Civil Islam

Book Description

Civil Islam tells the story of Islam and democratization in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim nation. Challenging stereotypes of Islam as antagonistic to democracy, this study of courage and reformation in the face of state terror suggests possibilities for democracy in the Muslim world and beyond.

Democratic in the early 1950s and with rich precedents for tolerance and civility, Indonesia succumbed to violence. In 1965, Muslim parties were drawn into the slaughter of half a million communists. In the aftermath of this bloodshed, a "New Order" regime came to power, suppressing democratic forces and instituting dictatorial controls that held for decades. Yet from this maelstrom of violence, repressed by the state and denounced by conservative Muslims, an Islamic democracy movement emerged, strengthened, and played a central role in the 1998 overthrow of the Soeharto regime. In 1999, Muslim leader Abdurrahman Wahid was elected President of a reformist, civilian government.

In explaining how this achievement was possible, Robert Hefner emphasizes the importance of civil institutions and public civility, but argues that neither democracy nor civil society is possible without a civilized state. Against portrayals of Islam as inherently antipluralist and undemocratic, he shows that Indonesia's Islamic reform movement repudiated the goal of an Islamic state, mobilized religiously ecumenical support, promoted women's rights, and championed democratic ideals. This broadly interdisciplinary and timely work heightens our awareness of democracy's necessary pluralism, and places Indonesia at the center of our efforts to understand what makes democracy work.

Customer Reviews:

To be civil is Islam.......2001-01-15

Robert W. Hefner's latest scholarly work tells the tale of Indonesia's desperate search for religious identity. Being the largest Muslim nation in the world, Indonesia has gone under tremendous pressure to prove itself to the outside world that Islam, being a major force within its society, is compatible with the universal values of current global politics.

This book represents an in-depth cross-cultural study on democracy and civil society in the Muslim context. Though it reveals a variety of religious interpretations within the Islamic body politic typically found in Muslim states, Hefner speaks not only to Muslims, but also a wide range of audiences interested in the issue of religion and contemporary politics.

To a significant portion, "Civil Islam" is dedicated to the cultural, political and intellectual efforts made by liberal Muslim leaders to secure Islam from being overridden by the power struggle during Suharto's New Order. It elaborates how liberal Muslim leaders such as incumbent President Abdurrahman Wahid was able to bring his conservative constituents, namely the 35-million-strong Nahdhatul Ulama, into a more liberal ideological stance, independent of the authoritarian state.

The analysis was done in an explicable manner that depicted the political confrontation between liberal Muslim leaders in alliance with civil society against regimist Muslims in coalition with the ultraconservative wing of the armed forces (i.e. army). For the Muslim liberals, secularization was thus a mere detour to prevent a recurring pattern of Indonesian history in which religious violence was no stranger in the land.

In writing the book, Hefner correctly assumes that in all religious communities, without the exception of the Islamic ummah, there are always uncivil elements stalking and even disrupting the democratic march in any given state. The Indonesian experience has many lessons to be drawn upon, and the most important one is that while society can be violent and uncivil, the state itself is often an essential sponsoring agent that spurs societal and cultural devastation. And when such political machination is in place, true democracy and civil society will only prevail via an all-encompassing reform movement or social revolution.

"Civil Islam" is an intriguing book and a must read for all serious Indonesianists and those interested in religion and the politics of change.

To be civil is Islam.......2001-01-15

"Civil Islam" is an intriguing book and a must read for all serious Indonesianists and those interested in religion and the politics of change.

Democracy Without Democrats?: The Renewal of Politics in the Muslim World
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Democracy Without Democrats?: The Renewal of Politics in the Muslim World

Manufacturer: I. B. Tauris
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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Ethnicity & Democracy In Africa

ASIN: 1850438668

Book Description

Ideas of democracy and political liberalization have recently become central to political debate within and about the Middle East. The current focus on the merits of democratic practice in many areas of the world, coupled with the spread of economic liberalism, will inevitably, according to some accounts, bring about a measure of political pluralism. Against this, the persistence of authoritarian regimes in the Middle East, together with the fragility of experiments with democracy, have revived an old argument: are Islam and democracy essentially irreconcilable?

