Book Description
"A beautifully written and definitive history of Baghdad...opening the doors to the old city and letting its secrets spill out." (Library Journal)
The "golden age of Islam" in the eighth and ninth centuries was as significant to world history as the Roman Empire was in the first and second centuries. The rule of Baghdad's Abbasid Dynasty stretched from Tunisia to India, and its legacy influenced politics and society for years to come. In this deftly woven narrative, Hugh Kennedy introduces us to the rich history and flourishing culture of the period, and the men and women of the palaces at Baghdad and Samarra-the caliphs, viziers, eunuchs, and women of the harem that produced the glorious days of the Arabian Nights.
"Superb...this is compelling reading for anyone concerned with the perils of power, the medieval Islamic legacy and the images that Baghdad continues to conjure in the modern imagination." (Publishers Weekly starred review)
Customer Reviews:
Great Introduction.......2007-09-05
This is one of the best history books that I have read. The best thing about it is that it reads like a novel. When you start reading it you cant stop because you really want to know what happens next, and most of the time I already knew what was going to happen!
Needed a few more details to make it perfect.......2006-08-08
Hugh Kennedy has done a wonderful job here of writing about one of the greatest dynasties in history. The history is comprehensive providing details about the caliphs, the battles for successions, their harems, the names of important men in each reign, and court intrigues etc., The book is very easy to read and at no point does the reader lose interest. In spite of breaking up the narration, of successive reigns and interspersing it with descriptions of court culture and palaces built by the rulers, the author has maintained a wonderful flow in the book.
My only disappointment was that the author did not provide more indepth information on 1. the famous libraries of Baghdad and 2. the economic and financial system prevalent at the time. I looked in vain for details of trading markets and goods brought in to Baghdad at the time and for any mention of the modus operandi of monetary transactions.
However, the book is still one of the most comprehensive English Language histories of the dynasty that I have come accross.
An Era I Knew Little About.......2006-06-07
So much of the study of history is concerned with dates. I can remember in college with cram sheets of when things happened. Mr. Kennedy doesn't write much of dates. He writes of people, people living more than a thousand years ago when our own western history was in a period we call the dark ages when learning was forgotten and the Roman Catholic church ruled all.
This was the time when the Shia and the Sunni were falling apart and beginning the conflict that rages to this day (In the morning paper a group of terrorists in Iraq stopped a bus or two, let the Sunni people go and murdered the Shia.)
This was the time that Osama bin Laden seeks to re-establish. An old glory such as Mussolini felt about Roman times.
For a couple of centuries a family ruled most of the Islamic world from Baghdad. For those of us more familiar with the antics of the kings of England there is a striking resemblance, palace intrigue, key supporters changing sides, murder, imprisonment, struggles over succession.
This book brings to life an aspect of history that few of us have heard before but which is increasing in importance in our time.
Fabulous history.......2006-02-15
I studied the medieval Islamic world a little in college, and fell in love. It's a fascinating age in which Central Asian Buddhists, North African nomads, Ethiopian slaves, Greek cave-dwellers, Persian aristocrats, Arab bureaucrats and a host of different cultures came together, mixed, wrote wonderful literature, and lived the kind of drama that makes history fun. But it's hard to find anything written about the time that isn't arcane professor babble or Islam 101. (You know, "There are five pillars of Islam..." Snore.)
Here Hugh Kennedy has written the book I always wanted. He wisely concentrates on medieval Islam's golden age, the early Abbasid dynasty, when Baghdad ruled a large portion of the world-and, even more astutely, on the dramatic stories and personalities of the court. Let's face it, you read about the Abbasids because you want to know how the slave girl Khayzuran not only managed to marry the caliph but to quell a military revolt, why her son Harun al-Rashid was immortalized in The Arabian Nights, and why the all-powerful Barmakid family suddenly fell from grace to prison and execution. Kennedy brings the caliphs and their families to life. He's up front about the fact that the book is about aristocrats, but the common people of Baghdad, the "pickpockets and sellers of cheap sweets" who fought back when their city was besieged, and the middle class who developed Islamic tradition dance around the edge of the narrative.
Kennedy doesn't believe everything he reads, and doesn't think you will either. He repeats stories-like the "harem intrigue" tales, in which devious women are blamed for various deaths-that are almost certainly not true, but tell us something about the people who believed them, and are still enormously entertaining. He also is frank about the same-sex relationships, male and female, that were a part of the era's culture, without the awkwardness of many modern historians. And he's smart enough to explain the geography-why southern Iraq could support such a fabulously wealthy monarchy, and why the Afghanistan/NE Iran region was so critical to the faraway Middle East-in a way an American can understand. Very rare for books on Islamic history, the book boasts an excellent map, naming both cities and regions-invaluable for a hapless Westerner who doesn't know where the major cities of Iran are today, never mind where long-gone kingdoms like Yamama and Ushrusana used to be. There's also a surprisingly good index (another rarity).
The book isn't flawless. Kennedy twice awkwardly interrupts his straightforward account of political events with fascinating chapters on aspects of court culture-palaces, poetry, science, and (my favorite) women's lives. Unfortunately, this structure means the reader learns about the palace Mutawakkil built before she knows enough about him to care, and doesn't hear anything about Ma'mun patronage of scientific research until long after he's dead in the main narrative. The last chapter goes into far too much detail about the depressing downfall of the dynasty, short-changing a more interesting discussion about its legacy. But all in all Kennedy does a great job, and I for one plan down to hunt down his earlier books.
