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The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity
The aerial attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, a global spectacle of unprecedented dimensions, generated an enormous volume of commentary. The inviolability of the American mainland, breached for the first time since 1812, led to extravagant proclamations by the pundits. It was a new world-historical turning point. The 21st century, once greeted triumphantly as marking the dawn of a worldwide neo-liberal civilization, suddenly became menaced. The choice presented from the White House and its supporters was to stand shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism or be damned.
Tariq Ali challenges these assumptions, arguing instead that what we have experienced is the return of History in a horrific form, with religious symbols playing a part on both ‘Allah’s revenge,’ ‘God is on Our Side’ and ‘God Bless America.’ The visible violence of September 11 was the response to the invisible violence that has been inflicted on countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Palestine and Chechnya. Some of this has been the direct responsibility of the United States and Russia. In this wide-ranging book that provides an explanation for both the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and new forms of Western colonialism, Tariq Ali argues that many of the values proclaimed by the Enlightenment retain their relevance, while portrayals of the American Empire as a new emancipatory project are misguided.
Tariq Ali challenges these assumptions, arguing instead that what we have experienced is the return of History in a horrific form, with religious symbols playing a part on both ‘Allah’s revenge,’ ‘God is on Our Side’ and ‘God Bless America.’ The visible violence of September 11 was the response to the invisible violence that has been inflicted on countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Palestine and Chechnya. Some of this has been the direct responsibility of the United States and Russia. In this wide-ranging book that provides an explanation for both the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and new forms of Western colonialism, Tariq Ali argues that many of the values proclaimed by the Enlightenment retain their relevance, while portrayals of the American Empire as a new emancipatory project are misguided.
342 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
62 people are currently reading
1724 people want to read
About the author
Tariq Ali
137 books805 followersTariq Ali (Punjabi, Urdu: طارق علی) is a British-Pakistani historian, novelist, filmmaker, political campaigner, and commentator. He is a member of the editorial committee of the New Left Review and Sin Permiso, and regularly contributes to The Guardian, CounterPunch, and the London Review of Books.
He is the author of several books, including Can Pakistan Survive? The Death of a State (1991) , Pirates Of The Caribbean: Axis Of Hope (2006), Conversations with Edward Said (2005), Bush in Babylon (2003), and Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity (2002), A Banker for All Seasons (2007) and the recently published The Duel (2008).
He is the author of several books, including Can Pakistan Survive? The Death of a State (1991) , Pirates Of The Caribbean: Axis Of Hope (2006), Conversations with Edward Said (2005), Bush in Babylon (2003), and Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity (2002), A Banker for All Seasons (2007) and the recently published The Duel (2008).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
March 20, 2007
It doesn't get much harder than writing about present-day politics, a difficulty that Tariq Ali doesn't fully overcome. This is the most in-depth book I have read about Islamic fundamentalism and its relation to terrorism and American imperialism.
Ali puts Marxist theory to work in understanding the landscape of today's world politics. American, Western European, and Arab public would be well-served by understanding Ali's conception of American imperialism within the context of neo-colonialism growing out of the post-World War II and then post-Cold War power vacuum. ...Another way of saying that countries like Israel and the Arab nation would be acting to resolve their issues rather than jockeying for America's political backing.
The problem I had with the book is that it could've been better. It could've been more focused rather than being a series of in-depth magazine articles. The chapters do not build upon one another and Ali does not develop a central argument, even though he hints an intriguing one.
One of the questions Ali poses is, "Why hasn't Islam had a Reformation?" The importance of the Reformation, for Ali, is its role in permitting religious tolerance and other individual freedoms. Perhaps the most serious weakness of the book, as it itself suggests, is that it spends too much time trying to sketch a broad history of Islam that spans three continents and a dozen or so countries. The time would be better spent imagining the possbility of an Islamic Reformation and its potential to become a counter-imperialist movement, stressing both individual peoples and nations right to self-determination.
For those of you still reading, class dismissed, or some other such nonsense. Thanks for reading.
Ali puts Marxist theory to work in understanding the landscape of today's world politics. American, Western European, and Arab public would be well-served by understanding Ali's conception of American imperialism within the context of neo-colonialism growing out of the post-World War II and then post-Cold War power vacuum. ...Another way of saying that countries like Israel and the Arab nation would be acting to resolve their issues rather than jockeying for America's political backing.
