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MARCH 2001 BOOK REVIEWS |
Books in BriefSelected by Fred Rhodes
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Middle East Books Dept., IC Publications, 7 Coldbath Square, London EC1R 4LQ, UK. Telephone: +44 (0)207 713 7711 Fax: +44 (0)207 713 7898. Orders should include the nine-digit ISBN, book title, price and postage for each book — UK £3, Europe (airmail) £5, Rest of World (airmail) £10. Payment must accompany each order, by sterling cheque drawn on a UK bank and made payable to IC Publications Ltd or by credit card giving number and expiry date, together with the cardholder’s name, address and telephone or facsimile number. |
RELIGION
AND CULTURE IN MEDIEVAL ISLAMIn the Middle Ages, the intimate relation between religion and culture was nowhere more intimate or interrelated than in a movement later named “scholasticism.” This name, which was meant to be derogatory, was applied to the movement during the period of its decline, long after it had come into existence. With the passage of time, the name acquired several meanings, and since the 19th century, has come to designate scholastic philosophy. As such, it stands for the antithesis of what the movement originally represented; that is, exclusion of philosophy.
Originating in Islam, the movement began in the second half of the ninth century, vigorously developed in the 10th, and reached its zenith in the 11th. Some time in the first decade of the 12th century, it appeared in the Christian West, where it followed two different lines of development: one in Bologna, the other in Paris. In classical Islam, its institution par excellence was the college; in the Christian West, the university. The interest this movement has for us today is two-fold: it is at the basis of our own system of higher learning; and it is a key to the understanding of certain developments in religious and cultural history in modern times, as well as in the Middle Ages. As such it has a claim on our attention at least as great as any other intellectual movement in history, for without it we would not have some of the most important institutions we have today. By inquiring into its origins, we are afforded a better understanding of certain religious and cultural developments in modern times.
George Makdisi has brought together six of the most distinguished scholars in the field to explore the religion and culture of medieval Islam. This promises to be an original and stimulating exchange. Makdisi’s introductory chapter focuses on the interaction between religion and culture in classical Islam and Christendom, W Montgomery Watt addresses the question of the future of Islam, posing a parallel with the Judaic reaction to Hellenistic culture, Merlin Swartz analyses the homilies of Ibn Al Jawzi, Irfan Shahid considers the implications of the Arabic character of the Qur’an, George Saliba assesses Ash’arite thought in astrology and astronomy, Roger Arnaldez reflects on the religious cultures of medieval Islam, and Mahmoud Ayoub concludes the volume by drawing together the common historic threads of Muslim-Jewish and Muslim-Christian popular worship
What kind of duty do we have to try to stop other people doing wrong? The question is intelligible in just about any culture, but few of them seek to answer it in a rigorous fashion. The most striking exception is found in the Islamic tradition, where ‘commanding right and forbidding wrong’ is a central moral tenet already mentioned in the Koran. As a historian of Islam whose research has ranged widely over space and time, Michael Cook is well placed to interpret this complex yet fascinating subject.
His book, which represents the first sustained attempt to map the history of Islamic reflection on this obligation, covers the origins of Muslim thinking about ‘forbidding wrong’, the relevant doctrinal developments over the centuries in all the major Islamic sects and schools, and its significance in Sunni and Shi’ite thought today. In this way, the book contributes to the understanding of contemporary Islamic politics and ideology and raises fundamental questions for the comparative study of ethics.
JERUSALEM By Henry Cattan published
by Saqi Books
ISBN 0 86356 933 1 price £16.00 hardback
The problem of Jerusalem
is one of the most emotional and explosive issues in the world. Unlike
other issues of the Arab-Israeli conflict, its importance and dimensions
transcend the Middle East and its peoples.
Jerusalem is unique among all the cities of the world because of its association
with three religions. It is the spiritual and religious heritage to one
half of humanity and is holy for one thousand million Christians, seven
hundred million Muslim and fourteen million Jews.
