The Crisis of Islam

Holy War and Unholy Terror

De: Bernard Lewis

Narrado por: Bernard Lewis

In his first book since What Went Wrong? Bernard Lewis examines the historical roots of the resentments that dominate the Islamic world today and that are increasingly being expressed in acts of terrorism. He looks at the theological origins of political Islam and takes us through the rise of militant Islam in Iran, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, examining the impact of radical Wahhabi proselytizing, and Saudi oil money, on the rest of the Islamic world.

The Crisis of Islam ranges widely through thirteen centuries of history, but in particular it charts the key events of the twentieth century leading up to the violent confrontations of today: the creation of the state of Israel, the Cold War, the Iranian Revolution, the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan, the Gulf War, and the September 11th attacks on the United States.

While hostility toward the West has a long and varied history in the lands of Islam, its current concentration on America is new. So too is the cult of the suicide bomber. Brilliantly disentangling the crosscurrents of Middle Eastern history from the rhetoric of its manipulators, Bernard Lewis helps us understand the reasons for the increasingly dogmatic rejection of modernity by many in the Muslim world in favor of a return to a sacred past. Based on his George Polk Award–winning article for The New Yorker, The Crisis of Islam is essential reading for anyone who wants to know what Usama bin Ladin represents and why his murderous message resonates so widely in the Islamic world.©2003 Bernard Lewis; (P)2003 Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Terrorism requires only a few. Obviously the West must defend itself by whatever means will be effective. But in devising means to fight the terrorists, it would surely be useful to understand the forces that drive them.” —from the Introduction

“Remarkably succinct . . . It offers a long view in the midst of so much short-termism and confusing punditry. Lewis has done us all—Muslim and non-Muslim alike—a remarkable service.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Inestimable . . . replete with the exceptional historical insight that one has come to expect from the world’s foremost Islamic scholar.” —The Wall Street Journal

“A timely and provocative contribution to the current raging debate about the tensions between the West and the Islamic world.” —BusinessWeek

“No scholar of Islam in the Western world has more thoroughly earned the respect of generalists and academics alike than Bernard Lewis. . . . An excitingly knowledgeable antidote to today’s natural sense of befuddlement. . . . History with electric immediacy.” —Baltimore Sun

Excellent content, mediocre reader

The only gripe I have with the book is that the author reads it instead of a professional reader. He's not bad, but not a professional, which something with as many facts and details like this could use to make a little more audibly engaging.

Otherwise, though, it's an EXCELLENT book about the history of Islam, talking about why the Islamic world both has very good reason to hate us, and why we're largely in a "damned if you do/damned if you don't" position. It's an impressively even-handed account of how we've gotten to where we are; he does a great job of acting as an appoligist for the Islamic world for an audience of Westerners. The news coming out of Iraq makes a LOT more sense now.

Minus one star due to quality of reader

Excellent substance which is an excellent work in printed form; however, the quality of the audio is very distracting. That said, it is a work that I look forward to listening to again.

Informative but Lacking

I am not a Muslim, nor do I have a good understanding of Islam. Alas, I feel like I am in roughly the same position even after reading this book.

Yes, the author does identify some striking contrasts between religions in identification of schisms both within the Islamic faith and between Islam and other parts of the world (primarily Western). However, I believe that those who understand the Muslim mind most likely already have a good notion of their struggles, and therefore this book would have done well to foster a greater understanding of the Muslim faith in general before identifying their Crises.

Good and relevant analysis

This book does a great job in explaining the diferences between the West and Islam. It makes the diferences between the two side clear and also shows the chalenges that have to be overcomed in order to solve a conflict of more than a thousand years. In todays world this is a very relevant book which will help to understand the issues in the Middle East and Europe

Sad that he has left us! He had such insight

Bernard Lewis obviously did his research. His book, and I have the hard copy as well helped me understand the intricacies of Islam and the Muslims as a whole.