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Militant Islam

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The Middle East correspondent for The Economist, Jansen offers penetrating insight into the changing currents within Islam's society and political structure, providing an in-depth appraisal of a dangerously sensitive area in the modern world

224 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1979

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Godfrey H. Jansen

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Profile Image for René.
541 reviews12 followers
September 1, 2011
Written in 1979, this book is somehow dated. It has a useful review of the history of some Muslim movements (reformists or traditional), but its analysis of what was to come falls quite off the mark (Jansen thought that militant Islam would fail in Iran, but quickly take hold in Indonesia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia...). Referring to De Gaulle as a "just despot" is also quite problematic.
Profile Image for Becky.
127 reviews5 followers
December 31, 2023
I picked this book up on a whim (as I do) and I am so glad I did. I thought it would be more about terrorism and all the Islamic stuff I've ingested in post 9/11 America. It was not about this AT ALL. Jansen was an Indian diplomat with a pretty intimate understanding of the history and culture of Asia and the Mideast. He starts with a history of Islam and explanation of how the religion is all-encompassing. He then moves into a brief history of the colonial era; Dutch, British and French attempts to de-Muslim the culture, missionary stuff and what an epic failure it was. His dissection of militant Islam starts in the era of Independence following the world wars. It's super interesting how the push-pull of colonialism and independence shaped the 20th century reformation of Islam, how it impacted the new governments of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sudan, and Libya. He talks in detail about the very recent (at the time of writing) Iran revolution, and explains a ton (to me, an outsider) about why it was successful, why Saudi Arabia and Morocco being monarchies are different than Islamic states, and so much more. Very happy I read this.
Profile Image for Ifad Fadli.
6 reviews6 followers
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May 10, 2022
Menyerah di bab III. Bahasanya yg jadul dan berat membuatku harus bersusah payah dan bertahan karenanya. Apa yg kucari dari informasi yg kudapatkan dari kajian ust. Budi Ashari setidaknya baru dibahas di bab III. Entah kapan akan kulanjutkan. Buku ini aku baca untuk mengisi waktu selama berada di dalam mobil saat mudik lebaran 2022 lalu. [Dari Bekasi, ke Pekalongan, ke Wonogiri hingga Malang lalu kembali lagi ke Bekasi]
Profile Image for Ghazal Farooqi.
15 reviews
September 19, 2024
One of the best books that I have read so far. Deals with the idea of militancy in Islam; its causes, its manifestations, and its relevance. Not to forget the West's malicious stereotyping of the concept and its practice. Insightful in a refreshing way.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews

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