Islam and the West
by Bernard Lewis
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Book Summary Information
Author: Bernard LewisEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1994-10-27
ISBN: 0195090616
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Book Reviews of Islam and the West
Book Review: A story of friction.
Summary: 5 Stars
More than many historians, Lewis' writing is meaty. Despite being written at a summary level, you get a sense of the depth of his research and his intellect in every page - in contrast to, for example, Bernard Kaplan, who, while often interesting, sometimes rambles and occasionally seems abstruse. Put another way, if you are inclined to highlight important passages in this book, you might want to use a paintbrush rather than a highlighter.For the better part of a millennium the Muslim world (dar al-Islam) looked down on Christendom (part of dar al-Harb). Then, in the late 1600's, things began to change. Europe came to surpass Islam in every field - militarily, politically, culturally - culminating in the dismembering of the Ottoman Empire following World War I. This has colored the Muslim sense of self ever since - a situation made worse by the Islamic (especially Arabic) sense of pride and superiority. The reasons behind it and what to do about it occupy endless debate within dar al-Islam. That same debate is at the heart of Lewis' book.
"For Muslims, Islam is not merely a system of belief and worship, a compartment of life, so to speak, distinct from other compartments which are the concern of nonreligious authorities administering nonreligious laws [as is generally the case in the West]. It is rather the whole of life, and its rules include civil, criminal, and even what we would call constitutional law." (pg. 4.) Both Christianity and Islam contain, "The idea that there is a single truth for all mankind, and that it is the duty of those who possess it to share it with others..." (pg. 5.) Despite the common heritage, two distinct cultures emerged. Attempts at secularization met some success in the twentieth century, but militant fundamentalism is on the rise, bred by frustration, fueled by religious zeal, and sustained by hatred. The goal is a return to a utopian view of the authentic Islam of the time of the Prophet Muhammad and the rashidun.
Lewis' book is a collection of essays describing the interaction between Islam and the West and the impact each has had on the other. It is but one of a dozen or so books about Islam that he has written over the past several decades, each with a different approach to Islam. This one is a story of friction between two cultures. Well written and readable, it is interesting at times, scary at others, but always illuminating.
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