If you know nothing about Islamic history and want an accessible introduction to an fascinating period, or like me know a little and want to learn more, I highly recommend this book.
Rivetting narrative.......2006-01-14
This purely popular tale of the Baghdad Abbasid Caliphate is a wonderful book, full of splendor and tales of the times of the Caliphs, the Harem, early Islam, the founding of modern Baghdad, luxury, corruption, bad governance, murder, passion, rape, affluence gone wild, gluttony, exorbitance, decadence and political failure.
The Abbasids were the first dynasty following the first four `righteous' caliphs(Bakr, Omar, Uthman, Ali) who followed the death of Mohammed. The movement of the capital of Islam to Baghdad symbolized the secular transference of temporal power from its religious foundations into a colonial capital of imperial Islam, after-all the region around Baghdad, modern day Iraq, then Mesopotamia, was a country full of Jews, Zoroastrians, Pagans, Assyrian Christians, Nestorians, Jacobites, Gnosts and others. Muslims were a minority in this land. Baghdad was a new city created to rule a colonial empire that was recently created. The empire that the Abbasids ruled was wealthy beyond belief, corrupt, licentious, full of slander, moral turpitude and court scandals. This excellent tale of this period doesn't really shed light on the modern `conflict' as claimed but it is an excellent fascinating tale, unfortunately it doesn't follow the narrative of Baghdad through to its destruction by the Mongols, but only to the replacement of the Abbasids by the Fatamids who rode to power on the backs of Turkic immigrant warriors from the east, see the book `black banners from the east' for a narrative of the rise of the Fatamids. If this sheds light on anything to do with Islam and modern times it shows that fundamentalist Islam's accusations of Western power, wealth and immorality, are mirrored in the actions of early Islam, which resembled the modern day west far more than modern day Islam, an irony. Islam in the 8th century was far from the fundamentalist form we see today, however there is nothing admirable in its use of Harems and slavery.
Seth J. Frantzman
Book Description
In all of the South Asian subcontinent, Bengal was the region most receptive to the Islamic faith. This area today is home to the world's second-largest Muslim ethnic population. How and why did such a large Muslim population emerge there? And how does such a religious conversion take place? Richard Eaton uses archaeological evidence, monuments, narrative histories, poetry, and Mughal administrative documents to trace the long historical encounter between Islamic and Indic civilizations.
Moving from the year 1204, when Persianized Turks from North India annexed the former Hindu states of the lower Ganges delta, to 1760, when the British East India Company rose to political dominance there, Eaton explores these moving frontiers, focusing especially on agrarian growth and religious change.
Customer Reviews:
Pretty exhaustive..........2004-09-07
At first, I had thought Eaton will only cover the spread of Islam in the Bengal as a religious process but obviously 300+ pages isn't for all that. Not only does he start from the B.C. periods and provide an overview of the political, religious and agrarian developments in this part of the world but he also goes on to describe much of the politcal history of the Turkish invasion and later Mughal dynasty. Obviously, I realized that giving such a comprehensive background helps the reader form a broader picture of the frame of mind of the receivers of the Islamic faith at that time in Bengal and does a better job explaining exactly why Islam blossommed so rapidly there. Eaton expounds the already existing theories of mass conversion and then goes on to partially reject them. Then he carefully eloborates on his view (which I, being a Bangladeshi, find agreeable) on how Islam ACTUALLY spread in this region.
For those looking for a book on the spread of Islam around the world, go for The Spread of Islam by Thomas W. Arnold but this book by Eaton is much more micro in perspective and hence serves the purpose of exploring the conditions conducive to the spread of Islam more thoroughly, bearing in mind of course that what induced Bengali people to embrace Islam is not necessarily the same that encouraged people in other times and places to become Muslim.
Amazon.com
In the aftermath of September 11, as Americans tried to figure out what they were up against, many of them turned to Ahmed Rashid's masterful book Taliban, the single best account of Afghanistan's murderous regime. With Jihad, Rashid offers an indispensable companion volume on five of Afghanistan's neighbors--Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan--and "the New Great Game" about to be waged over them between China, Russia, and the United States. "The vast, empty landscape dotted with oases of vibrant populations and political ferment, sitting on the world's last great untapped natural energy reserves, is almost as unknown to Westerners as it was to Europeans in the Middle Ages," writes Rashid, a Pakistani journalist with extensive experience reporting from the region. He describes the area's "growing instability," which he credits to a strain of militant Islam just like the form propagated by the Taliban and Osama bin Laden. One of the most interesting parts of Jihad concerns Juma Namangani, a shadowy rebel leader in Uzbekistan who has "cultivated an air of mystery that [is] even more extreme than that of the secretive [Taliban leader] Mullah Omar." Rashid concludes that radical Islam will remain popular in Central Asia as long as the governments there are oppressive. We ignore this part of the world at our peril, and there is no better guide to it than Rashid. --John Miller
Book Description
Ahmed Rashid, whose masterful account of Afghanistan's Taliban regime became required reading after September 11, turns his legendary skills as an investigative journalist to five adjacent Central Asian Republics-Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan-where religious repression, political corruption, and extreme poverty have created a fertile climate for militant Islam. Based on groundbreaking research and numerous interviews, Rashid explains the roots of fundamentalist rage in Central Asia, describes the goals and activities of its militant organizations, including Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda, and suggests ways of neutralizing the threat and bringing stability to the troubled region. A timely and pertinent work, Jihad is essential reading for anyone who seeks to gain a better understanding of a region we overlook at our peril.