This text aims to bring together many of the best-known writers on Middle Eastern politics. Challenging the assumption that the Middle East is a unique case, they offer new frameworks within which to analyze the process of democratization.

Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict in Indonesia

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Excellent scholarship

Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict in Indonesia
Jacques Bertrand
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Indonesia | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

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A History of Modern Indonesia
Riots, Pogroms, Jihad: Religious Violence in Indonesia
Indonesia: Peoples and Histories
Ethnic Conflicts in Southeast Asia
Islam, Law, and Equality in Indonesia: An Anthropology of Public Reasoning

ASIN: 0521524415

Book Description

Beginning in Roman Britain and ending with Charles II's restoration to the throne, the nineteen essays that comprise this volume are written by leading British and American scholars.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent scholarship.......2005-09-29

This is without a doubt the best book on contemporary Indonesia I have read. Unlike other, terrorism-obsessed authors, Bertrand has a strong grasp of fact and critical interpretation. Virtually all of the major issues facing Indonesia during the late- and immediate post-Suharto period are covered in detail and without tiresome attempts to link them into a familiar or currently fashionable narrative, where Indonesia is characterized as a "crucible of terror" or other inaccurate characterization along similar lines...

For students of nationalism as a phenomenon, this book also contains one of the most succinct and accurate definitions of what nationalism is you'll find anywhere...

Islam and Democracy in Iran: Eshkevari and the Quest for Reform (Library of Modern Middle East Studies)

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Islam and Democracy in Iran: Eshkevari and the Quest for Reform (Library of Modern Middle East Studies)
Ziba Mir-Hosseini , and Richard Tapper
Manufacturer: I. B. Tauris
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Theology of Discontent: The Ideological Foundation of the Islamic Revolution in Iran

ASIN: 1845111346

Book Description

Hasan Yousefi Eshkevari is a former revolutionary and clerical reformer who became one of the Islamic Republic's most outspoken critics. His ideas of "Islamic democratic government" have attracted considerable attention in Iran and elsewhere. In presenting a selection of Eshkevari's writings, this book reveals a trajectory of dissent common to all Islamic nations today and makes a highly original contribution to our understanding of the difficult social and political issues confronting the Muslim world.

The Iranian Constitutional Revolution, 1906-1911

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In the name of Iran
very good book on time period

The Iranian Constitutional Revolution, 1906-1911
Janet Afary
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0231103514

Book Description

-- Choice

Customer Reviews:

In the name of Iran.......2006-11-18

This book gave a historical reason that why Iran moved toward Constitutional Revolution in Iran. First, when Japan defeated Russia political dynamic was altered globally.

In this Revolution Azeri people and political figures like Satar Khan wanted Iran to adopt Constitution.

Also, Iranian ladies took part in this Revolution. Once, this Revolution was moving forward Iran' social, economic, and political changes was taken place.

very good book on time period.......2002-01-18

I found this book to be highly informative. I did disagree with some of it's conclusions, but the book would be an excellant intro to Iran's constitutional movement for a casual reader and is an excellant resourse for a more serious reader.

Between Islam and the State: The Politics of Engagement

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Between Islam and the State: The Politics of Engagement
Berna Turam
Manufacturer: Stanford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Church & State | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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What Justice? Whose Justice?: Fighting for Fairness in Latin America
Political Topographies of the African State: Territorial Authority and Institutional Choice (Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics)
Social Democracy in the Global Periphery: Origins, Challenges, Prospects
The Nation-State in Question
Hezbollah: A Short History (Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics)

ASIN: 0804755019
Release Date: 2006-10-26

Book Description

Throughout the Middle East, the clash between Islamic forces and authoritarian states has undermined many democratization efforts. But in Turkey, Islamic actors—from the Gülen movement to the pro-Islamist Justice and Development Party—have been able to negotiate the terms of secular liberal democracy. This book explores the socio-political conditions and cultural venues in which Islamic movements cease to confront and start to cooperate with secular states.

