Rethinking Islam & the West: A New Narrative for the Age of Crises

by Ahmed Paul Keeler

ISLAM AND THE WEST have been neighbours for 1400 years. The West grew up under the shadow of Islam, and then after the Renaissance, in a dramatic reversal of roles, the West became world conquerors and subdued all other cultures and civilisations, including Islam. This transformation ushered in the modern world, a world unlike any that had existed before.

All nations are now judged according to their scientific progress, technological development and economic growth. And yet, humanity is now experiencing multiple crises that are threatening our very existence. Population explosion, financial, social and political instability, the alarming growth of mental illness, the threat of nuclear annihilation and climate change all loom over humanity like a dark cloud. Simultaneously, the world is witnessing a dangerous escalation in the polarisation between Islam and the West.

In this thought-provoking book, we are invited to view the crises we are facing and the tangled relationship between Islam and the West through a different lens. Keeler proposes that the true yardstick for measuring success should be the balance achieved between the spiritual, social and material needs of humanity; a balance which makes it possible to live in harmony with nature. When the world is viewed from this perspective, a completely different picture of Islam and the West emerges.

Genres: Islam, History, Religion, Nonfiction, Philosophy

188 pages, Paperback

Published July 6, 2019

Reviews

[Tariq · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not often that you come across a book that changes your worldview so drastically, but this was one of those books for me.

I'll start by saying that the Author ascribes himself to Sufism, while this is not something I myself ascribe to, it isn't difficult to see its influence on this book. Regardless, this isn't something that affects the message of the book or the overall method of proposing his argument.

I've read books in the past that touch upon the idea that perhaps the dominant Ideology/Culture of our age (Western Secular Liberalism) uses a standard for progress that might not be the best. We seem to collectively understand that for us to agree that society is progressing, we look at things such as individual liberty and technological advancement. These books however, argue that maybe we should take other factors more seriously too.

But what Ahmed Keeler remarkably says in this book is that perhaps the fundamental understanding that progression is the factor of success is wrong. He mentions instead that we should be living according to the principle of Balance, known in Arabic approximately as 'Mizaan'.

This equilibrium of balance implies that each facet of societal and communal existence I given its right. For example, Keeler mentions Science, Economics and Art.

For Science, when we strip it from its religious context and focus solely on the notion of progress, we see Nature as only a tool for us to exploit and extract every bit of benefit from without the least thought of conservation and harmony. There is little doubt that this is how we as a species have been treating the Earth in the last 200 years.

With regards to Economics, then once again if we were to remove Religion from the equation, then we end up with intense societal equality, overarched by financial systems which embed people in debt and general oppression. It isn’t hard to see that this too is where we find ourself in the world today.

Lastly we look at Art. Kepler focuses on the effects on Architecture mostly and how the buildings of today seem almost otherworldly when compared to the classical, undoubtedly beautiful architecture from the past. It’s not uncommon today for people to wonder in stunned disbelief as to why an Architect designed a modern building in a certain way, yet this isn’t the necessarily the case for traditional wonders and purposeful architecture. Again, Keeler argues, the reason for this drastic change is the focus of the gaze from the spiritual to the worldly.

All of these matters (and more) are linked back to the focus away from God and Religion and towards the individual, the balance (Mizan) has been discarded and our turning away from it has led to its imbalance.

Another interesting change of perspective is that of the ‘Islamic Golden Age’ that so many apologists refer to and have internalised. By this phrase, we paint a picture of the apex of Islamic Civilisation where the sciences progressed beyond any contemporaries and ancient knowledge was passed on to Christian Europe, sparking their own rebirth from their Dark Ages. However, this narrative has its own issues. It implies that the only ultimate use of Islam in hindsight was to provide sleeping Europe with the tools for them to wake up and lead the world. This again is due to the fact that our view of a positive society is based on the notion of scientific progress, but as Keeler has already taught us, If we shift our perspective to one where the Balance of things is maintained and not so much the scientific progress, then we start to see things with a lot more context. This also explains why so many today feel like the world is getting more dangerous and generally unstable despite the fact that we are at our technological peak.

All in all, this was a fantastic read that undoubtedly changed the way I view many things, this is what books are supposed to do, and the wisdom of Ahmed Keller is apparent in his work.

Highly recommended for anyone wishing to understand Islamic and Western Civilisation in a different light.

