and Islam. I highly recommend this book!
Good book for general explanation.......2007-09-04
This book will explain the basics of Islam, which is all I was looking for.
Islam: A Short History is very good.......2007-08-31
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have since given it to several people, including some military folks with responsibilities in the area. I think this book, better than any other I've read, makes it clear why the Middle East is in the state it is.
Politically correct lies.......2007-07-29
Why defend a religion who's holy book hates and despises Jews, Christians and Pagans, and commands husbands to beat their wives.
Of course there have been cases of brilliant people even under Islamic domination, e.g. Omar Khayan, but to attribute their achievements to Islam, is like attributing Galileo's achievements to Catholicism.
Concise but sufficient.......2007-07-05
I'm going to take exception to all the criticism of the majority of the reviews I see here. While it is a compressed history (one reviewer noted that the middle was "dense") I found the book very enlightening. Another criticism is that she presents an Islamic point of view. Well, if one wishes to understand another culture, religion or whatever, one must 'walk a mile in their shoes'. I know some Muslims and she is quite correct that Islam in not inherently violent. I can only assume that those reviewers are reading the book with their blinders on and refusing to accept that there is any other way to see the world. This book is an attempt to show another world view. If you read this book and miss that, shame on you.
Book Description
Drawing on unparalleled access to Osama bin Laden and his key associates, journalist Abdel Bari Atwan gives an incisive and timely account, the clearest we have so far, of the rise of the notorious terrorist organization, al Qaeda. In this lively narrative, the author establishes what al Qaeda is or has become, what it wants, what its capabilities are, and how the West can answer its complaints and challenges.
The only Western-based journalist to have spent time with Osama bin Laden, Atwan begins with an engrossing personal record of his 1996 trip to visit al Qaeda's founder and guide at his Tora Bora hideout. He takes an in-depth look at bin-Laden, presenting a nuanced portrait of the man and a description of his development as the prime exponent of jihad today. Atwan reveals how al Qaeda's radical departure from the classical terrorist/guerilla blueprint has enabled less adaptable efforts to neutralize it. The fanaticism of its fighters, and their willingness to kill and be killed, are matched by the leadership's opportunistic recruitment strategies and sophisticated understanding of psychology, media and new technology--including the use of the Internet for training, support and communications. Atwan's outspoken London-based newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi, of which he is Editor-in-Chief, has been the vehicle of choice for the release of many al Qaeda electronic communiqués.
The Secret History of al Qaeda reveals events in Iraq and Saudi Arabia as watershed moments in the organization's evolution that are making it more dangerous by the day. Atwan efficiently charts how the concept of jihad is being refined and appropriated, how a new kind of leader has been made possible by al Qaeda's horizontal chain of command, the making of the suicide bomber as a permanent feature of a global holy war, al Qaeda's economic strategy, and how the war in Iraq has transformed that country into a breeding ground for the most ruthless and militant al Qaeda fighters to date.
Copub: Saqi Books
Customer Reviews:
The secret history of al qaeda.......2007-05-14
the book is excellent. I recommend it to anyone interested in terrorism and Al Qaeda. It is chock full of relevant and pertinent information and well written.
Understanding the enemy.......2007-02-20
This book is required reading for every voting American. It brings to light the objectives of the enemy and what their ultimate goal is.
An interesting guide through extreme Islam.......2006-10-08
Abdel Atwan's history of Al Qaeda and extreme Islamic movements is very illuminating. As opposed to many western writers on the subject, Mr. Atwan has a cultural relationship with many of the subjects he writes about. All Americans should read this book to understand the amorphous face of terrorism.
A Valuable Contribution to Understanding Al Qaeda.......2006-10-05
Abdel Bari Atwan, who is the editor-in-chief of the London-based newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi, is uniquely qualified to write THE SECRET HISTORY OF al QAEDA, as he is the only Western-based journalist to have spent time with Osama Bin Laden. The extended interview took place in Tora Bora, Afghanistan in 1996, and his personal insights into Bin Laden, those around him, and the living conditions at Tora Bora make for fascinating reading. Furthermore, as a result of this meeting, Atwan and his newspaper have been privy to numerous al Qaeda communiques and insider information over the years - including the famous tidbit from Bin Laden associates that Bin Laden was alive and recovering from injuries caused by U.S. bombing near Tora Bora in late 2001. His discussion of how Al Qaeda, as an organization and it's military and economic strategy/ tactics has evolved since 9/11 makes for some eye-opening and chilling reading. Long before the controversial National Intelligence Estimate, Atwan tells us that Iraq has become a breeding ground for the most ruthless and militant Al Qaeda fighters to date. This book is AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ, and should be REQUIRED READING for all US Government and military leaders. It ranks right up there with Peter Bergen's THE OSAMA BIN LADEN I KNOW and HOLY WAR, INC.