Though both the Gülen and JP have ambivalent attitudes toward individual freedoms and various aspects of civil society, their continuing engagements with the state have encouraged democracy in Turkey. As they contest issues of education and morality but cooperate in ethnic and gender politics, they redraw the boundaries between public sites and private lives. Showing opportunities for engagement between Islam and the state, from Turkey to Kazakhstan to the United States, Between Islam and the State illustrates a successful means of negotiating between religion and politics.

Politics in Indonesia: Democracy, Islam, and the Ideology of Tolerance (Politics in Asia)

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Politics in Indonesia: Democracy, Islam, and the Ideology of Tolerance (Politics in Asia)
Douglas Ramage
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0415164672

Book Description

Politics in Indonesia desribes the attitudes, aspirations and frustrations of the key players in Indonesian politics as they struggle to shape the future. Although Indonesia is sometimes seen as a "closed" political system, Douglas E. Ramage makes it clear that in fact real questions are being asked about the future of the political order in Indonesia.

Politics in Indonesia focuses on the role of political Islam and shows that the state has been remarkably sucessful in maintaining secular political institutions in a predominantly Muslim society. Ramage analyzes the way in which political questions are framed with reference to the national ideology, the Pancasila, and explores the ways in which Indonesia's political, military, religous, democratic and intellectual leaders employ the Pancasila to strengthen their own political power.

Popular Movements and Democratization in the Islamic World (New Horizons in Islamic Studies)

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Popular Movements and Democratization in the Islamic World (New Horizons in Islamic Studies)
M. Kisaichi
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0415398967

Book Description

Ever since the terrorist incident of September 11 a general understanding seems to have arisen among people that the challenges posed by Islam have now acquired human and global dimensions. What is particularly worthy of note in this debate is the tendency to view all such confrontations from a dualistic standpoint, as tussles between the Western (democratic) world and the world of Islam. Popular Movements and Democratization in the Islamic World contains case studies of people's movements in diverse areas and periods, and it seeks to develop a comparative view of Islam and democracy. It also presents an alternate picture of the world's Muslim societies, one transcending the simple dichotomy of 'Islam and democracy.' Unraveling the complexities that have arisen between Islam and democracy is the principal task of Islamic scholars, and this book will undoubtedly prove a starting point for all such endeavors. While primarily intended for students and scholars Popular Movements and Democratization in the Islamic World will prove of interest even to general readers with interests in Islamic studies.

Between The State And Islam (Woodrow Wilson Center Press)

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Liberal Secularism in the Arab World in 19th-20th cents.

Between The State And Islam (Woodrow Wilson Center Press)
Charles E., Ed. Butterworth
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0521783526

Book Description

Heretofore, the study of the Middle East has focused almost exclusively on Islam and on the regime, especially on its nondemocratic aspects. It has done so at the expense of accounting fully for the forces of skepticism, liberty, and creativity that struggle against Islamic conformism and state hegemony. This volume examines how Middle Eastern peoples in the 19th and 20th centuries lived and flourished while trying to shape their political and religious surroundings outside the formal structures of established religion and the state.

Customer Reviews:

Liberal Secularism in the Arab World in 19th-20th cents........2001-11-26

Overall this proves to be a useful volume. It's the type that is nice to check out of the library, but it isn't necessarily one essential to your collection. A note about its title, it means what it says. This volume neither discusses the Arab state nor the Islamist opposition. Rather, it examines the in-between of the two, usually meaning secular liberals. For this reason, it is a much appreciated volume with the books on Islamic fundamentalism and the non-democratic regimes approaching infinity. If you're interested in exploring this aspect of society in the Middle East, this book comes highly recommended. Overall, its essays are written with solid scholarship.