The problem I had with the book is that it could've been better. It could've been more focused rather than being a series of in-depth magazine articles. The chapters do not build upon one another and Ali does not develop a central argument, even though he hints an intriguing one.
One of the questions Ali poses is, "Why hasn't Islam had a Reformation?" The importance of the Reformation, for Ali, is its role in permitting religious tolerance and other individual freedoms. Perhaps the most serious weakness of the book, as it itself suggests, is that it spends too much time trying to sketch a broad history of Islam that spans three continents and a dozen or so countries. The time would be better spent imagining the possbility of an Islamic Reformation and its potential to become a counter-imperialist movement, stressing both individual peoples and nations right to self-determination.
For those of you still reading, class dismissed, or some other such nonsense. Thanks for reading.
March 23, 2019
Islam and the West
This is an excellent book and my first outing with Tariq Ali. Despite a much needed update from its 2003 release, I found myself receiving a serious education on the history of India, Pakistan, Kashmir, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. This is not to mention an excellent summary of Islam at the beginning, followed by a cultural essay on America foreign policy in the Middle East. It puts into context the sheer magnitude of western ignorance of these complex areas of the world.
The lense this is conveyed through comes from a focus Ali places on the ruling elites of each country and how events that took place (e.g. the partition of Kashmir) affected individuals and large portions of the population. It's pretty grim but completley cuts to bone of how our world leaders and their institutions seem to share a pretty simplified view of the world at large, and try to push this as the narrative pill we should all swallow.
I should finally warn other readers that this doesn't lead to big cumulative chapter at the books end. There is a general chronology, however most of the book splits into large essays on parts of the Islamic world and their respective backgrounds. Highly recommended for those who want to understand these cultures and communities through a more honest voice.
This is an excellent book and my first outing with Tariq Ali. Despite a much needed update from its 2003 release, I found myself receiving a serious education on the history of India, Pakistan, Kashmir, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. This is not to mention an excellent summary of Islam at the beginning, followed by a cultural essay on America foreign policy in the Middle East. It puts into context the sheer magnitude of western ignorance of these complex areas of the world.
The lense this is conveyed through comes from a focus Ali places on the ruling elites of each country and how events that took place (e.g. the partition of Kashmir) affected individuals and large portions of the population. It's pretty grim but completley cuts to bone of how our world leaders and their institutions seem to share a pretty simplified view of the world at large, and try to push this as the narrative pill we should all swallow.
I should finally warn other readers that this doesn't lead to big cumulative chapter at the books end. There is a general chronology, however most of the book splits into large essays on parts of the Islamic world and their respective backgrounds. Highly recommended for those who want to understand these cultures and communities through a more honest voice.
June 5, 2007
Tariq Ali is a prominent leftist intellectual in Britain who is originally from Pakistan. His book, “The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity” serves as a strong counter to the dominant scholarly understandings of the conflict between Islam and the West and of world history in general. He seeks to explain the historical roots of the attack on September 11th, as well as provide a background to India-Pakistan relations, the Arab-Israeli conflict and additional topics that relate to Islamic identity and politics. It is important to understand that in his writings, Ali has a strong bias. He is a liberal, a Marxist, an atheist, a strong opponent of the foreign policies of the United States and the state of Israel and a severe critic of globalization and its negative impact in developing countries. He expresses the views of many in the Third World that are often overlooked in Western scholarly discourse.
Ali argues that world history has been defined by the “Clash of Fundamentalisms” instead of the "Clash of Civilizations" as presented by Samuel Huntington. Tariq's clash is either manifested as religious fundamentalism or imperial fundamentalism. In the first half of the book, he explores the history of Islamic civilization. He covers the early days of the religion, the conquests into other territories, the split between Sunni Islam and Shi’a Islam, the Crusades, the rise of Wahhabism, and the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire. He also goes into a brief account of the colonial and the post-colonial period and the creation of the modern Muslim world, including the causes of the Palestinian and Kashmir conflicts. Through exploring these diverse but connected events, his goal is to show that Islamic history or civilization has not been a monolith and has been affected greatly by political or economic factors.