Customer Reviews:
The root of civilization's problem........2007-05-13
This book is the most comprehensive source of information concerning Islam & Terrorism.
Problem for Central Asia.......2007-05-13
The book is tedious, but comprehensive and does explain a lot that has been said about the region. It offers confirmation of many statements about the region, usually those offered without reference. Recommended for anyone interested in "Fundalmentalist Islam" and/or the politics of the former Soviet Uniion.
Valuable and Important Book.......2007-02-23
Jihad by Ahmed Rashid provides an explanation for the rise of militant Islam in Central Asia. I purchased this book because I enjoyed another of Rashid's works, Taliban, and because it was on sale. Within the first few pages, the significance of Rashid's book is obvious. For one, the author is an objective journalist (that term should be redundant but, sadly, it isn't) with first-hand experience in the region. And, more importantly, Jihad was largely written before 11 September 2001, before our national interest in religious extremism became colored by emotion and an agenda to support USA military efforts in the Middle East.
As argued by Rashid, the seeds of today's radical Islamic movement in Central Asia were planted by Stalin. The present borders of those republics -- Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan -- were drawn by that dictator explicitly to fragment ethnic allegiances, to try and force the local populations to become homogenized (but 2nd class) members of the Soviet empire. Collectivization caused further resentment, as did Bolshevik suppression of Islam. But all the latter accomplished was to push religious practice underground and give the people a rallying point to come together against the government.
When the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, leaving former Communist Party members as presidents of the five republics, the equilibrium changed. The government was still unpopular and oppressive, and Islam was still officially to be suppressed, but the governments had lost their power to achieve their objectives. With the repeal of Soviet control came the withdrawal of Soviet forces and resources. Militant Islamic groups, suddenly free(r) to seek their own agendas, rose up to divide and topple the reigning, impotent regimes. Rashid works systematically through various movements in the region and their histories, but he pays special attention to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and its connection with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Jihad by Ahmed Rashid is a valuable and important book for anyone that wants to understand how the rise of militant Islam is not a new phenomenon but a continuation -- an effect -- of the Cold War.
Jihad: Book Review.......2007-02-06
Mr Rashid does a great job introducing this region to a reader who is only familiar with this area through the news reports. Central Asia covers an area nearly the size of the contiguous USA west of the Mississippi excluding Texas. Kazakhstan to the north comprises about 2/3s of this area. The remaining four "Stans" are squeezed between the Caspian Sea to the west with its vast oil reserves, China to the east and Iran and Afghanistan to the south.
Within these chapters is an adequate, short, understandable introduction to the history of the area from the Mongol invasions through their subjugation by the communists. You are introduced to the geography and the political boundaries, which were drawn by Stalin, and the state of affairs in each country between the downfall of the USSR and 2001. You learn that communist style dictators rule all but one of these countries and all the countries are both repressed and impoverished.
The meat of the story seems to begin with the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and the USA's efforts to thwart that assault. Our work with the resistance fighters through Pakisitan brought the outside world into central Asia for the first time in 60 years. With the defeat of the USSR in Afghanistan and the USSR's collapse, these countries were plunged unprepared into the modern world. The continuing repressive natures of their governments coupled with the arrival of fanatical Muslim missionaries soon lead to the birth of several Islamic fundamentalist organizations.
The Islamic Renaissance Party (IRP), Hizb ut Tahir (HT) and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) are the main focus of most of the book. Each of these organizations aims at overthrowing the current governments in the area and replacing them with some form of repressive Islamic state; however, none of the groups is particularly clear on what that would be. I think that Mr. Rashid does a very good job at portraying these organizations as destructive, reactionary groups with no plan for the world after they win.
Finally, the strategic concerns of Russia, China and the USA are dealt with and how they relate to Central Asia. I would like to point out to future readers that whenever the USA's influence in the region is mentioned America is indicted because its military and economic aide is not tied to political reform; regional leaders are just encouraged to reform. However, no such concern is ever once raised by Mr. Rashid when he discusses the influence and aide of Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, any European Country or any other player in Central Asia. Also, not once in the book is there ever any discussion of the responsibility that the residents of each of the "Stans" have for the maintenance and good government of their own lands.
All in all this is a well written and worthwhile book. It covers the subject area briefly, but well. I came away from this book with a much better understanding of this region, its problems and what we will be facing for many years to come.
Unbiased and Informative.......2006-11-24
Usually any book dealing with any aspect of Islam or other religions is either blatantly biased for or against that religion. Rashid manages to pull the attribution of all things to religion out of discussing Central Asia. He effectively demonstrates the impact of political economy and historical features on the regions lack of stability. Then he shows how religion--in this case Islam--aligns with these historical trends and impacts the country. The part I really appreciate about this book is how he resolves all these aspects into the "bigger picture" of how it affects Central Asia. Reading this book will also enable you to see how social movements occur transnationally in a smaller region (Central Asia comprises 5 countries). Very timely for today's events.