Passion for Islam: Shaping the Modern Middle East: The Egyptian Experience

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Interesting look at Islam in Egypt
Where do Islamic Insurgencies come from?
A great focused look by an on-the-scene observer
Good Cure for Secret Ignorance
No hope

Passion for Islam: Shaping the Modern Middle East: The Egyptian Experience
Caryle Murphy
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0743235789
Release Date: 2002-10-01

Book Description

"Islam's revival is reshaping Egypt and other Arab countries in ways beyond violent politics. The yearning for personal solace, a just political system, indigenous lifestyles, and relevant theology all await satisfaction....Just as the Nile runs through Egypt for almost eight hundred miles, giving it life, so also the Straight Way, the way of Allah, runs through it, beckoning its people. The search by Egypt's Muslims for a modern understanding of the Straight Way is the essence of today's passion for Islam." -- from Chapter 1, "First Verses"

Written by a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, this authoritative and enthralling primer on the modern face of Islam provides one of the most comprehensive accountings for the roots of religious terrorism and Middle Eastern strife.

Over decades, a myriad of social, political, and religious factors has made today's Middle East a combustible region and has contributed to Islam's new power and turmoil. Passion for Islam uses one particular country, Egypt, as a lens through which to show how these forces play out across the area, allowing terrorism to gain a foothold.

Through the personal experiences and observations of individual Egyptians encountered during her five years as the Washington Post's Cairo bureau chief, veteran journalist Caryle Murphy explores how Islam's contemporary revival is unfolding on four different levels: "Pious Islam" highlights the groundswell of grassroots piety that has created more Islamic societies; "Political Islam" examines how Islamists, using both violent and peaceful means, are reshaping the region's authoritarian secular political order and redefining Islam's role in the public arena; "Cultural Islam" looks at Egyptian efforts to resist a ubiquitous Western culture by asserting an Islamic identity; "Thinking Islam" reveals how intellectuals are reexamining their theological heritage with the aim of modernizing Islam.

Representing years of exhaustive research, Passion for Islam also looks at how the tortured Israeli-Palestinian conflict has contributed to the region's religious ferment and political tumult. By revealing the day-to-day ramifications of all these issues through the eyes of Egyptian intellectuals, holy men, revolutionaries, and ordinary citizens, Passion for Islam brings an unparalleled vitality and depth to Western perceptions of Middle Eastern conflict.

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"""Islam's revival is reshaping Egypt and other Arab countries in ways beyond violent politics. The yearning for personal solace, a just political system, indigenous lifestyles, and relevant theology all await satisfaction....Just as the Nile runs through Egypt for almost eight hundred miles, giving it life, so also the Straight Way, the way of Allah, runs through it, beckoning its people. The search by Egypt's Muslims for a modern understanding of the Straight Way is the essence of today's passion for Islam."" -- from Chapter 1, ""First Verses"" Over decades, a myriad of social, political, and religious factors has made today's Middle East a combustible region and has contributed to Islam's new power and turmoil. Passion for Islam uses one particular country, Egypt, as a lens through which to show how these forces play out across the area, allowing terrorism to gain a foothold. Through the personal experiences and observations of individual Egyptians encountered during her five years as the Washington Post's Cairo bureau chief, veteran journalist Caryle Murphy explores how Islam's contemporary revival is unfolding on four different levels: ""Pious Islam"" highlights the groundswell of grassroots piety that has created more Islamic societies; ""Political Islam"" examines how Islamists, using both violent and peaceful means, are reshaping the region's authoritarian secular political order and redefining Islam's role in the public arena; ""Cultural Islam"" looks at Egyptian efforts to resist a ubiquitous Western culture by asserting an Islamic identity; ""Thinking Islam"" reveals how intellectuals are reexamining their theological heritage with the aim of modernizing Islam.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting look at Islam in Egypt.......2006-07-27

Caryle Murphy was the Washington Post's bureau chief in Cairo for a good long while, and she now covers religion for the Post now, living in Washington. This book was apparently in preparation before 9/11--almost all of the events in the text occurred in the late 90s or earlier. Murphy interviewed a number of people, including Islamists of various stripes, secularists, government officials, clerics, and other observers. The result is an interesting picture of Egyptian society and its relationship with its Muslim citizen.

