Islam and the Myth of Confrontation: Religion and Politics in the Middle East by Fred Halliday

by Fred Halliday

Spiralling violence in the Middle East, the ever-present echoes of Jihadist extremism and President George Bush's identification of an 'axis of evil' have all raised the spectre of a future dominated by the conflict between 'Islam' and 'the West'. From theories such as Samuel Huntington's Clash of Civilizations to the anti-Western rhetoric of many Muslim militants themselves, this image of confrontation has come to be widely accepted. At the same time, the many issues afflicting the Middle East itself are widely seen as reflecting the influence of Islam on the politics and society of this region. Fred Halliday sets out to reject these interpretations in this classic work, revised to encompass the crucially important events of recent months. Considering the sources of Islamic militancy and analyzing the confrontational rhetoric of both Islamic and anti-Muslim demagogues, he provides an alternative, critical but cautious, reassessment. The Middle East, he argues, can be treated neither as a distinct not as a unified region, but must be seen as a set of disparate societies, facing and reacting to the problems of economic development and political change.

Genres: Middle East, Politics, Islam, Nonfiction, Religion, History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Simon Frederick Peter Halliday, FBA (22 February 1946 in Dublin, Ireland – 26 April 2010 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain) was an Irish writer and academic specialising in International Relations and the Middle East, with particular reference to the Cold War, Iran, and the Arabian peninsula.

Reviews

[Samy · Rating 3 out of 5]

يحاول الدكتور هاليداى فى هذا الكتاب أن يوضح أكذوبة المواجهةبين الأسلام والدول الأخرى على إعتبار أنه العدو الجديد للحضارة ويستعرض الدكتور هاليداى العديد والعديد من الأفكار الرائجة والمنتشرة عن الإسلام فى الغرب
وعلى الرغم من جودة عرض الدكتور هاليداى ومحاولته الجيدة إلا أنى أرى أنه لم يحالفه التوفيق فى العديد من النقاط وأعتقد أن ذلك نتج لإعتماده على مصادر المستشرقين والتى تحتوى على العديد من الأخطاء

[Stephen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Attempting to analyze Islam and the Middle East from a Marxist perspective is wholly unproductive. Fred is a smart guy, but he's way off base here.