Book Description
The war on terror has become a household subject since the attacks on September 11, 2001. In reality, the jihad against America did not happen overnight. It has been coming for quite some time. The Dunces of Doomsday documents sixteen blunders that resulted in an invigorated radical Islam, terrorism worldwide, and the coming "American Hiroshima." The blunders documented include:
• "The Peanut Farmer and the Ayatollah"—How the worst president in America's history permitted and invigorated the rise of radical Islam
• "The Great Offense Against Islam"—How the invasion of Iraq under President George H. W. Bush and the installation of U.S. military bases between Islam's holy cities of Mecca and Medina sparked the holy war and the plan for the American Hiroshima
• "The Poppy Fields Remain in Bloom"—How the war on terror could have been averted by fire-bombing the poppy fields of Afghanistan
• "The Clinton Follies: From the Mullahs to Monica"—How the Clinton administration, which largely ignored international problems, failed to address the growing threat of Al-Qaeda after the attack on the U.S. embassies, the counterresistance in Somalia, and the attacks on the USS The Sullivans and the USS Cole
• "W Uses the Wrong Word"—How President George W. Bush's message that Islam means "peace" obscured the reality that Islam means "submission" to Allah
The Dunces of Doomsday chronicles the mistakes that have been made and provides a guide for preventing radical Islam and terrorism's dream of carrying out the coming American Hiroshima.
Customer Reviews:
Citizen's Primer on Failure of Government & Parties.......2007-07-07
I like the reviews I see here, so rather than repeat them I will simply say that I know Paul Williams, his first book, Osama's Revenge: THE NEXT 9/11 : What the Media and the Government Haven't Told You is first class, and both that book and this book are on my list of top 40 books for Earth Threat #9: Terrorism.
It should trouble all Americans that the US Government, under the failed congress (see The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track (Institutions of American Democracy) and Breach of Trust: How Washington Turns Outsiders Into Insiders), parties (see Running on Empty: How the Democratic and Republican Parties Are Bankrupting Our Future and What Americans Can Do About It), and Dick Cheney (see Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency, my long review itemizes the 23 high crimes and misdemeanors documented by the book), is focusing on terrorism rather than all ten threats. See my lists on threats, policies, and players.
I have put this book second in my list for terrorism, it is easier to read that Ralph Peters, but both books will make your blood boil. My own two books helpful to the public are available free at OSS.Net, but much more fun if you buy them in book form from Amazon:
The New Craft of Intelligence: Personal, Public, & Political--Citizen's Action Handbook for Fighting Terrorism, Genocide, Disease, Toxic Bombs, & Corruption
THE SMART NATION ACT: Public Intelligence in the Public Interest
IF YOU BELIEVE "24" IS BASED ON REALITY, YOU'LL BELIEVE THIS BOOK.......2007-03-31
Freedom of speech gives the author the right to state whatever he chooses, deflecting charges of bias with claims that his rights cannot be restricted. Unfortunately, the libel laws about prejudice, mistatements and outright lies are not heeded nearly as closely. Set aside the astonishing misinterpretations of Islamic culture and the total xenophobia underlying the book for a moment - Williams is hardly alone in that category - and focus on one of his most chilling claims: That a large quantity of nuclear materials was stolen from McMaster University's privately-owned research reactor and wound up in the hands of terrorists. McMaster, by the way, is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada - it's typical of the author to position such an event outside of the U.S., suggesting fortress America is targeted by the rest of the world - and is a highly acclaimed institution. Every legitimate source from McMaster administrators to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have stated that not an ounce of material is missing. The university has launched a libel suit against the author and publisher demanding a retraction. It will no doubt occur. But muddle-headed readers who buy this man's fantasies will either not hear of it or will ignore it, preferring to support his position that the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim. This is outrageous fiction depicted as scholarly reflection, and it is a sham.
Bush, the Republican Party's Jimmy Carter.......2007-01-04
A great book that confirms my belief that our entire government is run by a bunch of s' for brains with absolutely no street smarts. Bush is the biggest phony when it comes to fighting the war on terror. Under Bush annual iftar dinners began at the White House, under Bush the Koran was added to the White House library, under Bush terror suspects are invited to fund raising events, under Bush CAIR is allowed to post news announcements on the TSA website, under Bush our POW interrogators hands are tied like never before, under Bush his rat faced secretary of state constantly panders to the Palestinians, Bush may as well erect a crescent flag over the white house.
Scott W.
Documents the history of these blunders, including the underlying belief that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance.......2006-11-07
THE DUNCES OF DOOMSDAY: 10 BLUNDERS THAT GAVE RISE TO RADICAL ISLAM, TERRORIST REGIMES AND THE THREAT OF AN AMERICAN HIROSHIMA is no general treasure but hones in on ten major errors which have left security holes in the United States. Former FBI consultant Williams documents the history of these blunders, including the underlying belief that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance, and provides keys to how to cap the dangers - if we act quickly enough.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Dunces indeed.......2006-11-06
Thoughtfull without being alamist, the autor does a good job of exposing the failure of our representatives to act when they needed to regardless of which side of the isle they may be on. The author is carefull to build his case while still remaining readable, and even if only a quarter of the information presented is accurate there is danger a-brewing in every Wahhabist mosque in america. Must reading for anyone concerned with national security.
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.