The political or economic factors usually end up being Western interventions in the Muslim world. On a political level, Ali mentions that throughout the Cold War, the United States manipulated local actors in the Muslim world. He states that at this time, the United States had no reservations about supporting the Islamists who were staunchly anti-communist because these groups helped US interests in the region. Thus, the US directly supported some Islamist groups, especially in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Furthermore, Ali believes that much of US foreign policy was driven by materialist objectives. He states that securing influence over the oil reserves in the Middle East played a large role in policy towards the region, especially after the 1970’s.
Ali also critiques Francis Fukuyama’s “End of History” thesis which argues that the progression of human history is a struggle between competing ideologies ended after the Cold War, and that the world will settle on liberal democracy as the ideology that has triumphed. Fukuyama calls for promoting liberal democracy and foreshadows that there will be a conflict with these views and those held by many Muslims around the world. Ali argues that the conflict will not occur because Muslims are inherently predisposed against liberal democratic values but because of the fundamentalist nature in which the West seeks to militarily impose these values in their countries.
Although the book's title is about the clash between the fundamentalisms, Ali spends a greater amount of time covering the political and intellectual history of the Arab and South Asian Muslim world. Nonetheless, he provides an excellent counter to the prevailing views of Huntington and Fukuyama. His work should be, but of course isn't, considered on par with them.
Ali argues that world history has been defined by the “Clash of Fundamentalisms” instead of the "Clash of Civilizations" as presented by Samuel Huntington. Tariq's clash is either manifested as religious fundamentalism or imperial fundamentalism. In the first half of the book, he explores the history of Islamic civilization. He covers the early days of the religion, the conquests into other territories, the split between Sunni Islam and Shi’a Islam, the Crusades, the rise of Wahhabism, and the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire. He also goes into a brief account of the colonial and the post-colonial period and the creation of the modern Muslim world, including the causes of the Palestinian and Kashmir conflicts. Through exploring these diverse but connected events, his goal is to show that Islamic history or civilization has not been a monolith and has been affected greatly by political or economic factors.
The political or economic factors usually end up being Western interventions in the Muslim world. On a political level, Ali mentions that throughout the Cold War, the United States manipulated local actors in the Muslim world. He states that at this time, the United States had no reservations about supporting the Islamists who were staunchly anti-communist because these groups helped US interests in the region. Thus, the US directly supported some Islamist groups, especially in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Furthermore, Ali believes that much of US foreign policy was driven by materialist objectives. He states that securing influence over the oil reserves in the Middle East played a large role in policy towards the region, especially after the 1970’s.
Ali also critiques Francis Fukuyama’s “End of History” thesis which argues that the progression of human history is a struggle between competing ideologies ended after the Cold War, and that the world will settle on liberal democracy as the ideology that has triumphed. Fukuyama calls for promoting liberal democracy and foreshadows that there will be a conflict with these views and those held by many Muslims around the world. Ali argues that the conflict will not occur because Muslims are inherently predisposed against liberal democratic values but because of the fundamentalist nature in which the West seeks to militarily impose these values in their countries.
Although the book's title is about the clash between the fundamentalisms, Ali spends a greater amount of time covering the political and intellectual history of the Arab and South Asian Muslim world. Nonetheless, he provides an excellent counter to the prevailing views of Huntington and Fukuyama. His work should be, but of course isn't, considered on par with them.
February 26, 2019
Tariq Ali is a leftist of long standing, a Pakistani and an atheist. In this book with a wonderful cover depicting G.W. Bush as a Muslim with a beard, Ali claims quite plausibly that the American capitalist empire is driven by a kind of fundamentalism that lies behind the others that have reacted to it and that all of them share in the use of terror.
Starting with an account of his upbringing in a westernized enclave in Pakistan, Ali makes use of his intimate acquaintance with Islam, his involvement in politics and his penetrating knowledge of history to inform the reader of how things in the middle east and Asia had come to where they were just after 9/11 in 2002 when the book was written.
It is a tale of sorrow including the rise and rule of Wahabism in Saudi Arabia, the bloody separation of Pakistan from India and of Bangladesh from Pakistan, the back and forth of Afghanistan as a plaything of superpowers, of U.S. backed dictator benighted Egypt and ending up with the U.S. supported slaughter of communists in Indonesia in the 1960's. The detailed account of the politics in Pakistan, a place Ali calls a failed state, makes one wonder how things can ever get beyond the controlled chaos that exists there.
