Unholy Wars:Terror in the Name of Islam
Review by Muqtedar Khan, Ph.D.
John L. Esposito, Unholy Wars: Terror in the Name of Islam (New York: Oxford
University Press, 2002), pp. 196. Hardback, US $25.00.
John Esposito is easily one of the world’s most preeminent scholars of
Islam. His voice carries authority not only in the West but also in the
Muslim World. In keeping with his stature as an important commentator on
Islam, Esposito has responded to the attacks of September 11th, 2001, by
writing a very important book. – Unholy Wars: Terror in the Name of Islam.
In Unholy Wars, Esposito systematically addresses the political antecedents
to the 9/11 attacks on the US by Al-Qaeda, the international terrorist
organization masterminded by Usama Binladen. Esposito examines the recent
history of US relations with the Muslim world and explains how a global
sentiment of anti-Americanism has emerged in the Muslim World. He shows with
great clarity how economic conditions, political underdevelopment, the
shadow of Israeli occupation of Palestine and the continued presence of US
supported authoritarian regimes in the Arab world have led to the festering
of a deep seated resentment and anger towards the US. In a very systematic
way Esposito succeeds in unraveling the layered complexity of global
politics and explains how the phenomenon of global terrorism articulated in
the language of Islam has emerged as a counter hegemonic force to pax
Americana.
The book begins with the story of Binladen and his rise from a shy youth to
the preeminent ideologue of Jihad International. In Esposito’s narrative
this mythical demon is humanized and it becomes easier for even the
uninitiated to understand the choices that Binladen made and the historical
and geopolitical circumstances that shaped his destiny.
In chapter two Esposito writes a revealing genealogy of Jihad. He shows how
and why this very important Islamic concept has now become a central pillar
of Muslim consciousness and self-understanding. He also argues that the very
understanding jihad is complex as well as contested. Going as far back as
the Kharijite movement in early Islam, Esposito traces the different
meanings that various Muslim scholars and groups have given to the principle
of Jihad. He makes it clear that Jihad has shaped Muslim politics and its
meanings have also been shaped by Muslim politics. It becomes clear how
different Muslims can have such differing understanding of Jihad. For
example Esposito points to how the present grand mufti of Egypt considers
suicide bombing as martyrdom while the present grand mufti of Saudi Arabia
declares it unIslamic (p. 100). He follows the genealogy of Jihad with a
comprehensive survey of global Islamic militancy covering the entire spread
of Islam from Indonesia to the US. The survey establishes how the different
understanding of Jihad has shaped the various tactics adopted by Islamic
movements and Islamic militants.
Esposito also address the loud claims of neoconservatives in America who
claim that Islam itself, not just radical Muslims, is inherently
incompatible with the cluster of values which some pretentious westerners
call Western and liberals call universal. Esposito disabuses the notion that
Islam and capitalism, Islam and democracy and Islam and human rights are
incompatible. He also examines in great depth the struggle for women’s
rights in Muslim societies today.
Finally Esposito focuses on what must be done next. He raises the issue of
“root causes” (p. 160) and makes no bones about stating that unless Muslim
grievances are addressed wisely and the economic and political conditions
that engender terrorism ameliorated, globalism terrorism will continue to
plague the West and authoritarian Muslim regimes. He however stops short of
making any specific policy recommendations with regards to how the US may
specifically deal with Iraq or Hamas or Saudi Arabia’s linkage with
Wahhabism. The role of this book is to provide an understanding of the
context – political and historical – that motivates Muslims terrorism and
how these so called Islamic warriors implicate Islam in their dastardly
tactics.
Nevertheless Esposito does not pull any punches in making it clear that
Islam is a global force and will remain so for a long time to come. He also
seems to suggest that Islamism may well grow rather than ebb. He fears that
the shortsighted vision that is guiding the so called war on terrorism that
seems to rely on military options more than diplomacy and social change may
well prove to be counterproductive. Instead of eliminating terror, he fears,
it may engender greater anti-American and anti-Western sentiment and lead to
more bloodshed and global instability.
As a student of Islamic revivalism and Muslim politics I cannot but help
noticing a subtle shift in Esposito’s position. In the Islamic Threat the
major thrust of his argument was that Islamic revivalists movements are
responding to modernity and western ideologies from a position that is
culturally authentic and are deeply influenced by their faith in the
universality and divinity of Islamic values. He concluded that Islamic
movements posed a civilizational challenge, in terms of advancing alternate
social and political paradigms, and not a threat to the West. But in Unholy
Wars he seems to recognize that Ijtihad international has benefited from the
globalization of Islamic movements and the fervor and consciousness they
developed. He now recognizes the threat of radical Islam to the West and to
Islam itself.
What has happened between 1992-2002 to Islamic movements who seem to have
forgotten about the ijtihadi (intellectual) dimensions of islah (reform) and
tajdeed (revival) and have allowed themselves to be consumed by a heretical
understanding of Jihad?
Esposito speaks to the West as well as to Muslims. He strongly advocates
that Western powers rethink and reassess their foreign policies and their
support for authoritarian regimes. He also insists that mainstream Muslims
worldwide must also aggressively address the threat to Islam from religious
extremists (p. 158). Esposito’s message is clear. It is not Islam; rather
it is the plight of contemporary Muslims aggravated by American meddling in
Muslim affairs that has made both Islam and America a victim of radical
Muslims.
John Esposito’s Unholy Wars is a masterful rendition by a scholar in his
prime. It is a definitive response to several of the vexing questions posed
by the shocking attacks on the Pentagon and WTC. Journalists, academics,
students, policy makers and attentive people who care about the
ramifications of 9/11 cannot afford to not pick up this book. Once they pick
it up, they will put it down only to reflect on the issues it raises.
With the very best of good wishes,
Musa Amadu Pembo
Glasgow,
Scotland
UK.
[log in to unmask]
Da’wah is to convey the message with wisdom and with good words. We should
give the noble and positive message of Islam. We should try to emphasize
more commonalities and explain the difference without getting into
theological arguments and without claiming the superiority of one position
over the other. There is a great interest among the people to know about
Islam and we should do our best to give the right message.
May Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,guide us all to His Sirat Al-Mustaqim (Righteous
Path).May He protect us from the evils of this life and the hereafter.May
Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,grant us entrance to paradise .
We ask Allaah the Most High, the All-Powerful, to teach us that which will
benefit us, and to benefit us by that which we learn. May Allaah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala grant blessings and peace to our Prophet Muhammad and his family
and
companions..Amen.
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