Middle East Books

I was just a kid when the Iranian Rescue Mission tried and failed to rescue our hostages. But reading this book put into perspective and clearly illustrated why the most powerful military force in the world was unable to mount a small-scale rescue operation.

Since 9/11, this book has become even more relevant as a comment on the military's continuing inability to maintain smaller versatile teams capable of countering the homegrown armies of the Middle East. This book does not intimidate with military jargon, but rather, simply and logically steps through the plans and mistakes that occurred to bring about the tragic rescue attempt.

Some say I may be biased, as it was written by my grandfather, a naval historian and all-around pretty great guy... but the book is of interest to anyone who wants to understand why the United States juggernaut sometimes falters.

The unfortunate Operation "Eagle Claw" in April 1980 remains a vivid example of what kind mistakes should someone avoid in planning and executing a commando raid. The US war machine took many things (like helicopter servicability) for granted, it made terrible mistakes regarding the inter-service security measures and failed to take into account the serious meteorological conditions of the central Iranian deserts. The result was utter failure, the loss of eight aircraft and eight lives, but the problems encountered, although doomed the Carter administration helped the USA to shape a better relation between the government and the military in 1986. Paul Ryan gives many details of the operation "Eagle Claw" and explains in great length the reasons behind every decision taken. He also unfolds the operation itself and presents the interesting findings of the Holloway committee after the failure.

This is an outstanding work marked by objectivity and concern for the truth. It takes the reader away from the superficial and one-sided way in which the U.S. government and media portray Iraq, its history, people, and politics. The work carries a great deal of information that the U.S. public needs to know. I found it an eye opener that combines scholarship with straightforwardness. The chapters on archeology, Baghdad in the golden age, art, music, literature, history, and Iraq/Iran are most enlightening and charming. The chapters on some religious and ethnic communities, the sanctions, and politics provide information to a large extent unknown to the U.S. general public. The contributors impress me as excellent scholars, who have tried to support their views with historical facts and logic and, and who have undogmatically presented the reader with various points of view about some controversial issues, (see, for example, the issue of Halabja in the chapter on the Kurds). To call this kind of scholarly work "politically motivated" is to make a politically motivated statement intended to turn away the public from coming to know the truth about certain matters related to Iraq and our policy concerning it.
The criticism that the work has no chapter on Saddam Hussein is rather silly. This work is not about a man, but about a country. Hussein and his regime are mentioned in many chapters, and they are described as oppressive. However, to devote a separate chapter to Hussein would require the inclusion of many other chapters about many other man who have shaped the history of Iraq, including George Bush, the father and the son.

I strongly recommend this remarkable collection of essays on Iraq and congratulate Professor Inati for his thoughtful and careful work that we badly need.

This is an outstanding work marked by objectivity and concern for the truth. It takes the reader away from the superficial and one-sided way in which the U.S. government and media portray Iraq, its history, people, and politics. The work carries a great deal of information that the U.S. public needs to know. I found it an eye opener that combines scholarship with straightforwardness. The chapters on archeology, Baghdad in the golden age, art, music, literature, history, and Iraq/Iran are most enlightening and charming. The chapters on some religious and ethnic communities, the sanctions, and politics provide information to a large extent unknown to the U.S. general public. The contributors impress me as excellent scholars, who have tried to support their views with historical facts and logic and, and who have undogmatically presented the reader with various points of view about some controversial issues, (see, for example, the issue of Halabja in the chapter on the Kurds). To call this kind of scholarly work "politically motivated" is to make a politically motivated statement intended to turn away the public from coming to know the truth about certain matters related to Iraq and our policy concerning it.
The criticism that the work has no chapter on Saddam Hussein is rather silly. This work is not about a man, but about a country. Hussein and his regime are mentioned in many chapters, and they are described as oppressive. However, to devote a separate chapter to Hussein would require the inclusion of many other chapters about many other man who have shaped the history of Iraq, including George Bush, the father and the son.

I strongly recommend this remarkable collection of essays on Iraq and congratulate Professor Inati for her thoughtful and careful work that we badly need.