Book Description
An updated classic study of 10th- and 11th-century society in Buyid Iran. Arguing that medieval Islamic society must be understood in its own cultural terms, the author explains how it was able to function in a stable manner without the type of political institutions familiar to the West.
Customer Reviews:
reissued classic.......2003-02-18
This work is an excellent roadmap of social relations between various social actors in the Buyid dynasty, which ruled during the 10th and 11th centuries in much of modern day Iraq and Iran. The period is interesting in itself because it marked the end of the classical period of Islamic history and was both the site of both political decline and a cultural bloom. Mottahedeh's approach is straightforward, dividing the book into basically two parts. The first addresses acquired loyalties of a formal nature and the the second addresses categorical loyalties of a more informal character. His insights are too numerous to elucidate here because of the various levels of society he examines, but his examination of the ulema I found to be worth the price of admission alone. The overall picture, however, is a fascinating one of how during a period of immense upheaval a new Muslim society emerged with self-renewing and self-preserving values and institutions starkly different form the Abbassids period preceding it which also continued centuries after its disappearance.
Amazon.com
Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur was the first Mughal, or Mongol, emperor of India. A devoted warrior who fought by the bloodthirsty standards of his time, Babur was also a gifted scholar and ethnographer, and his memoir,
The Baburnama--which translator and editor Wheeler Thackston heralds as the first autobiography in Islamic literature--paints a fascinating portrait of the lands he conquered, such as Hindustan: "A strange country. Compared to ours, it is another world. Its mountains, rivers, forests, and wildernesses, its villages and provinces, animals and plants, peoples and languages, even its rain and winds are altogether different." They were different indeed, and we're fortunate to have this beautifully illustrated record of Babur's wonderment at the new places he saw.
Book Description
Both an official chronicle and the highly personal memoir of the emperor Babur (1483–1530), The Baburnama presents a vivid and extraordinarily detailed picture of life in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India during the late-fifteenth and early-sixteenth centuries. Babur’s honest and intimate chronicle is the first autobiography in Islamic literature, written at a time when there was no historical precedent for a personal narrative—now in a sparkling new translation by Islamic scholar Wheeler Thackston.
This Modern Library Paperback Classics edition includes notes, indices, maps, and illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Great Experience.......2006-10-30
I think reading this book is an experience in itself. Its remarkable how similar we all are in basic high level thinking even though we might be centuries apart. Of course a emperror's biography going through smallest of details is very interesting. The preface by Salman Rushdie is an insult to such a great book. I believe he shouldnt have been chosen for it. But other than that I found the information in this book vital to undertstand the present culture, thinking and lifestyle in India. I am myself a proud Mughal and having this book in my possession is a pride in itself.
Great Book.......2006-01-22
The book itself is excellent.
I had problems with Salman Rushdie's preface, however. It is not a bad introduction, but some of his comments seem to be flawed. The writer explains the contradictory aspect of Babur's psychology (both ruthless/aggressive and soft/cultured) as the outcome of two conflicting "aspects" within Islam. Mr Rushdie does not explain how he arrives at this conclusion, however, and he fails to mention the possibility that Babur's aggression might have naturally stemmed from his Mongol background & warrior instincts. In addition, in the 2nd last paragraph, Rushdie seems to contradict himself when he compares Babur to Machiavelli: "In both men, a cold appreciation of the necessities of power, of what today would be called realpolitik, is combined with deeply cultured and literary nature, not to mention the love, of excess, of wine and women."
A World Classic.......2002-11-29
I would compare this extraordinary memoir by an extraordinary man to The Tale of Genji - both of them are "firsts" in their culture. The descendants of Tamerlane were both ruthlessly crafty Central Asian kings and warriors, and ultra refined conoisseurs of art and architecture, poetry, food, gardens, and (alas for them) wine. The Baburnama has it all. To encounter the private thoughts of a great conquerer is a unique experience. The Baburnama is well-written and well translated. It is one of the great treasures of literature, and will give the reader a much better idea why Afghanistan and Central Asia are the way they are.
Masterpiece.......2002-10-27
Babur, a descendant of both Timur and Genghis Khan, was a truly remarkable man: a soldier and a poet, an inspirational leader with a deep appreciation for the beauties of nature - and a sensitivity that seems striking to us in a warrior of his undoubted stature.
His memoirs are a detailed, entertaining, and highly personal view of a changing world. In leading his followers into northern India, he laid the groundwork for the Mughal Empire, one of the great Islamic powers of the early modern period - and it is this achievement that history primarily remembers him for. Yet the _Baburnama_ shows that there is considerably more to the story than its conclusion.