Many in the west equate Islam with evil intent, extremist politics and intolerance, misogyny, and a host of other very negative attitudes. All of these are held by *some* Islamists from the extreme portion of the religion, and in some ways they can't be called the fringe--they're too mainstream. The author does a good job of describing the various participants in the movement, and explains the roots of the Muslim Brotherhood, the start of extremist Muslim thought in Egypt and the place Ayman al-Zawahiri got his start in politics, before he went on to become #2 in Al Qaeda.

The author works hard to discuss the various aspects of Islam and its relationship to Egyptian society, from how Islam deals with Christians in Egypt to the various ways the religion interacts with the government in Egypt to the way Al-Azhar University has dealt with the rise of Islamic Fundamentalism in Egypt. The result of the book is a clear picture of how Islamist thought, and extremism, have spread in Egypt, and why.

I enjoyed this book a great deal, and thought that I learned a great deal from it. I would recommend if to almost anyone interested in the subject.

Where do Islamic Insurgencies come from?.......2004-12-10

I just caught up to an excellent book by Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist Caryle Murphy, who spent three years in Cairo as Egypt's bureau chief for the Washington Post. During that time, Murphy covered the first Iraqi war and spent countless hours meeting and interviewing Egyptian citizens, as well as the powerhouses who help shape Middle Eastern policy. We Americans on the home front, traditionally ignorant about other cultures, have much to learn from this informative, easy-to-read book.
In Passion for Islam Murphy produces a consolidated picture of a process that is taking place across the Arab world, and affecting the planet as a whole. Starting with the end of the socialist promise of the Nasser era all the way through the violence that rocked Egypt in the nineties, Murphy carefully follows the development of Islamist insurgency through its various forms. Breaking down each step in the movement's growth to its simplest parts, she is able to differentiate the facets of Islam in Egypt that played into the development of radical Islamist behavior.
Murphy identifies three main parts of the radical Islamist movement, "Pious Islam," "Political Islam," and Cultural Islam." Her thorough discussion of each succeeds in illuminating the various and complex aspects of the web of Egyptian life, through which religion is a common thread. Whether it is the grounding force of a family living in poverty, or a tool by which the unscrupulous seize power, Murphy examines Islam's role in the lives of all Egyptians, and the trends both personal and national that have begun under its shadow of influence.
In this new world after 9/11 many books have appeared that address this issue in one way or another, and do so with various success. Passion for Islam, however, stands apart from this crowd if for no other reason than its sheer readability. Where many illuminating accounts of the Taliban and radical militancy burden the shelves unread with their ominous association to things like textbooks, Passion for Islam jumps out as being equal parts sociology and travelogue. Murphy carefully blends erudite reporting and commentary with descriptive scenery and personal account, relaxing the tone of the book to comfortable page turning; and throughout the commentary, she demonstrates that her understanding of the situation comes from having actually been there, as much as having studied it. With an easy tone and thoughtful manner Murphy gives an exciting and critical account of the years she spent in Egypt, and at the same time crafts a clear and useful blueprint of a process of extreme historical and political importance.
For the casual reader Passion for Islam provides an interesting look into a far away world that, though weighing on our daily lives, has remained one of murky fog and speculation. For those who know already something about the world of Islam and radical politics the book develops a new and lucid framework for understanding the situation and works extensively, in both a sociological and historical sense, to sort out and clarify the facts of one nation's experience with Islam and the world that surrounds it. It's a good blend of Discovery channel adventure and high-level insight, and goes a long way towards filling in those gaps in our collective understanding of the world around us.

A great focused look by an on-the-scene observer.......2003-09-10

Passion For Islam is a great book for anyone interested in learning something about the rise of various Islamic movements in Egypt over the years. One of the books strengths is its focus on the specific experience of Egypt, where the author lived and worked as a journalist for several years during the 1990's. Murphy doesn't attempt to assess or explain what's happening in the Islamic world in general, or to draw broad conclusions on matters beyond the specific scope of the book, i.e. the Egyptian experience.