This photography book is absolutely amazing! It features a very interesting and eloquent foreword by Jon Lee Anderson, who just had an article on Iraq in the New Yorker (Nov. 19), thus being not only a great writer, but also an insider on the siutation in Iraq. The photographs by Christoph Bangert are captivating, beautiful, and shocking all at once. You can't help but turn to the next page, even though many of the subjects are hard to take in. Bangert shows us a different view of the conflict in Iraq, addressing the Iraqi victims as much as the situation of the American soldiers. I found this book to be informative without trying to be lecturing or preaching, just quiet photographs leaving me as the viewer with my own thoughts and contemplations. The images are powerful, the quality of the photographs and the layout is convincing. PowerHouse managed to publish this photography book for an amazing value on top of it being a book you will pick up over and over again, the images just won't leave me alone.

In a book with next to no words, this collection by Christoph Bangert quite possibly says more about Iraq than many books available today. At great risk of harm to himself, Bangert traveled Iraq with anyone who would let him follow along. The result is one of the most candid looks at what has happened in the country over the past several years.

The images are in a word, stunning. While it's possible to flip through the book quickly and not let the pictures sink in, doing so robs the book of its true value. Someone stumbling across this book in a store while shopping will most likely give the book only a cursory glance, but sitting down and really giving this book the time it deserves means getting lost in a single picture for 10 minutes or more. It took me over two hours to finish a book with no words. That's impressive. Some of the images are quite disturbing and graphic, so please prepare yourself for a sometimes shocking experience.

Anyone with more than a passing interest in Iraq should find "reading" this book a highly rewarding experience, as well as anyone who loves beautiful photography.

This book is a valuable in three ways. First, it demonstrates that activism and decision-making are two dominant zones in Cyber Islamic Environments (p. 205). Second, it deals with changes in the post 9/11, reflected in sacred cyberspace (p. 2). Third, as I see, it goes in the deep Web to trace the e-content's human face. In fact, Bunt made history by writing Virtually Islamic --the book in hand is a sequel.

Bunt's analysis of the tacit knowledge, converts intangible information into tangible, which thereby becomes a model for return on investments in today's volatile e-world. Cybrarians, Sociologists, Middle East specialists, religionists, Orientalists, historians as well as public policy makers, will greatly benefit from this model developed by an active scholar-cum-Netizen. Any library that specializes in religion or area studies should possess it for their circulating collection, as it is more useful for a complete reading to get a clear picture of the emerging dynamics, whether it is `religion in Internet' and `religion on Internet'.

E-jihad, online Fatwas and other cyber Islamic environments are surveyed in quite a different critical study of Islam online. Islam In The Digital Age is the first comprehensive analysis of Muslims and Islam on the Internet to appear after 9/11: Islam In The Digital Age identifies issues and radical concepts of e-jihad, describes its different forms in the online environment ranging from on-line activism to hacking, and discusses religious insights into Islam on the Net. An important survey of Islam online.

Every college-level collection strong in either Middle Eastern Studies or Middle Eastern art must have ISLAMIC CALLIGRAPHY: it's a specialty item for the serious holding which offers the first reference work on Arabic script. Calligraphy is one of the foundation arts of Islamic culture and has been a primary method of artistic expression from the 7th century to modern times, so it well deserves its own book and is anything but the 'esoteric art' Westerners might believe. Over 150 color illustrations and over a hundred black and white details come from dated examples to provide insights on everything from construction and history to identifying forgeries and understanding differing styles. An essential key to understanding Islamic arts and civilization, this reference is not to be missed.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Table of Contents

PART I: INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1: Arabic Script: Its Role and Principles
A. The importance of writing in Islamic culture
B. Principles of Arabic script
C. The Koranic Text

Chapter 2: Materials
A. Supports
B. Special papers
C. Pens and pen cases
D. Inks and inkwells

PART II: THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARABIC SCRIPT IN EARLY ISLAMIC TIMES

Chapter 3: The Standardization of Arabic Script
A. The origins of Arabic script
B. The development of Arabic script
C. The evolution of a calligraphic style

Chapter 4: Early Manuscripts of the Koran
A. Physical characteristics
B. Methodologies for dating
C. Considerations for further study

PART III: THE PREEMINENCE OF ROUND SCRIPTS IN THE EARLY MIDDLE PERIOD

Chapter 5: The Adoption of Round Styles
A. Round book script
B. The new style of broken cursive
C. Broken cursive and Ibn Muqla
D. The standardization of naskh and thuluth under Ibn al-Bawwab
E. What caused the canonization of round scripts in the ninth century?

