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Like foam on ocean wavesDawn, Karachi by Bapsi Sidhwa REVIEW: Islam under Siege: Living Dangerously in a Post-Honor World By Akbar S. Ahmed Islam Under Siege has one of the most riveting opening paragraphs I've come across - perhaps because it is so relevant to our times; and the rest of the book too held my attention. Here is how it begins: "There will be a time when your religion will be like a hot piece of coal in the palm of your hand; you will not be able to hold it." The Prophet of Islam was gazing into the future while he talked to his followers early in the 7th century in Arabia. "Would this mean there would be very few Muslims?" someone asked later. "No," replied the Prophet, "They will be large in numbers, more than ever before, but powerless like the foam on the ocean waves." After the events of September 11, 2001, the prediction of the Prophet appears eerily accurate. Islam has over a billion followers, and yet Muslim societies all over the world appear to be destabilized, threatened and demoralized. Muslims find themselves accused of belonging to a "terrorist", "fanatical" and "extremist" religion. The "war on terrorism" that President George Bush declared after September 11 threatens to stretch into the century; to many Muslims it has the look of a fresh crusade against Islam. On a global and personal level this is a difficult and challenging time for Muslims and Dr Ahmed calls on all Muslims to examine their relationship to the rest of the world - it is a time for questioning and introspection. The tragedy and the aftermath of September 11 have caused many in the Muslim world to rethink their attitudes. This has affected also the west and the mindless cycle of anger and violence can only be checked through discussion and dialogue. Islam Under Siege is a compelling and cogent book, and most importantly, given the current misrepresentation surrounding Islam, written in a language that is understood in the west, and respected by its intellectuals. As Prof Tamara Sonn, President of the American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies, writes on the cover: "This is the most important book to date on life in the post 9/11 world." Dr Ahmed, who held the Iqbal Chair at Cambridge University from 1988 to 1993, has written and lectured widely on Islam. His popular six-part BBC television series Living Islam was widely viewed and appreciated. He also initiated the Jinnah Quartet which included BBC's fine documentary on the life of Jinnah. Above all Dr Akbar S. Ahmed, who currently holds the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at the American University in Washington DC, writes from within the Islamic tradition. He is frequently invited by US Television networks to discuss Islam on their programmes and he speaks with dignity and conviction. Above all his is a voice of moderation and scholarship: a voice, that Dr Ahmed has learnt to his cost, is not only neglected but often vilified and silenced in Islamic societies. Many scholars and writers have fled their countries because of this. The literacy rate, already very low, is falling in many Muslim countries, and the abysmally low literacy rate among Muslim women defines the weak status of these societies. This lack of education has also been the principal cause of the failure of leadership in many Islamic societies. Dr Ahmed's clear chapter titles delineate the scope of his analysis: for example, "What is going wrong?" "Is it about Islam or is it about globalization?" The sudden changes that globalization has forced on the structure and values of traditional and tribal societies has confused and threatened the individuals in them and made them vulnerable to simplistic religious dogma. He explains convincingly the moral collapse of societies in what he calls our "Post-Honor World" in which the Muslims feel that the west has humiliated them and stripped them of dignity and honour. The equation of honour with violence is one consequence of this confusion. Dr Ahmed has some suggestions for the west as well. The West needs to discourage the knee-jerk "nuke 'em" response to Muslims and stop labelling all Muslims "fundamentalist". It needs to recognize its Islamophobic attitude and try to understand Islam. The western media's contempt of their religion provokes many Muslims into an anti-western stance. It also makes the position of those who like Dr. Ahmed talk of dialogue and moderation more vulnerable. Islam reveres both the old and new Testaments and as Dr. Ahmed points out, the Virgin Mary is mentioned oftener in the Quran than in the Bible. Too many people of all faiths in our world believe that while they are a people of honour, others are not - and there is enough blame sloshing around on all sides to bring about the predicted clash of civilizations. Unless it is realized how necessary it is to establish a dialogue and to create a bridge - no matter how tenuous - of empathy, Nostradamus' predicted apocalyptic war - followed by a thousand years of stunned, post-nuclear peace - appears inevitable. Ethnic and religious violence is the ugly side of human nature. Muslims feel they are being killed in the Middle East, Kashmir, Chechnya, south Sudan, and the Balkans, and that there is an absence of justice and balance for their causes. This has created an unending cycle of violence. Massive force by the west will only create more violence. On the other hand the events of September 11, 2001 have intensified western interest in Islam and Islamic culture. As the number of Muslims continues to grow and the world political spotlight remains focused on the Middle East, Islam will have an increasingly forceful presence in the 21st century. While scholars like Huntington predict that the rise of Islam will precipitate a clash between east and west, others look upon the events of September 11, as a warning to generate understanding between diverse civilizations. This is an important new book, and Akbar S. Ahmed, a social scientist, illuminates the debate by referring to Islamic history and beliefs. He addresses many of the key issues surrounding western perceptions of Islam: Islamic attitudes toward Christianity and the West, Islam and democracy, Islamic attitudes toward women, and the Quran's stance on violence. These issues are enormously significant to Muslims and non-Muslims alike and, with this in mind, Ahmed points out the need for, and provides the route to, the dialogue of civilizations. This book will appeal to all those interested in the future of the complex relationship between East and West and its implications for both cultures.
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