Murphy works in historical details in a very clear fashion, mixing them with current-day journalism and interviews with people from all levels of the Egyptian social and political scenes. You get to hear from people inside or aligned with various movements, people in the Egyptian government, and most importantly, the ordinary people in the middle whose lives are affected by these forces. She shows in great detail the complexity and diversity of thought and feelings at work, and how what's happening cannot be understood in simple black-or-white interpretations.

I found that my own understanding of the situation was greatly enhanced by reading this book. Murphy's book does not provide solutions as much as a look at what is happening and a warning. These rising movements are not monolithic in their beliefs or in their goals, and should not be treated as such. And they do not occur in a vacuum. Unless the climate in which they have sprung up -- a poor country under a corrupt, inept faux-democratic government that suppresses all discussion and dissent -- is changed, they will only continue to grow as the only alternative available.

Good Cure for Secret Ignorance.......2003-01-25

I have long been secrety embarrassed by my lack of knowledge about Egypt beyond the usual touristy stuff -- even though I spent some weeks there once seeing the sights and even though, more recently, I've recognized in sidelong ways that Egypt's modern history and in particular its struggle to cope with repeated waves of Islamicist extremism within its borders offers a lesson very relevant for those of us now trying to understand the Post-9/11 world. Murphy cured me of my ignorance with her compelling descriptions and analyses of the forces -- political, religious, cultural -- that have shaped that land.She does so in part with smart use of colorful characters she got to know during her time covering the region as a Washington Post reporter, and from scads of research... Cleanly organized, thorough, insightful. A very helpful and yet enjoyable read.

No hope.......2002-12-10

Murphy talks about the past glories of Islam. When Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798 he found a subsistence society of 2.5 million living in the ruins of past civilizations. He landed on a beach that had once been the city of Alexandria. Napoleon defeated the slave soldiers, the Mamelukes, who had ruled Egypt for over 500 years. The Pharaoh's ruled a splendid civilization with a population of 5 million. The Ptolemaic Greeks added to Egypt's greatness with beautiful cities, libraries, and art. Between the Moslem conquest of Egypt in 641 and Napoleon's invasion Islam contributed 1,157 years of history unencumbered with progress. Worse, they destroyed and defaced the monuments left by superior civilizations. Egyptians were ignorant of their past glories and couldn't read the old hieroglyphics. As V.S. Naipaul says, "Islam seeks as an article of faith to erase the past; the believers in the end honor Arabia alone... Islam requires the convert to accept that his land is of no religious or historical importance; its relics were of no account; only the sands of Arabia are sacred."

Murphy sees four forces contending in Egypt today; pious Islam, political Islam, cultural Islam and thinking Islam. Murphy admits that the intolerant Wahhabi interpretation of Islam is very influential. They want to remove all vestiges of the West and destroy all secular and liberal Moslems. She cites the murder of the writer Farag Foda and the attempted murder of Novelist Naguib Mahfouz as examples along with murders of Coptic Christians and foreign tourists. The "pious" intention is to install an Islamic state and implement shar'ia - the primitive Islamic legal code. Murphy hopes that "thinking Islam" will lead an Islamic reformation. Not a chance. The complexity of the infighting is exceeded only by its irrelevance. The fanatics will win. In Islam they always win.

Murphy observes that the Egyptian population is growing rapidly. One third of the population is under 15 years old. The combination of Western medicine with the Islamic policy of keeping women ignorant and pregnant has resulted in a population explosion. The economy can't keep up and there is increasing poverty which fuels the growth of intolerant Islamic fundamentalism. Anwar Sadat supported radical Islamic groups like the Muslim Brotherhood until they killed him. The Egyptian government is made up of old men holding on to power. They alternately try to placate the terrorists or repress them. These tactics will fail. Osama Bin Laden's chief deputy is Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahari. Egypt, like the rest of the Moslem world, is headed back to the good old days of the Mamelukes.

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