The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror

Is this really Islam?

This is in general an easy to read, informative book, but either the author has a bias, or mainstream Islam is not the religion of peace, except perhaps if everyone submits to it. Lewis claims that jihad has meant military struggle for 14 centuries, not a moral or interior struggle. He states that the spreading of Islam is also the spreading of political dominance, and he states that Muhammed admonished all Muslims to continue the struggle until all of the infidels submit. Can the rest of the world live with that? More specifically jihad has been a struggle against Judaism and Christianity. According to Lewis, it does not seem like a small radical fringe that support this idea, but rather that by history and culture, this idea has been inculcated into the average believer in Islam. Is he biased or is this the truth?

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An astute insight into Islam

As a retired Army officer and student of political philosophy I find that professor Lewis has a keen insight into Islam and the problem the West faces in dealing with Islamic terrorists. In this book professor Lewis goes on a short historical journey of Islam. Islam's predominance starts to decline in 1683 with the Ottoman Empires loss in its battle for Vienna. Modern Middle Eastern history starts with Napoleon's conquest of Egypt in 1798. This conquest dealt a bitter blow to the prestige of Islam. Islam ceases to grow at the same pace as the west militarily, politically or economically. Professor Lewis points out that Islam suffers a debilitating decline that continues to the present. Professor Lewis throughout the book explains that Islamic fundamentalists see the U.S. as the 'great Satan' for several reasons such as; its support of corrupt regimes in the Middle East, economic exploitation because of its thirst for oil, support for the State of Israel's existence. Hatred of the U.S. by Islamic fundamentalists was enabled by the Nazi support given to Arab leaders during WWII and then the Soviet Union during the Cold War. In 1948 one of these fundamentalists Sayyid Qutb, from Egypt was sent to the U.S. to study for two years. His view of the country and its people was of moral bankruptcy and weakness. Qutb wrote a book about his perceptions that became the definitive view of the U.S. among Islamic fundamentalists. It is this view why terrorists like Osama Bin Laden have declared war on the United States. He sees himself as the man who brought down the mighty Soviet superpower in Afghanistan and can with more ease bring the weak and morally repugnant United States to its knees. I think this book will give the general reader a greater appreciation for the long war ahead we face. 'What Went Wrong?'

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Informative and eye-opening!

This is an excellent and informative book that seeks to answer the question of our time: can Islam and the West co-exist? I found it intriguing and speculative, though at times the prose was tedious and tiresome. However, probably the best book out there on understanding Islamic thought and Middle Eastern history. These authors offer much substance and all conclusions are backed up with well presented arguments. A step toward bringing two seemingly different worlds together, I highly recommend it. And if you're looking for a few other great titles, look no further than these, Buckland's Hot List: most creative, The Butterfly: A Fable (Singh); most engaging, The Alchemist (Coelho); most interesting, Life of Pi (Martel); most enlightening, 9-11 (Chomsky); most thrilling, The Lovely Bones: A Novel (Sebold); and finally, the most creative, engaging, interesting, enlightening and thrilling book of all, The Little Prince (Saint-Exupery). These are the books I'd recommend to my family, friends, students, and wife. There are many more, trust me, but these are the first that come to mind (for having left an impact slight or proud as it may be). If you have any questions, queries, or comments, or maybe even a title you think I should add to my list, please feel free to e-mail me. I'm always open to a good recommendation. Thanks for reading my brief but hopefully helpful review. Happy reading. Donald S. Buckland.

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Informative!

I loved this book! And I soon realized how ignorant I was about the Middle East. I also enjoyed The Little Samba Boy which is a satire on Bush and the media. Not to mention all the works by Micheal Moore and Noam Chomsky. These are all the works that help one understand the entire picture.

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The Best Place to Start!!!! A must read.

This book is the best that I've read in a long time. Bernard Lewis takes a complex problem and breaks it down into an easy to read and understand book. The book is so well written, that time just passes by. This is a must read.

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Sheds light on the Middle East

I¿m not much of a reader, but I bought 2 books recently that shed light on perplexing subjects. One is Make Every Girl Want You by Fate and Reil, which shed more light on women than I ever could¿ve hoped for. The other is The Crisis of Islam by Bernard Lewis. Lewis really explains all of the volatility of the Middle East. He tracks the history of the anxiety and volatility through history, starting with the time of the Crusades!! The book ties Israel to the United States, as the devils of the Middle East. The ease with which he explains these topics is amazing. I¿ve read numerous newspaper and magazine articles about the Middle East, but none of them convey the message as clearly and easily as Lewis. You can tell that this author has devoted his life to studying the Middle East, and truly has great comprehension of this region and its political and religious issues. I highly recommend this book, especially to people looking for clarification on what exactly started this whole mess and how we got where we are!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Horrible

This guy obviously does not know his stuff..... He has no clue on what Islam is................It made me very mad.. I bet he did research from people who judge and sterotypers

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Fantastic Intro To Modern Islam

This guy is well balanced and knows his subject. Highly recommend this short book.

'A' plus for Mr.Lewis!!!

I respected his courage for writing such a book. Although I personally disagree some of his writings, but overall.. he has done a good job in giving information about the Muslim world. Chapter Nine 'The Rise of Terrorism' good chapter for everyone to read. Some theories about 9/11, information of terrorism, and many more should be interesting for all of us.

Lewis' Grossly Prejudicial Views

Lewis, once fined by the court for concealing evidence of Armenian genocided, again neglected to reveal that his view was tainted by his experience as a longtime British government agent. His pasting-over the West's roles in history events distorts the depth of emotions of the subject of his book. I recommend that all readers read him with a critical eye (especially considering the fact that the acclaimed religious expert could make the rather obvious blunder of calling Confucious teachings a religion).

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Betrayed

I was looking for something insightful when I spent a lot of money on this book, but I found myself frustrated, manipulated, and misinformed from beginning to end. I could not believe that the author would actually refer to the reader as 'us' when he made his profoundly biased claims against Islam. What kind of 'academic historian' would use the words 'us' when speaking to the public at large on such a divided issue? He ignores some very important aspects of Islam. Something fishy is going on here. I'm not an academic and I'm not a muslim, but I was deeply annoyed by this author and the disservice he has done to humanity. He's not even a good writer. Not recommended.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Best Place to Start!

A must read. This book is the best that I've read in a long time. Bernard Lewis takes a complex problem and breaks it down into an easy to read and understand book. The book is so well written, that time just passes by. This is a must read. Also recommended: Keshner's Cockpit Confessions of an Airline Pilot, ( a hidden gem )! and Bin Laden: The man who declared war on America.

ideologically motivated falsehoods

ideologically motivated falsehoods

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