As an American, the more I read of places where my country has been involved on its own invite, the more I'm convinced that the average American has no idea of the amount of discord that has been sown even as we live in our (until 9/11) isolated consumer's paradise with a stable system of government (to date).
It is clear from this book that the claim to be spreading democracy in the world by the United States is just as much a false front as the peace talks that Israel claimed to take part in. The blatant abandonment of the Egyptians by the Obama administration in favor of another military dictator in a suit made this clear. Control and access are the key words that make any humanitarian result of the U.S. presence not just secondary but next to impossible. Look now as the powerless Palestinians are denied aid by the U.S. as weaponry, money and a U.S. embassy in Jerusalem are showered on their oppressor.
Included in the book is a chapter composed of a letter to an Islamist friend in which Ali laments the failure of the Islamic world to go through a Reformation and Enlightenment of its own as he makes clear his own admiration for the intellectual freedom won in the West.
When I was young, the Muslim world was unknown to me beyond some strange looking characters that would appear from time to time in Life magazine or National Geographic; exotic and of no importance. While I was reciting the pledge of allegiance in classrooms, the government of my country was ignoring the plight of the common man around the world instead looking only for the pledge of allegiance of any kind of foreign ruler to the United States, pounding on tiny Cuba as a lesson for those who didn't. I've learned much since in considerable detail thanks to sincere writers like Tariq Ali, one of the people who act to change the world, not simply lament the condition it is in. This book from the heart is well worth reading.
Starting with an account of his upbringing in a westernized enclave in Pakistan, Ali makes use of his intimate acquaintance with Islam, his involvement in politics and his penetrating knowledge of history to inform the reader of how things in the middle east and Asia had come to where they were just after 9/11 in 2002 when the book was written.
It is a tale of sorrow including the rise and rule of Wahabism in Saudi Arabia, the bloody separation of Pakistan from India and of Bangladesh from Pakistan, the back and forth of Afghanistan as a plaything of superpowers, of U.S. backed dictator benighted Egypt and ending up with the U.S. supported slaughter of communists in Indonesia in the 1960's. The detailed account of the politics in Pakistan, a place Ali calls a failed state, makes one wonder how things can ever get beyond the controlled chaos that exists there.
As an American, the more I read of places where my country has been involved on its own invite, the more I'm convinced that the average American has no idea of the amount of discord that has been sown even as we live in our (until 9/11) isolated consumer's paradise with a stable system of government (to date).
It is clear from this book that the claim to be spreading democracy in the world by the United States is just as much a false front as the peace talks that Israel claimed to take part in. The blatant abandonment of the Egyptians by the Obama administration in favor of another military dictator in a suit made this clear. Control and access are the key words that make any humanitarian result of the U.S. presence not just secondary but next to impossible. Look now as the powerless Palestinians are denied aid by the U.S. as weaponry, money and a U.S. embassy in Jerusalem are showered on their oppressor.
Included in the book is a chapter composed of a letter to an Islamist friend in which Ali laments the failure of the Islamic world to go through a Reformation and Enlightenment of its own as he makes clear his own admiration for the intellectual freedom won in the West.
When I was young, the Muslim world was unknown to me beyond some strange looking characters that would appear from time to time in Life magazine or National Geographic; exotic and of no importance. While I was reciting the pledge of allegiance in classrooms, the government of my country was ignoring the plight of the common man around the world instead looking only for the pledge of allegiance of any kind of foreign ruler to the United States, pounding on tiny Cuba as a lesson for those who didn't. I've learned much since in considerable detail thanks to sincere writers like Tariq Ali, one of the people who act to change the world, not simply lament the condition it is in. This book from the heart is well worth reading.
November 6, 2025
Das Buch beschäftigt sich hauptsächlich damit, wie Islamismus und religiöser Fundamentalismus von den USA und dem westlichen Imperialismus instrumentalisiert und gestärkt wurde, um säkulare, nationalistische und/oder kommunistische Aufstände und Parteien im globalen Süden zu schwächen bzw. zu vernichten.
Tariq Ali betont zunächst dabei, dass solch eine Instrumentalisierung des Islams nur zu Stande kommen kann, weil sich die Religion nicht reformiert und rigoros an den ursprünglichen Texten festhält. Dabei kontextualisiert Ali jedoch auch, dass der Islam definitiv Reformen in der Vergangenheit erfahren hat (z.B. in Andalusien, Sufi-Bewegungen, Südasiatischen Formen des Islams), diese jedoch durch den Aufstieg des Wahabismus und anderen fundamentalistischen Ausrichtungen des Islams wieder rückgängig gemacht wurden.