With unstinting and engaging honesty, Babur talks of his early struggles, his constant setbacks, and his lifelong desire to hold Samarkand, glorious seat of his ancestor Timur (Tamerlane). For Babur, India is only the consolation prize after his failure to reconquer the lands of his birthright; India is rich, yes, astoundingly so, but it is far removed from his fond reminiscences of home. Along the way, reports of skirmishes with his enemies, and the constant betrayals of his allies, share the page with descriptions of local flora and fauna, and fascinating observations on everyday life in the cities and towns that he spends time at - and it is here that the work's true enjoyment lies.
Bear with the initially confusing internecine squabbles of the Central Asian nomads, and you'll be richly rewarded. A comprehensive and compelling insight into both Central Asia at the turn of the sixteenth century, and the day-to-day pressures inherent in the leadership of an empire based on conquest.
A True King.......2000-09-06
Babur was a king in the true sense of the word. His autobiography outlines his feirceness as a warrior as well as his compassion toward the people in his court. Although he lived in a time where one would think there would be little time for introspection, this is exactely what his narrative is: and introspective look at his own life, his shortcomings, his downfalls, his triumphs and tragedies. One is touched by Babur's humbleness, his sensitivity towards some of the most simple of things, and at his sense of awe and appreciation of beauty in the world around him. Although in some ways I prefered the AS Beveridge translation, this is also a wonderful translation with beautiful pictures and notes in the margins to help explain things. Even if you are not normally interested in this type of book, Babur leads you into his world and you are compelled to read on!
Book Description
This unique reference is a comprehensive encyclopedia dedicated to the institutions, religion, politics, and culture in Muslim societies throughout the world. Placing particular emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World contains over 750 articles in four volumes on Muslims in the Arab heartland as well as South and Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas. An invaluable resource, the Encyclopedia offers extensive comparative and systematic analyses of Islamic beliefs, institutions, movements, practices, and peoples on an international scale. The alphabetically arranged articles range from brief 500-word essays to major interpretive and synthetic treatment of topics such as the Islamic state, pilgrimage, law, marriage, and foreign relations. Related entries cover areas of general interest such as social and political movements, women, Muslim minorities, human rights, Islam in the West, and interreligious affairs. And prominent figures that had a lasting impact on Islam are explored including Muhammad, Aga Khan, Malcolm X, Muhammad Iqbal, 'Ali Shari 'ati, Ayatollah Khomeini, and Hasan al-Turabi. Truly multidisciplinary, this work reflects the breadth and depth of contemporary scholarship in Islamic studies. Combining the tools of the humanities and social sciences to examine the interrelationship of religion, politics, and culture in Muslim societies, it explains the changing realities of Muslim life. Its unique focus makes The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World an invaluable reference for scholars and students of many disciplines, government and media analysts, and anyone interested in increasing their understanding of Islamic politics and culture.
Customer Reviews:
Invaluable.......2002-01-06
This is a fantastic set of books, both for the layperson and the scholar. It's written by a wide assortment of experts in the field, people who are extremely qualified and unbiased. A wide range of topics is covered. This IS the modern Islamic world, though, so there's very little historical information. But I use it constantly, both to satisfy my own curiosity and for a book I'm writing. Thank you to the editors and contributors of this great work.
Bravo, Mabruk ! Dr. Esposito.......2001-11-09
I just received my set of 4 volumes and already consulted it for an article I'm preparing. I was surprised at the breadth of the articles and the references provided. The information available in each article extends beyond the basic and lends itself easily to in-depth investigation. A truly excellent work and well worth the expense. For the Middle East Studies professional, analyst, academic, consultant this encyclopedia will be very useful.
Excellent encyclopedia about MODERN islamic topics.......2001-06-06
I had heard much praise about this encyclopedia. Still, I was hesitant to spend the money..... so I visited a library that had them on their shelves. I read and read, for hours - with pleasure! I then went home and placed my order.
Each word/catagory/topic is well explained in plain and easily understandable english. The contributing writers are well established in their respective fields. (John Esposito is the editor and not the sole writer of this encyclopedia.)
I can sincerely recommend this encyclopedia, for scholars, teachers, students all (muslims and non-muslims) interested in knowing more about islam and the muslim word.
