The Middle East and Islamic World Reader

April 1, 2003
The many facets of Middle Eastern history and politics are admirably represented in this far-ranging anthology. The editors include excerpts from the Quran and medieval Islamic philosophers, but the bulk of the book focuses on the complex response of the Islamic world to modernity and Western hegemony. Ataturk's efforts to reform Turkey along modern, secular lines are covered, as is Nasser's program of"Arab socialism" in Egypt, Michel Aflaq's Baathist program of pan-Arab nationalism and Jinnah's championing of a Muslim state before the partition of India. The fundamentalist backlash against modernization and Western influence is also well represented in several jeremiads by conservative clerics, Osama bin Laden's infamous call to Muslims to"kill American's and plunder their money wherever and whenever they find it," and a Taliban decree banning, among other things, music, kite-flying and"tight and charming clothes" for women. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is given an even-handed treatment based on seminal documents from the Balfour declaration to the ill-fated peace proposals that preceded the most recent intifada. In addition to original documents, speeches, interviews and manifestos, the editors also reprint academic studies on the economic and social history of the region, and an exchange between Bernard Lewis and Edward Said on the theme of"the clash of civilizations." The editor's own ample introductory material places each selection in its historical and political context, and by itself constitutes a stimulating guide to the subject.