In seinen Analysen geht er auf historische Entwicklungen in Pakistan, Palästina, Iran, Afghanistan, Kashmir (und im Epilog auch Indonesien) ein und zeigt insbesondere im Falle von Afghanistan wie einerseits die USA die Taliban gestärkt hat, um sie im Kampf gegen den Kommunismus zu verwenden, andererseits ihnen später den Krieg erklärte, im Namen der Terrorismusbekämpfung.
Tariq Ali betont zunächst dabei, dass solch eine Instrumentalisierung des Islams nur zu Stande kommen kann, weil sich die Religion nicht reformiert und rigoros an den ursprünglichen Texten festhält. Dabei kontextualisiert Ali jedoch auch, dass der Islam definitiv Reformen in der Vergangenheit erfahren hat (z.B. in Andalusien, Sufi-Bewegungen, Südasiatischen Formen des Islams), diese jedoch durch den Aufstieg des Wahabismus und anderen fundamentalistischen Ausrichtungen des Islams wieder rückgängig gemacht wurden.
In seinen Analysen geht er auf historische Entwicklungen in Pakistan, Palästina, Iran, Afghanistan, Kashmir (und im Epilog auch Indonesien) ein und zeigt insbesondere im Falle von Afghanistan wie einerseits die USA die Taliban gestärkt hat, um sie im Kampf gegen den Kommunismus zu verwenden, andererseits ihnen später den Krieg erklärte, im Namen der Terrorismusbekämpfung.
August 11, 2025
An important book I highly recommend reading if you, like me, don’t know much about the history of South Asia and the Middle East. And Islam. And Imperialism.
February 4, 2015
Background on the political situation in the Islamic majority countries, and the role the Western nations (first Britain and France, and today the United States) have played in bringing it about. The book begins with a brief history of Islam from the time of Mohammed to the First World War, then deals with the individual countries from that time through World War II, the founding of Israel and the partition of India and Pakistan, up to September 11 and the US invasion of Afghanistan. It was written before the invasion of Iraq, but predicts that it was on the horizon.
There is much information here that I was not aware of, and that is not ever referred to by the media or the "pundits". The one negative is that the book, and particularly the introduction to the paperback edition, is written in an unfortunately (but understandably) strident tone which may insure that it isn't read by those who most need to learn about these realities.
Ali is a Pakistani living in Britain, not a Moslem though brought up in a Moslem environment, a Marxist but not a Stalinist, and the book is written primarily for a British audience.
There is much information here that I was not aware of, and that is not ever referred to by the media or the "pundits". The one negative is that the book, and particularly the introduction to the paperback edition, is written in an unfortunately (but understandably) strident tone which may insure that it isn't read by those who most need to learn about these realities.
Ali is a Pakistani living in Britain, not a Moslem though brought up in a Moslem environment, a Marxist but not a Stalinist, and the book is written primarily for a British audience.
December 15, 2007
I picked this book up in order to try to understand a little more about the views of the author behind 'The Islam Qintet'. While my primary regional interest is South Asia, I'm interested in what Ali has to say about 'fundamentalisms' more generally.
I'd highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in understanding some of the historical factos behind the increase in fundamentalism. I don't agree with all of Ali's views, but I consider that I am better informed for having read them.
A full reviw is on Amazon.com for those interested: http://tinyurl.com/2kkz5c
I'd highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in understanding some of the historical factos behind the increase in fundamentalism. I don't agree with all of Ali's views, but I consider that I am better informed for having read them.
A full reviw is on Amazon.com for those interested: http://tinyurl.com/2kkz5c
October 20, 2014
I don't recall the specific arguments very well, except that they are consistent with the arguments of the far left at the time it was published. Some indication that the US was responsible for the assassination of Indira Gandhi, though the argument is deductive rather than inductive.
Text is most memorable for its original tasteful cover of Bush the Younger in Taliban gear.
Text is most memorable for its original tasteful cover of Bush the Younger in Taliban gear.
January 26, 2015
Amazing book and easy to read. Tariq Ali is spot on in everything he says.