Book Description
Although Indonesia has the fourth largest population in the world, its history is still relatively unknown. Adrian Vickers takes the reader on a journey across the social and political landscape of modern Indonesia, starting with the country's origins under the Dutch in the early twentieth-century, and the subsequent anti-colonial revolution which led to independence in 1949. Thereafter the spotlight is on the 1950s, a crucial period in the formation of Indonesia as a new nation, followed by the Sukarno years, and the anti-Communist massacres of the 1960s when General Suharto took over as president. The concluding chapters chart the fall of Suharto's New Order after thirty two years in power, and the subsequent political and religious turmoil which culminated in the Bali bombings in 2002. Adrian Vickers is Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Wollongong. He has previously worked at the Universities of New South Wales and Sydney, and has been a visiting fellow at the University of Indonesia and Udayana University (Bali). Vickers has more than twenty-five years research experience in Indonesia and the Netherlands, and has travelled in Southeast Asia, the U.S. and Europe in the course of his research. He is author of the acclaimed Bali: a Paradise Created (Penguin, 1989) as well as many other scholarly and popular works on Indonesia. In 2003 Adrian Vickers curated the exhibition Crossing Boundaries, a major survey of modern Indonesian art, and has also been involved in documentary films, including Done Bali (Negara Film and Television Productions, 1993).
Download Description
Although Indonesia has the fourth largest population in the world, its history is still relatively unfamiliar and understudied. Guided by the life and writings of the country's most famous author, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Adrian Vickers takes the reader on a journey across the social and political landscape of twentieth-century Indonesia in this innovative and timely account. He begins by explaining the country's origins under the Dutch in the early part of that century, the subsequent anti-colonial struggle and revolution which led to independence in 1949. Thereafter the spotlight is on the 1950s, a crucial period in the formation of Indonesia as a new nation, which was followed by the Sukarno years, and the anti-communist massacres of the 1960s when General Suharto took over as president. The concluding chapters chart the fall of Suharto's New Order after thirty two years in power, and the subsequent political and religious turmoil which culminated in the Bali bombings in 2002. Drawing on insights from literature, art and anthropology, Adrian Vickers portrays a complex and resilient people borne out of a troubled past.
Customer Reviews:
10 Things I learned from A History of Modern Indonesia.......2007-04-01
1. History is best told when it isn't a litany of dates and places and names.
2. History is better told when it attempts to describe the zeitgeist of the era, when it makes a time and place alive for you.
3. Vickers accomplishes this in describing the history of modern Indonesia, from the late colonial period to the present day. He includes the important dates, but takes special care to note the discourses and debates that shaped the events, and the daily lives of the poor and the rich and those struggling to hold their place in between.
4. I read this book for my research, but found it so compelling that I began to read it for pleasure, a rare turn.
5. Vickers makes sense of the complex and often covert history of Indonesia, which has experienced several volatile changes in the 20th century.
5. The radical shifts in leadership, ideology and policy - from colonialism to Sukarno's near-communism to the still-unsolved coup that confirmed Suharto's dictatorial technocracy, to the protests that overthrew him and invited a string of presidents in the last nine years - are illustrated by how it affected peoples' lives.
6. This is a history that takes into account the effect of political climate on art, literature, film and other manifestations of culture. It notes these arenas as both evidence for the contemporary mindset and as catalysts for change.
7. Vickers uses the voices of Presidents, the voices of laborers, and the voices of everyone in between to bring to life more than one hundred years of history.
8. Whereas other histories treat the cultural sphere and lived lives as separate matters, as anecdotes, as separate chapters, or not at all, Vickers' work is infused with these voices and cultures.
9. In addition, it offers the known history and biographies of important people who helped shape it.
10. One of the best books on Indonesian history that I've read, A History of Modern Indonesia is recommended to the scholarly as well as the curious for a comprehensive and compelling look at the recent history of the fourth largest country in the world.
A great read..if your interested in Indonesia's history.........2006-11-27
My wife is Indonesian and I plan on going soon. So with the problems Indonesia seems to have, I thought it would be wise and educate myself with the people and history. Very good for people that might want to go on extended stays and try to understand the mind set of these people.
Book Description
The contributors to this landmark collection set the attacks on the United States in historical perspective. They reject the simplistic notion of an age-old "clash of civilizations" and instead examine the particular histories of American nationalism, anti-Americanism, U.S. foreign policy, and Islamic fundamentalism among other topics. With renewed attention to Americans' sense of national identity, they focus on the United States in relation to the rest of the world. A collection of recent and historical documents—speeches, articles, and book excerpts—supplement the essays. Taken together, the essays and sources in this volume comment on the dangers of seeing the events of September 11 as splitting the nation's history into "before" and "after." They argue eloquently that no useful understanding of the present is possible without an unobstructed view of the past.