Chapter 6: The Diversification of Round Scripts
A. The stylization of broken cursive
B. Other round scripts
C. Towards a codification of round scripts
D. Pairs of text scripts
E. Maghribi script

PART IV: THE EMERGENCE OF REGIONAL STYLES IN THE LATER MIDDLE PERIOD

Chapter 7: Calligrpahy in Iran and its Environs under the Mongols and Turkomans
A. The Six Pens under the Ilkhanids and Jalayirids
B. The Six Pens under the Timurids and Turkomans
C. The Hanging Scripts

Chapter 8: Rectilinear and Curvilinear Scripts in Egypt and Syria under the Mamluks
A. Rectilinear scripts
B. Curvilinear scripts
C. Hybrid scripts

Chapter 9: Other Styles and Centers
A. Anatolia
B. India
C. The Maghrib

PART V: DYNASTIC STYLES IN THE AGE OF EMPIRES

Chapter 10: The Safavids, the Qajars, and their Contemporaries in Iran and Central Asia
A. Refinement of the Six Pens
B. Refinement of the hanging scripts
C. Pictorial writing

Chapter 11: The Ottomans in Anatolia, the Balkans, and the Eastern Mediterranean
A. The Canonization of naskh as text script Training, sources, and materials
B. The Canonization of thuluth as display script
C. The Hanging scripts

Chapter 12: Other styles and centers
A. The Mughals and their contemporaries in India
B. The Indian Ocean
C. The Maghrib
D. Sub-Saharan Africa

PART VI: THE MANY FACES OF ISLAMIC CALLIGRAPHY IN MODERN TIMES

Chapter 13: From traditional styles to calligraphic art and design
A. Traditional styles
B. Printing, typography, and computer graphics
C. Calligraphic art

Bibliography

Given the often lightweight nature of 'guidebooks', Carolone Williams' guide is a real breath of fresh air. It is not an academic tome but instead is written in a way that informs and instructs newcomers about Cairo's wonderful heritage of Islamic Architecture. The maps are useful, though occasionally confusing, and the index takes a while to get to grips with but overall it is a thoroughly useful addition to the world of guide books. I look forward to future additions - perhaps including some of Nicholas Warner's superb maps and isometric drawings.

Caroline Williams has set the standard for all future books dealing with Cairo's Islamic heritage. Each chapter covers a specific area in medieval Cairo and starts with a list of the structures to be discussed. The buildings are ranked according to quality - a feature that tourists with limited time will find invaluable. The book reads easily and in addition to describing the architectural features of the mosques, palaces and madrasas goes on to give a brief history of each monument's builder. Detailed and accurate maps are given at the end of the book. An introductory chapter describing the features of Islamic architecture in general is included. However, if you're looking for a book of photographs this is not it.

For those of us still struggling to understand who Dr. Shariatie was and the role he has played in shaping the lives of many of us, this book is a must. Rahnema's depiction of the other Ali's life is a well documented, smart, and poetically presented masterpiece. Definitely put this book on your reading list.

Ali Shariati is the quintessential example of why institutions and governments fear intellectuals. Ali Rahnema's biography is probably a textbook example of how to write biography.

Dr Rahnema has given us an example of objective writing. He offers insights into the complex life, actions and writings of Shariati while never burdening us with judgement or synthesizing the matter for us. He lays the story out and let's us draw our own judgements. Rahnema gives us facts from the sources and doesn't draw conclusions or lead us to a thesis. He let's us draw our own.

The story is divided into three parts - the young Shariati at odds with his intelligence finding a haven in poetry. He then takes up the struggle between classical poetry and modern poetry. Rahnema uses this to prepare us for the last third of the book where Shariati carves out a modernist theology of Shia Islam in the face of the classical and institutionalized system. In the middle we learn of his education and exposure to the post war critical thinkers in Paris. Rahnema takes us through Shariati's complex synthesis of Economic theory, political theory, liberation theology, Sunni and Shia thought and how Shariati wove these sometimes with his own fictive additions to arrive at a living Shia ism which was definitely at odds with the traditional interpretations. Shariati found himself trying to change Shia thoughts and beliefs into a dynamic revolutionary system -- not anti western, but true to Iranian culture and history and the problems of Iran, not regurgitated problems of the West. His was definitely an Iranian centric view of the world, but taking from and using Eastern and Western thought where it was appropriate.

To Rahnema's credit he never bothers us with his judgement or critique of Shariati's work. He presents a man whose thoughts are complex and who often revised his own thinking. He presented the facts as he could of Shariati's concessions to SAVAK and his role as one of the flames of the Revolution. But through all this we see a man who was often frustrating to his supporters and critics and yet true to himself, even as his ideas may have evolved.

This isn't a quick read but it will definitely enlighten you and fuel your desire to go further with Shariati and inner complexities of Iran, the Shia themselves, Sufism and ideological transition and revolt.

Bravo *****

Is terrorism a possible threat to society? Of course. Right now, we're seeing some carefully organized terrorism from Muslim fanatics. Raphael Israeli explains the nature of it and has some recommendations.

I find this topic interesting, given that I feel that there is plenty at stake. The United States and Europe are Western democracies that are relatively free and rich. We have plenty of strength as well as plenty we can lose. The Arabs have a huge amount of land and resources, so they have plenty to lose as well. By the way, Israel is small and has rather little land or resources, so it has less at stake, but it is threatened as well.

The author chooses the term "Islamikaze" rather than "suicide bomber." He explains that suicidal people plan to take their own lives and carry out their own plans to do that. On the contrary, Islamikazes follow the plans of others to kill a perceived enemy. In any case, I see their actions as manifestly counterproductive and therefore I think they merit serious study.

Israeli starts by sampling Muslim reactions to the horrors of 9/11/2001. These reactions are clearly a cause for concern. The author is suspicious of the long-term loyalty of Muslim immigrants to Western nations. While I am not quite so concerned about loyalty of Muslims in general, I do think we need to separate the sheep from the goats here. I take sedition seriously. And the author does demonstrate that there is a serious cultural intent on the part of many Muslims not to cooperate with the West but to wreck it.

Reading this book, I could see from the wild misrepresentations of the West and of Zionism that the Enemy of Islamist fantasies is very different than real-life Westerners and Zionists. That is not a good sign. Now, what about our views of the terrorists? Do they really seek to impose an arbitrary tyranny on everyone? Israeli shows that for the most part, that's exactly their plan.

Israeli shows that just as the Germans used extravagant libels, incitement, and aggression against the Jews to start their attacks on their neighbors, Muslim fanatics are using libels, incitement, and aggression against Jews to start similar attacks on the West. I can see that support for such libels and incitement have become a litmus test of sorts for some terrorist sympathizers. But Israeli turns that litmus test around, quite properly in my opinion. He shows that once we refuse to support the antizionist libels and taunts, we've taken a decisive step towards opposing the Islamikazes.

Well, what is to be done about the Islamikaze attacks on the West? The author recommends truth and reciprocity. His specific recommendations include:

* Forming an alliance of Western and Democratic States (AWADS)
* Having AWADS adopt an iron-clad definition of terror
* Importing books and culture to the West from Muslim nations only to the extent that these nations allow free flow of similar Western assets into their lands
* Forbidding by law the dissemination of hate and acting upon that law
* Accepting support from Saudi Arabia in building mosques in the West only if there is parallel permission from Saudi Arabia to build churches and synagogues in Saudi Arabia without incitement or hatred there
* Stopping transfer of military supplies from AWADS nations to non-AWADS nations
* Basing economic aid to non-AWADS states on human rights in those states
* Controlling immigration of anti-Western immigrants to non-AWADS states

Do these ideas sound politically incorrect or extreme? Well, so does a big war! I think these are ideas we need to consider now, when we have a chance to reflect on them somewhat dispassionately.

In FrontPageMag, Andrew Bostom's review of this book explains the weird title:
"At the end of June 1996, an article which had originally appeared in the London Arabic publication Al-Watan al-Arabi, was translated into English and cited by Ha'aretz, describing a slogan proudly displayed at the main entrance to a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan, which became known as the 'Kamikaze Barracks'. The proclamation was: 'Jihad-Istishhad-Paradise-Islamic Kamikaze-Human Bombs', meaning, 'The Holy War of Islam-Death in Martyrdom-The Promised Hereafter-By Means of Muslim Kamikaze-who are Human Bombs'. This banner captures the essential elements embodied by Raphael Israeli's designation, 'Islamikaze'. . . .

To understand why it's important to read this book you just have to know what jihad is. Here is the definition by Robert Spencer, author of Onward Muslim Soldiers:
Jihad is a central duty of every Muslim. Modern Muslim theologians have spoken of many things as jihads: defending the faith from critics, supporting its growth and defense financially, even migrating to non-Muslim lands for the purpose of spreading Islam. But violent jihad is a constant of Islamic history. Many passages of the Qur'an and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad are used by radical Muslims today to justify their actions and gain new recruits. No major Muslim group has ever repudiated the doctrines of armed jihad. The theology of jihad, which denies unbelievers equality of human rights and dignity, is available today for anyone with the will and means to bring it to life.
Bostom goes on to say:
"Islamikaze is an uncompromising, and meticulously documented work. The author first traces the development and largely unchallenged proliferation of Islamikaze to two unique Islamic institutions - jihad war, and its corollary institution dhimmitude. He summarizes elegantly the salient features of Bat Ye'or's conception of dhimmitude as, ' ...not only a subservient status...in political, social, economic, and judicial terms, conferred on Jews and Christians...from which they could not disengage unless they converted to Islam, but it also became a state of mind..which dictated caution, surreptitious maneuvering in order to survive and a self-humiliating sycophancy towards the Muslim ruler in the hope of gaining his favor...[amounting] in the final analysis, after many centuries of oppression and contempt by the rule of Islam, to self-diminution of the dhimmis...self-flagellation...and a total distortion of their self-image and the image of their oppressors. So much so that many Christians and Jews, years after being liberated from dhimmitude continued to think and act as dhimmis, namely to hold themselves grateful to their Muslim masters who beat, humiliated and mistreated them. What is more , the spirit of dhimmitude has been adopted, or taken over, by many Western societies today which for reasons hard to understand or explain, pretend not to hear or comprehend Muslim threats, smile and evince `understanding' in the face of those threats, and seem to be marching foolishly towards spiritual and cultural capitulation and enslavement.'"

"Israeli also maintains that a widespread societal dhimmitude renders the West susceptible to wanton acts of terror by Muslim perpetrators, sanctioned by jihad - an institution Islamic societies have never abrogated. And, he notes, it '...remains only a question of practicability whether [jihad] is enforced or postponed to better days.'

"The specific ideology and basic goals of Islamikaze can be gleaned from various Islamist writings presented by the author, including those of the prominent Muslim Brotherhood cleric (and Al-Jazeera 'television personality') Yusuf Qaradawi, and Umar al-Bakri, leader of the Islamic Movement in Britain. In various fatwas, Qaradawi sanctions 'martyrdom operations', murderous Islamikaze attacks, particularly against Israelis, all of whom are considered legitimate targets. Despite the Qur'anic prohibition against 'suicide', Qaradawi argues cogently, that Islamikaze attacks, as acts of 'martyrdom', are sanctioned, and in fact, sacred. . . . "

We need to be aware of where these fundamentalist radicals are coming from and what their intentions are because they seek to affect all our lives in some very deep ways. The Muslim invasions of Europe which were only halted at Vienna in 1643 were a jihad and this "War on Terror" is really a defense against jihad.

Israeli also gives some specific recommendations as to how western civilization should go about defending itself without riding roughshod over other civilizations.

This is an unprecedented work of scholarly insight, a must have for anyone interested in Isma'ilism although you never really read this sort of work from cover to cover, it's useful to dip in, on every issue.

The history covers the development of Shiism...right through to Ismailism to the modern day...that's 1400yrs of development and history not too mention all the branchs and movemnets that split off and their current status.

I can't praise this book enough. One issue though is regarding the modern Bohra's (Mustalian Tayyibi's), I would recommend Jonah Blanks "Mullahs on the Mainframe" to understand them in the modern period; as Daftary used too much information from the Bohra reformers in regards to that branch of the Isma'ilis...however an excellent work all round. if you haven't dipped in here you are missing out.

The most detailed book on Isma'ilis - the best unbiased, factual and complete book on Isma'ilis out there.

This books provides an excellent and balanced portrait of Israel, but because it was published in 2000, its description of the peace process is somewhat out of date. Since the political issues take a back seat to culture and history in this book, this is still a very worthwhile purchase.

This book gives the reader an excellent picture of Israel today including previous wars (except over the past year). It is written relatively simply so intermediate children can understand. Also included are a few important people with a paragraph or two about them. Excellent photos enhance the book. It is a great book to have in home, school and synagogue libraries. I plan to use it in the coming year teaching 4th-6th graders a unit on Israel in Hebrew school.