December 16, 2025
3.5 Quite good. Written between 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq, this is pitched as a history of Islam (which it is in part, particularly the excellent first section on its pre-modern history), but on the whole comes out more as a broad political history of the Muslim world, which just happens to have a particularly keen eye to the role of religion. Which is both its strength and weakness.
Ali is an excellent descriptive writer. Parts of this book have a real novelist’s touch, and it's a great read. He also, judging by a sprinkling of anecdotes throughout, appears to have had some personal interaction with seemingly almost every Southeast Asian political figure of note, which is a fun bonus. But there’s no real core argument or thesis that ties the whole book together, other than the counterposing of the two global “fundamentalisms” - Islamism and US Imperialism - which is pretty contrived and feels a bit inorganic to what the content of the book actually is.
I found the chapters on the partition of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Kashmir really useful, as someone who has never read about the history of the region in depth, exactly because it was a general history, touching on Islam (important as it is) when relevant. But by the same token the section on the modern Middle East felt less comprehensive, other than a great chapter on Saudi Arabia and Wahhabism. The on-off focus on Islam hamstrings these parts, and it doesn’t always get to the heart of the matter regarding Arab Nationalism, Zionism, US imperialism, etc. At least, I felt that way: maybe it’s just because I’m already familiar with the content. The final chapters added in a later edition on Java, Indonesia, and Bali aren’t bad (they have some great Australia-hate near the end), but are thinner and suffer from the same identity crisis at the heart of the book.
But despite these issues of focus, I really did find this book useful and good, and would gladly recommend it to anyone keen to read about the history of Islam. Would like to try out some more Ali in the future. 👍
Ali is an excellent descriptive writer. Parts of this book have a real novelist’s touch, and it's a great read. He also, judging by a sprinkling of anecdotes throughout, appears to have had some personal interaction with seemingly almost every Southeast Asian political figure of note, which is a fun bonus. But there’s no real core argument or thesis that ties the whole book together, other than the counterposing of the two global “fundamentalisms” - Islamism and US Imperialism - which is pretty contrived and feels a bit inorganic to what the content of the book actually is.
I found the chapters on the partition of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Kashmir really useful, as someone who has never read about the history of the region in depth, exactly because it was a general history, touching on Islam (important as it is) when relevant. But by the same token the section on the modern Middle East felt less comprehensive, other than a great chapter on Saudi Arabia and Wahhabism. The on-off focus on Islam hamstrings these parts, and it doesn’t always get to the heart of the matter regarding Arab Nationalism, Zionism, US imperialism, etc. At least, I felt that way: maybe it’s just because I’m already familiar with the content. The final chapters added in a later edition on Java, Indonesia, and Bali aren’t bad (they have some great Australia-hate near the end), but are thinner and suffer from the same identity crisis at the heart of the book.
But despite these issues of focus, I really did find this book useful and good, and would gladly recommend it to anyone keen to read about the history of Islam. Would like to try out some more Ali in the future. 👍
June 15, 2020
Tarq Ali is a writer and filmmaker, well known for his bitter criticisms of contemporary political events. This book is a demolishing account of both, western politics concerning the Islamic world (mainly Arab, Iranian, Pakistani, and Indonesian cases), and the inner politics and motivations in the Islamic countries themselves. Being the author a "non-believer" that had, at some point in live, attempted to define himself, paraphrasing Isaac Deutscher, as a non-Muslim Muslim, the utter repulsion and contempt he feels towards the upper hand gained by religious fundamentalists in the politics of many an Islamic country, be there in Iran, in Wahhabist Saudi Arabia, or in Pakistan and Afghanistan, comes as no surprise. It may, however, surprise some readers the instrumental role that western powers (mainly the US and Britain) had in the support of Islamic religious fundamentalists in some places and times, past and present. An excellent book about a much talked about but not really much understood subject. In addition, the author writes in such a clear, lucid way, that manages to disentangle seemingly irrational conflicts and provides historically rational and brilliant analysis that turn the world, if not into a better place, at least into a much more intelligible one.
November 21, 2020
The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity by Tariq Ali. I am surprisingly pleased with this book. Heavy stuff, yes, but I could follow most of his thoughts.
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I actually expected a history book. No, it is not. It feels more like a compilation of opinion essays. Tariq Ali is a British-Pakistani scholar who is an atheist and a leftist. He discusses a great many things here that are historical - the history of Islam, 9/11, Israeli-Arab conflict, India and Pakistan and many more. What makes this such a fascinating read is that he often shared his experiences that are very personal, particularly about his atheism. He met this figure... He met that figure... Obviously a very important guy. Came from an elitist background, yes, but at least he was willing to give us a glimpse into what was going on with the world at that time. It is interesting to read his thoughts. You may disagree with him but you will learn quite a lot.
.
On a physical note, the book is heavy. More than 400 pages long with proper white paper. My hands felt tired having to hold it all the time.
.
I actually expected a history book. No, it is not. It feels more like a compilation of opinion essays. Tariq Ali is a British-Pakistani scholar who is an atheist and a leftist. He discusses a great many things here that are historical - the history of Islam, 9/11, Israeli-Arab conflict, India and Pakistan and many more. What makes this such a fascinating read is that he often shared his experiences that are very personal, particularly about his atheism. He met this figure... He met that figure... Obviously a very important guy. Came from an elitist background, yes, but at least he was willing to give us a glimpse into what was going on with the world at that time. It is interesting to read his thoughts. You may disagree with him but you will learn quite a lot.
.
On a physical note, the book is heavy. More than 400 pages long with proper white paper. My hands felt tired having to hold it all the time.
November 25, 2019
"None of the cultures/civilizations spawned by the three monotheistic religions are monolithic or timeless. Despite the differences between them, they are all affected by the world they cohabit. Times change and they change with them, but in their own way. A striking feature of the present is that no mainstream political party anywhere in the world even pretends that it wishes to change anything significant. If it is true that history and democracy were born as twins in Ancient Greece, will their deaths, too, coincide? The virtual outlawing of history by the dominant culture has reduced the process of democracy to farce. The result is a mishmash of cynicism, despair and escapism. This is precisely an environment designed to nurture irrationalisms of every sort. Over the last fifty years, religious revivalism with a political edge has flourished in many different cultures. Nor is the process finished. A major cause is the fact that all the other exit routes have been sealed off by the mother of all fundamentalisms: American imperialism."
August 23, 2018
The author gives an in depth history of Islam from its inception to 9/11. He calls US imperialism "the mother of all fundamentalisms". The war in Iraq and what the US and GB did, killing half a million people provides a good indication. However, he doesn't give Islam a break either, showing how fractured it is from within and how the lack of democracy in favour of theocracy by clerics creates a backward culture. I think the book provides a better balance than others. The author critiques Huntington's A Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of a New World Order for failing to properly address the truth/power imbalance that Western journalists fail to address because they are compromised. For these reasons I recommend reading the book.
December 10, 2019
I meant to read this when it was new, in 2002 - but didn't. A copy fell into my hands about a year ago and I've been reading it off and on ever since. Fascinating but also quite dense. I really don't have enough pre-existing knowledge about the topics covered to critique the book. But I am glad to have read it.
February 14, 2024
Good, witty, corrective, instructive.
The cover is marvelous. Look closely. Would like the t-shirt.
I should have read it twenty years ago.
Still valuable.
It is a 400 page book because he stuffed in a cultural history of Islam.
That's ok. Ali won't waste your time.
The cover is marvelous. Look closely. Would like the t-shirt.
I should have read it twenty years ago.
Still valuable.
It is a 400 page book because he stuffed in a cultural history of Islam.
That's ok. Ali won't waste your time.
May 18, 2017
Fun to read, but Lack of references was frustrating
February 8, 2018
Would've given it 4/5 if I didn't find the lack of references disturbing. Book can get a bit pathetic at times. However, the philosophy is sound and interesting.
March 5, 2020
An excellent book, in my opinion. Good for the sociologist and the historian. It has been written in an as objective a manner as is possible for a human being.