Book Description
Since the Taliban seized Kabul in 1996, the public has grappled with the relationship between Islamic education and radical Islam. Media reports tend to paint madrasas--religious schools dedicated to Islamic learning--as medieval institutions opposed to all that is Western and as breeding grounds for terrorists. Others have claimed that without reforms, Islam and the West are doomed to a clash of civilizations.
Robert Hefner and Muhammad Qasim Zaman bring together eleven internationally renowned scholars to examine the varieties of modern Muslim education and their implications for national and global politics. The contributors provide new insights into Muslim culture and politics in countries as different as Morocco, Egypt, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. They demonstrate that Islamic education is neither timelessly traditional nor medieval, but rather complex, evolving, and diverse in its institutions and practices. They reveal that a struggle for hearts and minds in Muslim lands started long before the Western media discovered madrasas, and that Islamic schools remain on its front line.
Schooling Islam is the most comprehensive work available in any language on madrasas and Islamic education.
Book Description
Toby Huff examines the long-standing question of why modern science arose only in the West and not in the civilizations of Islam and China, despite the fact that medieval Islam and China were more scientifically advanced. Huff explores the cultural contexts within which science was practiced in Islam, China, and the West. He finds major clues in the history of law and the European cultural revolution of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, as to why the ethos of science arose in the West and permitted the breakthrough to modern science that did not occur elsewhere. First Edition Hb (1993): 0-521-43496-3 First Edition Pb (1995): 0-521-49833-3
Customer Reviews:
The BEST Book Analyzing Western (Freethinking) and Sino/Islamic Prespectives Towards Science.......2005-09-25
I have read Dr. Huff's book, and also read the 1st edition. The 2nd edition is after 9/11. Dr. Huff's main thesis appeared to me very self-evident. Let's examine the crux of the case of Islam vs. Modern Science, as examined masterfully by Dr. Toby E. Huff, a Chancellor Professor of Sociology at University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.
Dr. Huff's latest edition, which is better referenced than his earlier (1st) edition, contains a total of NINE (9) chapters. For understanding the role of Islam in the development of Science, the casual reader at least needs to read thoroughly chapter 2 (Arabic Science and the Islamic World), chapter 3 (Reason and Rationality in Islam and the West), Chapter 5 (Madrassas, Universities and Science). These chapters help explain the most important theme: WHY ISLAM FAILED TO GIVE BIRTH TO MODERN SCIENCE, EVEN THOUGH IT HAD ONCE GENERATED THE BEST OF THE INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE.
The author has done a very masterful job in supporting his views by extensively citing noted researchers like Max Weber, Joseph Needham, George Makdisi, Ignaz Goldziher and others, in addition to referring to his own research papers and books about the comparative analysis of scientific development and its universal spread (globalization).
Going to chapter 5, the reader finds that the madrassas were aimed at teaching two classes of science(s),and legal systems (or jurisprudence with associated logic/analysis/metaphysics). There were "Prophetic sciences" and "foreign sciences". The former was actually based on logic systems whose boundaries were very clearly drawn: the prophetic sciences were in line with the concept of upholding "divinity" as revealed by the Quran. The foreign sciences, on the other hand, were those analytical body of knowledge that were at odds with the Quranic traditions and the theological propositions.
The bedrock reason that explains the failure of Islam to usher modern science is articulated very well by Dr. Huff in his book, page 158, that reads as follows:
"It was even essential to Islam, ..., because the 'method was part and parcel of the Islamic orthodox process for determining orthodoxy. Where it failed ws in the creation of a set of objective standards of law, against which all other laws and principles could be judged. Since the legal principles of Islamic law had been given once and for all, in the Quran and the sunna, and in the principles of fiqh worked out by al-Shafi'i, the only task left was to use logic in the narrow sense, to uncover faulty reasoning and thus preserve the doctrinal status quo...."
This explains clearly, as one finds that application "freethought" was arrested and persecuted by the dictates in the theological canons of Islam, why modern science did not take birth from the womb of Islam, but rather took firm foothold in the European rennaisance ushering the birth of quantum (wave) mechanics and modern science.
The book is a must reading simply because of sheer amount of research that has been done by Dr. Huff to explore this aspect. It would be an asset for anyone doing research and wishing to include comparative aspects of Islamic societal functions into the research.
This is a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED book for a serious reader.
Best on subject.......1999-01-09
Huff sees science as a social practice which cannot flourish without a social niche for the person who would investigate nature, and covers a long span of history looking at the ways societies create or fail to create those social roles. I have read a good many books on this subject, and Huff's is the most fair-minded, cogent and satisfying. Recommend highly.
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Kabul in Winter: Life Without Peace in Afghanistan
The Places In Between
Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia
Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics
Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban
