The Crisis Of Islam -- Bernard Lewis: A Book Review

The Crisis Of Islam: Holy War And Unholy Terror

Bernard Lewis

Modern Library, 2003

Bernard Lewis is one of the world's leading authorities on Islam.  A Professor Emeritus at Princeton University, Lewis has written many bestsellers and critically acclaimed books on the Middle East, books that have been translated into dozens of languages.  That being said, The Crisis Of Islam is a must read for anyone wanting a true grasp (or as true a grasp as a Westerner can get) of what it means to be Muslim.

Lewis traces the beginnings of Islam, the importance of Mohammed, the significance of Saladin, what the Crusades mean today to the average Muslim.  He details the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, the fall of  the Caliphate, pan-Arabism, the marks that colonialism and imperialism have left on the Islamic world.  He chronicles the rise of extreme radical Islam (often, he says, misconstrued with the word "fundamentalist", which is misleading, for, although fundamentalist in beleif, the exteme radicals have chosen interpretations of scripture that mainstream Muslims do not agree with or follow), influenced by the writings and teachings of Sayyid al-Qutb and Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.

Not only is The Crisis Of Islam an historical look back through centuries, but a focused account of how a tolerant and embracing religion has become, in some circles, the opposite.  Lewis shows how the Cold War and American international pollicy, especially its alliance with the state of Israel, has made the United States the target of the modern Muslim extremist and reviled by most Muslims, extremist or not. 

The Crisis Of Islam is a must have for anyone studying the Middle East or Islam.  Bernard Lewis has shown us how and why the modern Muslim world rejects the West so vehemently.  He also shows us how the new extremist militants of Islam, such as the members of al Qaeda, have distorted the true meaning of jihad, reinterpreted the Quran to include civilians as passive combatants in battle, and reinterpreted the mortal sin of suicide to allow for suicide bombers. 

An excellent work, The Crisis Of Islam is the answer for every legitimate question about Islam, where it gloriously began, where it is, and the wartorn road upon which it may be headed.  And much of those answers aren't nearly as commonly known as the recent media-driven consensus would have us all beleive.