Written by a number of Islamic religious authorities and Muslim scholars, this work presents the views and teachings of mainstream Sunni and Shi’i Islam on the subject of jihad. It authoritatively presents jihad as it is understood by the majority of the world’s 1.7 billion Muslims in the world today, and supports this understanding with extensive detail and scholarship. No word in English evokes more fear and misunderstanding than "jihad." To date the books that have appeared on the subject in English by Western scholars have been either openly partisan and polemical or subtly traumatized by so many acts and images of terrorism in the name of jihad and by the historical memory of nearly 1,400 years of confrontation between Islam and Christianity. Though jihad is the central concern of War and Peace in Islam: The Uses and Abuses of Jihad, the range of the essays is not confined exclusively to the study of jihad. The work is divided into three parts: War and Its Practice, Peace and Its Practice, and Beyond Peace: The Practice of Forbearance, Mercy, Compassion and Love. The book aims to reveal the real meaning of jihad and to rectify many of the misunderstandings that surround both it and Islam’s relation with the “Other.”
Islam in the World Today sheds light on the dynamics and practices of Muslim communities in contemporary societies across the world, by providing a rigorous analysis of their economic, political, socio-cultural and educational characteristics.--Provided by publisher.
This book examines the role of nonviolent civil resistance in challenging tyranny and promoting democratic-self rule in the greater Middle East using case studies and analyses of how religion, youth, women, technology and external actors have influenced the outcome of civil resistance in the region.
Muhammad Amin al-Husayni, the principal leader of Palestinian nationalism during the British mandate, was one of the modern Arab world's most controversial figures. He played a role in the 1992 Wailing Wall disturbance, took part in the Iraqi revolt of 1941, and was the target of British and Zionist assasins during World War II. Philip Mattar now offers the first full-length biography of this intriguing figure, weaving a fresh and objective revisionist account. Mattar clarifies al-Husayni's role in the politics of Palestine in the mandate era and the Palestinian national movement. He describes his rise to religious power as Mufti of Jerusalem and head of the Supreme Muslim Council. He also demarcates two major phases in al-Husayni's career. During his first, between 1917 and 1936, he was a cautious and pragmatic leader who, while opposing Zionism, cooperated with the British mandatory officials. The second phase, however, after 1936, was marked by militancy, frustration, and ultimately failure.
A former military governor of Arab areas under Israeli occupation chronicles the life and career of Hussaini (1893-1974), from his early days in Jerusalem, through his Palestinian nationalist work during the 1920s and 1930s, his eclipse after 1948, and his continuing influence on the Palestinian movement.
Makdisi's important work traces the development and organisational structure of learning institutions in Islam, and reassesses scholarship on the origins and growth of the Madrasa.
Given the rivalries and suspicions prevailing in the Middle East, it is not surprising that most of these states are very concerned about espionage and infiltration. With the additional threat of terrorism, nuclear weapons, a large U.S. military presence, and the Arab-Israeli conflict, the result is an impressively busy intelligence industry, proportionately larger and more extensive than in most other regions. The Historical Dictionary of Middle East Intelligence addresses intelligence issues in the region from ancient history and the Middle Ages through modern times, covering the decline of the Ottoman Empire, intelligence activity in the Middle East during and between the two world wars, and the interplay between colonial and local intelligence and counterintelligence agencies of the period. It also presents the relatively new fundamentalist terrorist organizations that have had a significant impact on international relations and on the structure and deployment of intelligence, counterintelligence, and other security organs in the Middle East today. With a chronology, an introductory essay, and over 300 cross-referenced dictionary entries on important events and key organizations involved in all aspects of intelligence gathering and analysis, as well as the biographies of key players, this is an important reference on the current situation in the Middle East.
This is an essential overview to the conflicts in the Gulf, and should be read by anyone with an interest in the region, its politics and its interactions with the US and UN.
"An enormous amount of academic literature has been published on Nasserism since the 1950s and, to my mind, Rethinking Nasserism is without a doubt the last word on the subject. . . . An outstanding reappraisal of Nasserism as a major force in the 20th-century Middle East."--Israel Gershoni, Tel Aviv University President Gamal 'Abd Nasser was a beloved figure of the Egyptian people and loomed large over the Arab world during his period of influence (1952-1970). Nasser dominated and defined the politics of an entire generation of Egyptians and successfully spoke to the masses of Arabs in other countries, even going over the heads of their own leaders--something that no other Arab leader since has been able to accomplish since on any considerable scale. In Rethinking Nasserism, distinguished scholars from Israel, the United States, and Egypt provide a definitive reappraisal of the historical force of Nasserism in the ideological, economic, social, and cultural arenas of the modern Middle East in general and of Egypt in particular. The innovative theme of the collection is Nasserism as a form of populism, described by the editors in their introduction as a combination of various tenets of anti-imperialism, pan-Arabism (or nationalism), and Arab socialism. The book reassesses the achievements and failures of Nasserism during Nasser's presidency and the lasting impact of his ideology on subsequent regimes in Egypt and on the entire Arab world. Contents Foreword by Gabriel Ben-Dor Introduction: Nasserism as a Form of Populism, by Elie Podeh and Onn Winckler Part I. Images of Nasserism 1. Gamal 'Abd al-Nasser: Iconology, Ideology, and Demonology, by Leonard Binder 2. Demonizing the Other: Israeli Perceptions of Nasser and Nasserism, by Elie Podeh 3. History, Politics, and Public Memory: The Nasserist Legacy in Mubarak's Egypt, by Meir Hatina Part II. Political and Social Aspects of Nasserism 4. Nasserism's Legal Legacy: Accessibility, Accountability, and Authoritarianism, by Nathan J. Brown 5. Sports, Society, and Revolution: Egypt in the Early Nasserite Period, by Yoav Di-Capua 6. Nasserist and Post-Nasserist Elites in an Official Biographical Lexicon, by Uri M. Kupferschmidt Part III. Nasser's Foreign Policy 7. 'Abd al-Nasser's Regional Politics: A Reassessment, by Avraham Sela 8. 'Abd al-Nasser and the United States: Enemy or Friend? by David W. Lesch 9. Nasser and the Soviets: A Reassessment, by Rami Ginat Part IV. Nasser's Socioeconomic Policies and Achievements 10. An Assessment of Egypt's Development Strategy, 1952-1970, by M. Riad El-Ghonemy 11. Nasser's Egypt and Park's Korea: A Comparison of Their Economic Achievements, by Paul Rivlin 12. Nasser's Family Planning Policy in Perspective, by Gad G. Gilbar and Onn Winckler Part V. Cultural Aspects of Nasserism 13. The Nightingale and the Ra'is: 'Abd al-Halim Hafiz and Nasserist Longings, by Joel Gordon 14. Nasser and Nasserism as Perceived in Modern Egyptian Literature through Allusions to Songs, by Gabriel M. Rosenbaum Elie Podeh is senior lecturer in the Department of Islam and Middle Eastern History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