Jerusalem is the birthplace of Christianity. Almost all the Holy Places,
sacred shrines and sanctuaries connected with the birth, life and death
of Christ are found in Jerusalem and in nearby Bethlehem: the Holy Sepulchre,
the Via Dolorosa, the Church of the Nativity, the Cenacle, the Garden
of Gethsemane, the Mount of Olives and 38 churches.
Jerusalem is also holy for Islam: All Islamic traditions and sacred writings
point to the unmistakable fact that Jerusalem is holy for all Muslims,
the third holiest city after Mecca and Medina. The name of Jerusalem in
Arabic is ‘Al Qods’ which means ‘The Holy’. On the site of the Haram Al
Sharif in the Old City of Jerusalem stand two famous Islamic sanctuaries:
the Mosque of the Dome of the Rock and the Mosque of Al Aqsa.
In addition to these two historic mosques, there exist 34 other mosques
in Jerusalem, 27 of which are located in the Old City and the others outside
the walls. To Judaism, Jerusalem has been a holy city since the building
of the Temple of Solomon. Today the most important Jewish sanctuary in
Jerusalem is the Wailing Wall which the Jews consider to be the remnant
of the western wall of Herods Temple.
As the leaders of the Middle East attempt to forge a lasting peace in
the region, this holy place has emerged as the focus of negotiations and
bone of contention of the peace process. This book argues that Israeli
intransigence on the issue of Jerusalem is likely to prove perilous to
peace and stability in the middle East.
Anatomy of a Failed Policy
By Hossein Alikhani published
by IB TAURIS
ISBN 1 86064 626 3 price £50.00 hardback
One of the most controversial
issues of the past decade has been the role of economic sanctions in US
foreign policy. Since the time of the Jefferson administration economic
sanctions have been an integral part of US foreign policy. But it is the
new pattern of practice which began to emerge during the Clinton administration
that has made the subject controversial.
For the past 20 years, successive US administrations have tried to isolate
Iran diplomatically, militarily and economically, relying on existing
legislation to invoke sanctions against it. During the Clinton administration,
the US Congress, influenced by domestic political interest groups connected
to a foreign country, designated Iran the ‘enemy of the year’, accusing
it of supporting international terrorism, undermining the Middle East
peace process and seeking to obtain weapons of mass destruction.
With new legislation, Congress forced Clinton to subject Iran to the most
rigorous and unprecedented forms of sanction which conflicted with the
interests of other nations and led to diplomatic rifts with the allies
of the United States.
Several characteristics of these measures make Iran an interesting case
study of the use of unilateral economic sanctions. This book explores
US sanctions against Iran in depth, it examines their history and current
status, as well as their political and economic impact, and the conditions
under which they were imposed.
MOROCCO
SINCE 1830A History
BY CR Pennell published by C Hurst & Co
ISBN 1 85065 426 3 price £16.50 paperback
ISBN 1 85065 273 2 price £45.00 hardback
This is the first general history of Morocco in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Although the country has returned to roughly its pre-colonial boundaries
it was colonised by two separate European powers, France and Spain. Its
king, like the sultans of the 19th century claims legitimacy through his
leadership of the Islamic community, but there is a long tradition of
dissent based on Islamic ideals. Morocco has been notable also for the
enduring presence of a large Jewish community Richard Pennell examines
the tactics used by Moroccan rulers to cope with European penetration
in the 19th century and colonialism in the 20th, and from the 1950s to
retain control of the independent state. But the ruling dynasty is not
sufficiently representative of modern Morocco, nor are political events
the only influence on change. Most Moroccans are still poor, and their
lives are shaped by their economic circumstances. The influence of harvests,
access to land and water, and external trade have always determined the
fate of the majority — a major theme of this work. The changes since the
middle of the 19th century which have affected social relationships (especially
those between the sexes) linguistic identities and culture also feature
strongly in this study.
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A MONETARY HISTORY OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE