Islam Under Siege Living Dangerously in a Post- Honor World

by Ahmed, Akbar S.

• ISBN13: 9780745622095
• ISBN10: 0745622097
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-08-08
• Publisher: Polity

Summary

In this groundbreaking book, Akbar Ahmed, one of the world's leading authorities on Islam, who has worked in the Muslim world but lives in the West, explains what is going wrong in his society by referring to Islamic history and beliefs. Employing theological and anthropological perspectives, he attempts to answer the questions that people in the West are asking about Islam: "Why do they hate us?" "Is Islam compatible with democracy?" "Does Islam subjugate women?" "Does the Quran preach violence?" These important questions are of relevance to Muslims and to non-Muslims alike. Islam Under Siege points out the need for, and provides the route to, the dialogue of civilizations. September 11, 2001, underlined the role of Islam in our time. In its demographic spread, its political span, and its religious commitment, Islam will be an increasingly forceful presence on the world stage in the twenty-first century. While some scholars predict that there will be a clash of civilizations, others see a need for a dialogue of civilizations. This book will help students, scholars of politics, sociology, international relations, and cultural studies, and reporters as well as a more general audience interested in some of the most important issues of our time.

Author Biography

Akbar Ahmed is Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University, Washington, DC

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction: God's Gamble	1	(22)
1 Islam Under Siege	23	(23)
i The Return of Anthropology and the Final Crusade	23	(8)
ii The Sense of Muslim Siege	31	(15)
2 What is Going Wrong?	46	(28)
i Is it about Islam or is it Globalization?	46	(10)
ii A Post-Honor World?	56	(18)
3 Ibn Khaldun and Social Cohesion	74	(31)
i The Khaldunian Breakdown	74	(16)
ii The Man in the Iron Cage	90	(15)
4 The Failure of Muslim Leadership	105	(18)
i Muslim Leaders	107	(8)
ii Veiled Truth: Women in Islam	115	(8)
5 Searching for a Muslim Ideal: Inclusion	123	(16)
i Case Study One: The Scholarship of Inclusion	124	(11)
ii Inclusivists in America: Islam in Toledo, Ohio	135	(4)
6 Searching for a Muslim Ideal: Exclusion	139	(12)
i Case Study Two: The Scholarship of Exclusion	141	(8)
ii Exclusivists in America: The Debate in Cleveland, Ohio	149	(2)
7 Toward a Global Paradigm	151
i The Challenge for Islam	151	(9)
ii Questions for our Time	160
Notes	113	(72)
References	185	(12)
Index	197