Holy Wars: The Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism

Routledge Library Politics of Islam brings together as one set, or individual volumes, a series of previously out-of-print classics from a variety of academic imprints. With titles ranging from Islam and Politics in the Modern Middle East (1984) to Islamic Fundamentalism and Modernity (1988) and Islam and Power (1981), this set provides in one place a wealth of important reference sources from a wide range of authors expert in the field.

Journalist Hiro, an authority on Islamic affairs ( Iran Under the Ayatollahs ), effectively delineates the cycles and schisms within Islam and their considerable impact on contemporary events. "Revival and reform have been recurring phenomena in Islamic history," he argues, and his most compelling chapters show how these currents have manifested themselves in different cultures and regions. He carefully contrasts the distinctive development of religious and political values in Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Afghanistan, maintaining an objective stance towards the diversity among Moslem nations. Historical background on the Ottoman Empire and the consequences of British colonialism is necessarily condensed so that the modern evolution of the Middle East can take center stage. As current as the daily newspaper (the epilogue covers Iran's death threat against Salman Rushdie), this book will be a welcome companion for those watching Islam's struggle for balance between authenticity and modernity, which now affects us all.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This clearly written work is an excellent introduction to Islamic political assertiveness. The first five chapters, which deal with the origins and rise of Islam as well as the turbulent histories of Egypt, Syria, and Saudi Arabia, are superb. It is therefore disappointing that the last two chapters, on Iran and Afghanistan, are not of similar caliber. Hiro, a freelance journalist and author of Iran Under the Ayatollahs (Routledge, 1985), is a master at description, but he provides a limited amount of analysis. For example, he correctly summarizes a Muslim belief that "Islam has nothing spiritual to learn from the West," but doesn't challenge this assertion. Despite such shortcomings, however, the study is a welcome addition to the limited popular literature on the modern Muslim world. See also Misagh Parsa's Social Origins of the Iranian Revolution , reviewed in this issue, below.
- Ed. -- Joseph A. Kechichian, Univ. of Virginia, Charlottesville
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.