Book Description
Before the age of Industrial Revolution, the great Asian civilisations - whether located in the Middle East, India, South-East Asia, or the Far East - constituted areas not only of high culture but also of advanced economic development. They were the First World of human societies. This book examines one of the driving forces of that historical period: the long chain of oceanic trade which stretched from the South China Sea to the eastern Mediterranean, passing through a series of rich urban emporia. It also looks at the natural complement of the seaborne commerce, its counterpart in the caravan trade. In analytical terms, the book emphasises the methods of multi-dimensional history by highlighting the intricate relationship between space, time and structure. Its main achievement is to show how socially determined demand derived from cultural habits and interpretations operated through the medium of market forces and relative prices. It points out, for the first time, the unique and limiting features of Asian commercial capitalism, and shows how the contribution of Asian merchants was valued universally, in reality if not legally and formally. Professor Chaudhuri’s book, based on more than twenty years’ research and reflection on pre-modern trade and civilisations, is a landmark in the analysis and interpretation of Asia’s historical position and development.
Book Description
As southern Lebanon becomes the latest battleground for Islamist warriors, Everyday Jihad plunges us into the sprawling, heavily populated Palestinian refugee camp at Ain al-Helweh, which in the early 1990s became a site for militant Sunni Islamists. A place of refuge for Arabs hunted down in their countries of origin and a recruitment ground for young disenfranchised Palestinians, the camp--where sheikhs began actively recruiting for jihad--situated itself in the global geography of radical Islam.
With pioneering fieldwork, Bernard Rougier documents how Sunni fundamentalists, combining a literal interpretation of sacred texts with a militant interpretation of jihad, took root in this Palestinian milieu. By staying very close to the religious actors, their discourse, perceptions, and means of persuasion, Rougier helps us to understand how radical religious allegiances overcome traditional nationalist sentiment and how jihadist networks grab hold in communities marked by unemployment, poverty, and despair.
With the emergence of Hezbollah, the Shiite political party and guerrilla army, at the forefront of Lebanese and regional politics, relations with the Palestinians will be decisive. The Palestinian camps of Lebanon, whose disarmament is called for by the international community, constitute a contentious arena for a multitude of players: Syria and Iran, Hezbollah and the Palestinian Authority, and Bin Laden and the late Zarqawi. Witnessing everyday jihad in their midst offers readers a rare glimpse into a microcosm of the religious, sectarian, and secular struggles for the political identity of the Middle East today.
Average customer rating:
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The Rise of Humanism in Classical Islam and the Christian West: With Special Reference to Scholasticism
George Makdisi
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ASIN: 0852246307 |
Book Description
This book is based on the theory that the black Muslim movement was created from the knowledge of the Masonic order. In the early decades of the 20th century, noble drew ali established a political and religious organization known today as the Moorish Science Temple of America. It was this organization that exposed black to something other than the normal Christian influences of that day. Ali a high degree freemason, incorporated various Masonic teachings from an auxiliary group. Known as the AEAONMS ancient Egyptian Arabic order of noble of the mystic shrine A pseudo Islamic/Arabic oriental organization that served as a wake up call to a lost knowledge. A knowledge that was taken away from Africans during the slave trades. The theory behind this book is that the majority of the slaves that were taken from the west coast of Africa were practicing Muslims, and these Muslims were forced to convert to Christianity under the strong oppression of slavery. At one time Afro-Americans were the biggest minority in the American society. About 90% of the today's population of black's are descendants of slaves that were brought to America for working on plantations since the 16th century. At the beginning of the 19th century most of the so-called Negroes lived in the plantation areas of the Southern States. After the Civil War and the abolition of slavery it wasn't until the early 1920's and 30's that black's were beginning to experiment with other faiths. Of all the faiths Islam became the fastest growing religion and the most popular. This book by far is in no way a research into black history, instead it covers a more deeper aspect of history in which I call the history behind the history. It explores the true Asiatic origins of the ancient religions of Hinduism, Buddhism well as the Islamic faith. Finally It explores the Masonic symbolisms of ali's Moorish science dogma digging deeper into the esoteric side of his Aquarian/Masonic teaching explaining their origins and discovering an age old wisdom that had been kept hidden from the human eye. One would think that Africans in the Americas would have rejected the religious tradition of their European oppressors taking into consideration that African religions are far older & they possess more sources of knowledge & spiritual salvation. Yet there are those who have turned away from traditional Christian dominated environments in order to find a greater understanding of themselves and the world in which they live. One alternative has been to seek knowledge in the various religious groups that arose in the 20th century.
Customer Reviews:
there is a connection.......2007-09-24
The information presented in the book is design to give the reader an in dept understanding of moorish science origins as well as freemasonry's connection to other black nationalist movements. it seems that the majority of these groups tend to neglect and even deny their connection to freemasonry simply because in their own beliefs their doctrines are made to believe that they are of an orginal origin. these groups have borrowed from other religions to create their own new age beliefs and in turn needed something to create structure within their new found faith. they used freemasonry as a tool for organizing their movements because their are quite a few members in the order and they needed a structure that would give them organization. once the movement was established they abandoned masonic teachings and renamed it something different.However what i found within these groups is the fact that they still have not abandoned freemasonry it is still present within their ranks and their religious doctrines,and that is fine because i believe without it the organization would not exist.For a number i have seen
many people talk against freemasonry because of its history in world dealings. however if one would have a better understanding of freemasonry's true origins then and only then could these movements have a better appreciation of what freemasonry really is. first and foremost it was never called freemasonry. it is a system that has borrowed from other ancient systems mainly africa nile valley ,ancient ethiopia etc.
