Mr. Pembo,

Many thanks for bringing this very eminently sensible review to our notice.
It will be a pleasure to read Mr. Esposito's book.

Sidibeh
----- Original Message -----
From: "Musa Amadu Pembo" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 12:56 AM
Subject: Book Review:Unholy Wars:Terror In The Name of Islam By John
L.Esposito


> 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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