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Muhammad in Europe: A Thousand Years of Western Myth-Making
Generations of Western writers—from the Crusades to the present day—have written portraits claiming to depict the life and personality of Muhammad, the founder of Islam. Over the course of thirteen centuries, stubbornly biased and consistently negative representations have persisted, presenting images which bear no resemblance to the noble man familiar to Muslims. Muhammad in Europe traces this consistent tradition of distortion and provides an account of the reasons behind it.
Drawing on works dating from the Middle Ages to the last decade of the twentieth century and spanning Latin, Italian, French, German, and English language sources, the book culminates with a critical analysis of Salman Rushdie’s controversial novel, The Satanic Verses .
Drawing on works dating from the Middle Ages to the last decade of the twentieth century and spanning Latin, Italian, French, German, and English language sources, the book culminates with a critical analysis of Salman Rushdie’s controversial novel, The Satanic Verses .
320 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2001
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March 25, 2015
I picked up this wonderful book at a sale the last time I visited the UK, and it is disappointing that it is not more readily available. The author is erudite and learned in the histories and cultures of two separation cultural spheres, and writes clearly enough to give a coherent and convincing account of their interactions. The only fault I could find is that she writes with the language of a believer, and I can no longer view this without discomfort. I prefer my comparative religion to be written from a perspective of sceptical neutrality, but maybe that is more my fault than Ms. Reeves'.
The book begins with a fairly lengthy review of the life of Muhammad and his earliest interaction with the Byzantine realm through their client tribe, Ghassan. For some this will be a useful introduction to the origins of Islam, and even as review material it is thorough and interesting. It is necessary to set the context of the remainder of the book, as the character and perception of the character of Muhammad by Muslims and Muslim sources is essential background for recognising his misrepresentation by non-Muslims.
It strikes me very strongly as a European atheist that many of my fellow atheists are still repeating almost verbatim disortions of the character of Muhammad that were concocted for the religious purposes of Christianity. I do not wish overtly to defend Muhammad, Islam or fundamentalism in saying this, but it has to be said that the smell of a dead rodent is generated. Some of us might like to examine our motivations and the roots of our cultural supremacism.
What comes across very convincingly is a sense that Muhammad was almost certainly sincere. He really believed himself to be a prophet, whether you believe in prophecy or not, and strove to create something greater than himself. Misguided, maybe, but no deceiver. He also sought very sincerely to accommodate the other monotheisms, and their horrified and vitriolic response seems entirely unmerited. The treatment of Muhammad and Islam in Europe has as a result been mostly defamatory, slandering the man and attributing a materialism, idolatry and sensualism to the Orient which far misses the point. The consequences have been grave, as the contempt of the Western powers and their consequent rough treatment of Muslim populations once the post-Renaissance Western ascendancy began has led to conflicts which are still being played out.
On the other hand, as early as Roger Bacon there have been dissenting voices in the West prepared to find something honourable and worthy in Islam and in the life of Muhammad. Lessing and the young Goethe deserve special mention, as do the US Founders. The exploits of T.E. Lawrence are now legendary, as is unfortunately the subsequent political maltreatment of his Arab clients. The book winds up with a lengthy account of the Rushdie affair and the context of the Iranian revolution. I hope it is clear that it is no defence of the Khomeini fatwa to point out that the rage of revolutionary Iran might never have boiled up if it were not for British and CIA double-dealing in their recent history, descibed here but covered in detail by other authors such as Blum.
This is an important work, and a useful appendix to any historical study of Islam and the Crusades, Ottoman empire, contemporary terrorism or Colonialism.
The book begins with a fairly lengthy review of the life of Muhammad and his earliest interaction with the Byzantine realm through their client tribe, Ghassan. For some this will be a useful introduction to the origins of Islam, and even as review material it is thorough and interesting. It is necessary to set the context of the remainder of the book, as the character and perception of the character of Muhammad by Muslims and Muslim sources is essential background for recognising his misrepresentation by non-Muslims.
It strikes me very strongly as a European atheist that many of my fellow atheists are still repeating almost verbatim disortions of the character of Muhammad that were concocted for the religious purposes of Christianity. I do not wish overtly to defend Muhammad, Islam or fundamentalism in saying this, but it has to be said that the smell of a dead rodent is generated. Some of us might like to examine our motivations and the roots of our cultural supremacism.
What comes across very convincingly is a sense that Muhammad was almost certainly sincere. He really believed himself to be a prophet, whether you believe in prophecy or not, and strove to create something greater than himself. Misguided, maybe, but no deceiver. He also sought very sincerely to accommodate the other monotheisms, and their horrified and vitriolic response seems entirely unmerited. The treatment of Muhammad and Islam in Europe has as a result been mostly defamatory, slandering the man and attributing a materialism, idolatry and sensualism to the Orient which far misses the point. The consequences have been grave, as the contempt of the Western powers and their consequent rough treatment of Muslim populations once the post-Renaissance Western ascendancy began has led to conflicts which are still being played out.
On the other hand, as early as Roger Bacon there have been dissenting voices in the West prepared to find something honourable and worthy in Islam and in the life of Muhammad. Lessing and the young Goethe deserve special mention, as do the US Founders. The exploits of T.E. Lawrence are now legendary, as is unfortunately the subsequent political maltreatment of his Arab clients. The book winds up with a lengthy account of the Rushdie affair and the context of the Iranian revolution. I hope it is clear that it is no defence of the Khomeini fatwa to point out that the rage of revolutionary Iran might never have boiled up if it were not for British and CIA double-dealing in their recent history, descibed here but covered in detail by other authors such as Blum.
This is an important work, and a useful appendix to any historical study of Islam and the Crusades, Ottoman empire, contemporary terrorism or Colonialism.
Displaying 1 of 1 review