Great writers of black nationalism like martin delaney a prince hall mason have spoken highly of freemasonry delaney quoted the phrase
"But to deny to black men the privileges of Masonry, is to deny to a child the lineage of its own parentage. From whence sprung Masonry but from Ethiopia, Egypt, and Assyria, all settled and peopled by the children of Ham?
what i have found within these groups is they have found a connection to their heritage,a lost knowledge that in their own thinking has no connection with freemasonry and yet the masonic order is where they discovered that lost connection.
Both delaney and prince hall were some of earliest leaders to come up with a system to unify people of african decent i suggest reading his charge to freemasonry and delaney origins of freemasonry. this response is not an attack on anyone's faith it is only to clarify that masonry
is universal and there is no denying the contributions that it has made to religion as well as black nationalism.
Tired of same old comments.......2007-04-25
This books is most definitely a wake call to those who did not have knowledge of some of the missing info about Afican descent. One thing that should be noted is that not all black people in the U.S today are
descendent of Africans. Some people are from whct is called America today, some people are a direct descendent of stollen people taken from other pacific islands, bahama islands. Black people were no slaves brought to this continent nor any continent. Black people were normal indivudals in their society with positions in life with professions and knowledge that had been taught through antiquity. Thery were not babrbaric nor human eating coons that they have been portrayed to be. The fact reamains black people in the world to day have a need. This need is to be reparated for this terrble atrocity which striped them of everythign vital to a human being existance and the knowledge of where they came from. So-called blacks should be reparted to the tune of $200,000,000,000 each for their continued troubles of living amoung peoples that continue to be little and deny them of the same rights that are given to the majority populace.
connect the dots, not the space.......2007-04-24
I havn't read this book ... But, I would like to comment on a few reviews. For one, just because we can see the evidence of Africans through out the world in different era's, does not mean that all practice the same beliefs or traditions. Noting: that the khametans were not muslims because the moabites may have been. Although both groups were the same in hue and probably shared some distant kinship in view of family clans... there is a big difference in the belief systems of the Khametan spiritual system and that of Islam. For one, the Khametan's acknowledged the female principle as being equal to the male principle, as being the progenitor of the latter. In Islam, Allet which was the female opposite of Allah had been given a back seat doing the time of Mohammad, wether it was his decision or someone in his camp at a later time matters not, considering that the Mohammadans were patriarchs, as it was doing the time of the Mohammadans when Islam was said to be born. If Mohammad was the establisher of Islam doing the 7th century, then there was no Islamic religion predating his time. There is evidence to show that the Arabs had a spiritual practice, but there is no evidence of it being a (organized religion) before the arrival of Mohammad. If so, then were is the evidence?
It wasn't until after Mohammad's death that the Islamic religion was used as a weapon against Afrikans and others in the so-called Middle East. There is no evidence that I have seen, that suggestes are shows that the Moors were practicing Islam before the time of Mohammad. Although doing the time of Mohammad, it has been recorded that faithful followers who were merchants traveled and settled in Somalia and certain area's of Ethiopia, influencing the people that they traded with to join the Islamic faith, wether this had a lot to do with trade relationships as the reason, I can't confirm although this is a on going debate.
With that being said, Khamet was a colony of Ethiopia. So, for any settlers who were practitioners of the Khametan Spiritual system they would have taken this practice with them when they cross the red sea to occupy the land for further agricultural growth as well as to escape famine and war. There is evidence of the Sudanic-Ethiopian Empire encompassing Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Middle East(Asia Minor), India(Indus Valley), Europe( before caucasion take over), South China, South America, Central America, North America and a slew of different islands, as you can find pyramids or pyramid mounds in all of these regions.
The moral here rings true throughout. Who ever is the dominant male group will influence the weaker groups in language, customs, eating habits, artistic values, spiritualism, etc. This old scenerio has played out over and over again, all one need to do is read on the different conquest of different cultural societies... and investigate the available artiFACTS that proves this beyond any doubt!
To respond to the one viewers view of Abduallah meaning, (servant of Allah). This does not confirm the existence of Islam as a religion, this only confirms that before the introduction of the Holy Qua'ran by Mohammad and his followers, Arabs may have had a Spiritual practice that included their view of a Supreme Being whom they refered to as Allah, since the Arabs descended from the Abraham lineage and Abraham was from Ur doing the Chaldean rule. These people more than unlikely were probably followers of whatever the Chaldee's worshiped as a belief albeit there being a difference in representation from clan to clan that would later result in a difference in opinion of what constituted spiritual correctness as rumored by many scholars about the reality of the Arabs before Mohammad.
There is a difference between Spiritualism and Religion. Spiritualism is non-political at it's base, were as, religion is just another facet of politics being used as a organized congregation to control people, just as Arabs found it easier to conquer there foes once Islam was born, not everyone followed a brotherly love code but used religion as a front to passify and then administer brute force onced the victims were engulfed in the religious spell of servitude to a Supreme Being, interpreted by the oppressor, just as Africans have been with European Christianity and still are.
Also, let me add that the authors view of the Khametan Masonic Order is based on a distorted belief of the Greeks. The Khametan's only had 3 degree's that were centered around the relationship between human's and the Creator as this was further identified through the usage of establishing trigonometry, as the idea was to keep one focused on things that would help them remember the Union and Oneness between Creator and creation in a complimentary manner, which was why the triangle was so important in that society, as it showed division coming from the one or the focal point of existence ( The Creator ), as the pyramid possessed quite a few meanings surrounding the principles of law and order (Maat).