December 17, 2020
Found it actually surprisingly good. But it was a tough read. Not for the light-hearted
February 10, 2024
3.5 stars
June 30, 2025
Ultimately, an Islamic reformation is needed
Read
January 10, 2017A good book with good information about historical developments that took place in the region. I think it is designed to make westerns more familiar with the history of Islamic empire, but for people who live in the MENA region they already know these things, also some fundamentalists may find it offensive to Islamic religion
May 21, 2013
"People must broaden their understanding and accept the fact that politics, not political parties, is tied in with anything and everything that is related to power. As long as man is a social animal, he will participate in political activity." So speaks Indonesian novelist Pramoedya Ananta Toer, in an excerpt from an interview in Tariq Ali's 2003 book 'The Clash of Fundamentalisms'. It beholds us to understand that in which we are politically engaged, whether it is the neo-liberal empire that has supplanted European colonial empires since the latter half of the twentieth century, or an Islam that urgently needs a Reformation. Tariq Ali preaches the shortcomings of the modern Muslim nations and the flaws of the United States' international policies, but doesn't offer any solutions. While he never suggested he knew the answers, this renders the book cynical and at times negative to read. Furthermore, it is excessively dense. Tariq Ali's knowledge of politics and literature in the Islamic world is the most interesting thing in this novel, which has fascinating sections on Egypt, Iran, and Pakistan.
October 22, 2016
There is a lot of important information in this book, but you have to dig through long-winded histories and unnecessary tangents, to find it. Tariq Ali doesn’t seem to have figured out what he wanted it to be about until the last 100 pages or so (I recommend saving yourself some time and just reading “Part IV: A Clash of Fundamentalisms”). This book lacks a clear focus and information is heavily under-cited (major pet peeve of mine): The first section provides a secular, and at times condescending, account of the development of Islam that ranges from obnoxious <—> offensive; the middle of the book includes way-too-in depth and unfocused discussions of the histories of certain Muslim-majority countries and the development of fundamentalist movements (for the most part, this was a waste of time. If I hadn’t already independently studied a certain region/conflict/movement, I found his accounts challenging to follow); in Part IV, he finally provides a clear discussion of US fundamentalism and its ties to Islamic fundamentalist movements, which have often been economically supported or fueled in response to US imperialist interests.
January 3, 2014
Tariq Ali puts forth a history of Islamic fundamentalism through the emergence of Wahhabism (Saudi Arabia state religion, once Afghanistan) from its inspirer Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab in the 18th century under Ottoman rule, through the present In between Ali sandwiches a discussion of Islamic heresy, including the Islamic world's most prominent medieval intellectuals What more he also takes on American imperialism as another form of religious fundamentalism, with its history of domination, manipulation, and extermination, and uses the resulting paradigm of a "clash of fundamentalisms" to explain the current situation in the Middle East and in South Asia. Ali takes on a discussion of the Iranian Revolution, of the Iran-Iraq war, of the history of Pakistan, and of Palestine, amongst other things The result is detailed, informative, stimulating and honest Ali ends with a "Letter to a Young Muslim" where he confronts the viewpoints of desperate Muslims living under US proxy regimes throughout the world
January 29, 2010
A very interesting perspective on the post-war history of South Asia, primarily Pakistan, juxtaposed with Western foreign policy and attitudes. While clearly polemic the strength of the book is its lively historical narrative contrasted with the conventional wisdom of Western punditry. This is a worthwhile journey, however, and the author is equally balanced in his disdain for the leadership and motives of all concerned, with a few significant exceptions. He also attempts to provide an understanding of the changes emerging within Islamic political philosophy in this context but the history often seems to upstage this.
Nevertheless the historical content is substantial and I have found myself leafing through the book more than once seeking a passage on an event or personality relevant to modern international affairs which I had not read of elsewhere.
Nevertheless the historical content is substantial and I have found myself leafing through the book more than once seeking a passage on an event or personality relevant to modern international affairs which I had not read of elsewhere.
December 16, 2018
The content and general message deserve 5 stars however Ali's tangential style detracts from what could have been a very pithy critique. Ali's arguments are passionate and he happily exposes events and statistics that the American and Israeli governments have spent monumental amounts of resources on censoring, all of which combine to create not only a sense of outrage at the injustices but also a sense of smugness at having had the wool removed from over our eyes in regards to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Despite this, Ali's tendency to be become bogged down in a side story creates tedium, thus persuading me to recommend it not as as a book to be read from cover to cover but rather as a reference book to be dipped in an out of from time to time when one's sense of self-righteousness is lacking.
July 18, 2007
While critical of Huntington and Fukuyama, Ali falls into the same trap, supporting his worldview at the expense of historical accuracy. His darting approach to history reads more like a string of easy applause lines for those predisposed to stick their thumbs at 'the west'. Even as one of those folks, I found it tiresome.
For a more insightful approach, try The Last Great Revolution
For a more insightful approach, try The Last Great Revolution
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