Were as, the Greeks who evolved from a warrior class could not grasp such a reality, so created the separatist view of 33(3/3) degree's that mirrored each other in a state of duality which was already a common belief amongst Asians doing that time and before, who were all mostly patriarch groups who were of warrior societies that developed from hunter gatherer groups who warred over hunting zones and land... The Macedonians evolved from a ancient group who originally were a splinter of larger groups that spreaded out from the now called, European Plateau and Caucasia, who settled amongst Ethiopian colonies that they learned from and later conquered.
Not a member of M.S.T.of A = Limited understanding! i.e. ASK SOMEBODY WHO REALLY KNOWS!!!.......2007-02-25
Peace and Blessings:
Over a period of 30+ years, I have witnessed time and time again, various individuals who have offered their analysis and interpretation of Prophet Noble Drew Ali, the Moorish Science Temple, and Moorish Science. Invariably, each ot these individuals had/have one thing in common: NONE of them are card-carrying, STUDYING members of the MST of A! Of course, I cannot really know this to be fact, however, my evaluation is based upon the "tone and texture", of pieces of writing such as this one.
They often speak of the "incomplete" conclusions of those who have no true idea of the "what" of Noble Drew Ali's message, the "how" of his methodolgy
and the "why" it was only incumbent upon "His People" to believe and accept his message. In other words, "the sheep would know the Shepards voice". No one else would be expected to "hear", and therefore, RESPOND!
Even if the totality of Mr. Moore's conclusions were true, (and they are not!), the seminal truth about the teachings of Prophet Noble Drew Ali, is that they were brought to the Moors/Moslems of America, for THEIR teaching and uplifting, and that NATIONALITY was and is, THE solution to our problems mentally, socially, economically, politically, etc. In light of this, Mr. Moore's opinion, and that of others like him, should be regarded as nothing more than that.
The history of the ancient Moabites~Moors PRE-DATES ALL of the so-called history of the European nations, and also of the "Arabs", Mr. Moore cannot truly base his claim that Africans/Moors did not practice Islam until the Arabs came along is truly without support, since, Mohammed's father's name was "Abduallah",which means, "Servant of Allah". If Allah, the God of Islam, was known BEFORE the birth of Mohammed, then, well, YOU do the math!
If I could talk to Mr. Moore, he would be alright then. Perhaps.
Sheik El
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
trash.......2007-02-15
i bought this book thinking it would give some valuable info on the prophet .this book is trash. this author is a joke. first off starting with his name keith moore 32mason..from that alone u know hes not part of msta just a on looker from sideline .he wouldhave bey or elif he was .2nd he doesnt proclaim his nationality but only gives u his degree n masonary.letting u know off hand whos side hes on..another thing this guy is kinda slick with his writings ,even though well educated hes a fool.he actually belives morrish science comes out of masonary. U WRONG...its other way around. (egyptians) and moors are same people .dont forget you are who your ancestors are.ancient moabites. not what SOME EUROPEANS CALL U (EGYPTIANS)...FOREFATHERS NAME YOU NOT THE LAND YOU LIVE IN.IF A SO CALLED BLACK MAN IS BORNN JAPAN.WHATS HE CALLED? JAPANESE .......BUT WHAT IS HE ? HES A MOABITE THAT LIVES N JAPAN.....PRAISE ALLAH AND HIS PROPHET NOBLE DREW ALI
Customer Reviews:
al Banna did not approve Noukrashi assassination.......2006-10-24
Hassam al Banna never approved the assassination of Noukrashi Pasha (Egypt's Prime Minister during the life and rein of King Farouk I), it was the military arm of the Movement that decided and carried it out, without Banna's explicit approval.
Banna was as shocked as the King.
Latest interviews with contemporary ex-members of the Brotherhood in Egypt who were close to Banna testified that the `Morshed' - Guider - had never `ruled' as an autocrat; at times he was ruled by his strong-willed military `wing' who had been morbidly suspicious of the Palace/PM intentions towards the Muslim Brotherhood.
Under the urging of Banna who was anxious to have `his men' come to terms with the PM, the attempt was postponed two times. But old antagonisms were so strong (because of the war in Palestine, and the decision made by the PM to purge the Army of all members of the Muslim Brotherhood).
The Palace ordered the assassination of Al Banna in retaliation to the killing of Noukrashi Pasha.
Al-Banna's successor, Hodehbie sought to improve relations with the Palace. A personal touch of friendliness with the King was considered to widen Brotherhood's sphere of influence as a `balancing factor' against the ever-present popular el- Wafd Party. After al Banna, King Farouk I regarded the Brotherhood movement as his own sphere of influence and tried by clever approaches (like to subsidize the financing of their newspaper) to woo them out of any alliances with the Wafd.
While al Banna maxim was `keep friends with the masses', his successor's was `keep friends with the King'
Birth of Mass Politics in Egypt.......2003-05-26
This is a solid work of scholarship, and serves a nice supplement to Mitchell's more expanded work. However, given that the new information handled by B. Lia offers merely a refinement of our understanding of the Brotherhood rather than a radical revision, one is recommended to rather begin with Mitchell-whose book is available in paperback, is more established, and is a fraction of the cost. Contrary to D. Pipes' and others' reviews, Mitchell's work does not portray the Muslim Brotherhood as reactionary. This rhetorical device of point, counter-point does considerable injustice to Mitchell's work.
Standing on its own, this work is well written and easy to follow. Lia is able to delve into the mechanics of the organization on a social and political level in order to reveal just how it reached the amount heights of success that it did. The result is a picture that explains well why it was a model so extensively copied and exported throughout the Muslim world. If there is any comparison to be made to Mitchell's work, this would certainly be the proper feature to focus on. Overall, Lia gives a much more lucid, detailed account of the Muslim Brother as a social organization and makes a convincing case for the organization being the first grass-roots political movement in Egypt with its origins and leadership from the poorer classes [unlike the Wafd]. What is lost, however, is comprehensive picture of the whole-and this due partly to the limited time frame of the study-wherein the Brotherhood's other distinguishing features [e.g., its religiosity, transformation during political persecution, etc.] are obfuscated.
The Society of the Muslim Brothers in Egypt: The Rise of an.......2001-08-06
The best known study of Egypt's foremost fundamentalist Islamic movement, Richard Mitchell's Society of the Muslim Brothers (1969), portrayed the organization as a reactionary response to Westernization mounted by those left in its wake. And, indeed, this was the general interpretation of fundamentalist Islam by most writers on the subject before 1990 or so. Now, however, a thoroughly different (and much improved) interpretation rules, one that sees the Muslim Brothers and like movements as a facet of modernization. Their personnel are urbanites dealing with the cutting edge of modern problems; their ideas, methods, and goals all incorporate modern ways; and they show far more willingness to learn from the West than was hitherto realized.
In a very impressive research effort into the early years of the Muslim Brothers, Lia (a Norwegian scholar) relies on new sources and deep knowledge of his subject to show convincingly just how well that movement does fit the new interpretation. He establishes that it organized in ways novel for Egypt and mobilized elements of the population hitherto neglected. But its greatest importance lay in developing an answer to the rampant European ideologies of the 1930s: in this, the Muslim Brothers began "a lasting process of renewal . . . in which religion was related to the modern age and all aspects of modern life." With justification, Lia concludes that the Muslim Brothers' "reinterpretation of Islam will remain the most far-reaching Islamic renewal this century."
Middle East Quarterly, June 1999
Book review in Palestine Times.......2000-05-02
Book review in Palestine Times No.86 August 1998
"This important book deepens our understanding of the influence of contemporary Islamism by providing the first definitive history of the meteoric rise of the mother organization of all modern Islamist movements, the Society of the Muslim Brothers.
Founded in 1928 by a young primary school teacher, Hasan al-Banna, the society rose to become the largest mass movement in modern Egyptian history in less than two decades, clashing with the ruling elite on a wide range of issues.
Brynjar Lia examines the socio-economic and cultural factors which facilitated the movement's expansion and analyses the keys to its success- its organization, internal structure, modes of action and recruitment techniques as well as its ideological and class appeal.
Drawing on a wealth of new sources which include British War Office and Foreign Office files, security files from the Egyptian National Archives and the Society's newspapers and internal publications from the 1930s and early 1940s, this book also makes extensive use of the memories and personal letters of Muslim Brother veterans. The author has spent many years in Egypt interviewing old and younger members of this influential society."
Palestine Times No.86 August 1998
Book review in Jerusalem Post.......2000-04-28
Book review in Jerusalem Post
"Lia's book provides a fresh reassessment of the growth of the Muslim Brothers. He does so by drawing on a wealth of recently discovered documents, including the Society's own internal publications from the 1930s and '40s, British intelligence reports and al-Banna's personal letters.
While touching on issues of ideology and anti imperialism, Lia places great emphasis on the Society's structure and its activities within Egypt to explain its early phenomenal growth. Rather than a reaction to modernity, he argues that the Society itself was a modern organization, open to new technologies and ideas. (..)
The violence and radicalism within the organization prove to be among the thorniest issues in the book. While the Muslim Brothers provided the organizational model for today's radical Islamic groups, to some extent they also provided the template of violence. Lia argues that the Society, while calling for an all-Islamic "struggle" on various occasions, was not inherently violent. The Muslim Brothers did have a military wing, the so-called Special Section, but this, he says, was a way to channel the radical energies of the more energetic younger members. This element of violence can be traced back to a split within the Muslim Brothers in 1939. As a reaction to al-Banna's accommodationist political activity, a group calling itself the Society of Our Master Muhammad's Youth split off from the main organization. Throughout the next decades, this group would continue to splinter, creating the network of violent Islamic groups which plagued Egypt today (..) Lia argues that the growing radicalism resulted from government efforts to shut these Islamic groups out of the Egyptian political system. Lacking a legitimate outlet for their energies, he argues, these groups can easily turn to the option of terrorism.
"The Society of the Muslim Brothers in Egypt 1928-1942" is an important contribution to our understanding. If any complaint can be leveled it is at the circumscription of the book's time frame. Lia limits his study from the beginning of the Society until 1942 (..)Numerous issues of interst arose in the Society's history after this period from the involvement of the Muslim Brothers in the 1948 war against Israel to the 1949 assassination of al-Banna and Nasser's eventual outlawing of the Society. A wider study would further consider the development of violence within the Muslim Brothers and its splinter groups and offshots. One can only hope that Lia has plans for a companion volume"
Book review by Shai Tsur in Jerusalem Post December 1998
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