[адэм · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book. Rethinking Islam and the West is a short, yet dense read that is chock full of examples from history, literature, art, science, philosophy, and religion in order to contrast various concepts as approached by both Islamic and Western civilizations. The main focus and thesis argued by the author is his confrontation with the "modern fallacy", that being the idea that humanity has progressed from an unenlightened, dark past into the light of the modern age. Keeler is rather cynical of this myth of progress, tracing an outline of the West's degeneration from a God-centered worldview to one orbiting the shallow material realm. By analyzing sovereignty, civilization, knowledge, commerce, art & environment, and conquest & expansion, he convincingly shows the superiority of Islam's "mizan" approach, which holistically addressed these various concepts centered around God while remaining in compliance with the mereological principle. This reversing of narratives is best summed up in his conclusion, "whereas in the narrative of progress, the Western arc was one of ascension and the Islamic arc one of stagnation and decline, in the new narrative Islam maintained the balance whilst the West broke it, descending ever more rapidly into the realm of materiality" (pg 179). One aspect I appreciated was Keeler spinning the most obvious proof for progress on its head, that being scientific advancement, by addressing the various catastrophes spawned as a direct result of these innovations. Though if there is one thing I wish this book would've done for convenience is include a bibliography or further readings section at the end. This would've save me quite a few sticky tabs when noting down the countless examples and allusions for future research. Otherwise, a great introduction into the "Islam & West" genre that avoids apologetic perennialism, fantasization, or sensationalist Orientalist tropes hoorahing the West.

[Helen Kellerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this but it will be a book I revisit again. Very insightful and interesting. I’d recommend this book to anyone that wants to understand Islam and historical facts.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot believe I took so long to finish this. I have to reclaim back the days where I would give a book the completion it deserves.
This book is tiny but mighty and I’m almost glad I took so long because I think I’ve had a chance to savour the good parts.
For a book that describes the awful state the world is in, it has been written with a lot of elegance of what the world used to be like with religion and Islam and what it’s like now. And despite how fractured our communities have become by the West, despite Islam being given an awful reputation it remains an eternal and timeless way of life, continuing to inspire those finding their way back to the truth.
I personally love how I’ve been opened up to numerous periods of history - I’ve now entered a rabbit hole of an endless TBR history pile.

[Norziati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pembenturan antara Islam dan Barat kerap menjadi isu yang dibicarakan, sering mendapat tumpuan dan usaha penyatuan selalu diutarakan namun sukar sekali, atau mungkin juga mustahil, untuk menjalin kesefahaman, meskipun secara dasarnya mana-mana agama pasti menegaskan kebaikan dan keamanan sebagai teras utama ajarannya.

Penulis melihat ketegangan yang berlaku antara Islam dan Barat dalam enam sudut utama, iaitu kedaulatan, peradaban, keilmuan, perdagangan, senibina & kesenian dan pelayaran/pengembaraan, dan membandingkan perbezaan antara keduanya.

[Asmita · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC

[Nçir Acrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Keeler has proven that he belongs to same class of converts as Martin Lings and Gae Eaton.

I see this book as a successor of Sir Iqbal’s magnum Opus: The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, and Gae Eaton’s Islam and the destiny of man.

The book contains stark contrast between the blessed Sunnah and monoculture. The book emphasises key themes of balance, importance of sacred sciences, and how Islam is like water ( it is colourless but gives life to pre-existing good that may already exist in a land). A point highlighted by Dr Umar Abdullah in his work ‘Islam & Cultural Imperative’.

Keeler also educates readers on the origins of secular phenomena and subsequently it’s perils.

At times I felt the book depicted Islamic history with rose tints and at times I felt it went off course.

Pros: Well written (author has great command), very succinct, historical treasure trove, great principles highlighted. Very clear as to what the intended goal ought to be.

Cons: Islamic history presented with rose tints, lacks real connection with present day language culture, requires tons of background know how to comprehend, at times too much details given about a certain event.

Not recommended for beginners

[Noor Saadeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend. Scholarly but easily accessible. Short small book that contains a vast amount of reflection and conclusion summarizing the Eastern and Western civilization, Christianity and Islam in a thought provoking manner I've not found elsewhere. The benefits of decades of thought and study, evaluation from a scholarly and historical background. For a short preview see podcasts featuring the author on Blogging Theology and Thinking Muslim. Both these are excellent for those who want a bigger picture and escape from sound bytes and sensationalism. Excellent guests and hosts as the titles imply.

[Dženan Mušanović · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obzirom da sam ovu knjigu preveo i u toku rada na njoj, pripreme i korekture, pročitao je još četiri puta, mišljenja sam da bi svako ovu knjigu uvijek trebao imati uz sebe, u torbi, ruksaku, jer je naprosto suma mnogih naših znanja o islamu, Zapadu, civilizacijama, dostignućima i sve to motri iz perspektive mizana (ravnoteže).

Moj tekst (kolumnu) potaknutu ovom knjigom možete čitati na:

U potrazi za izgubljenim balansom

[Aliyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

So simply put that his arguments seem common sense. I didn’t realise how much I’ve learnt from this book until I realised I’ve quoted it multiple times at uni and in general convo.

The importance of Mizaan (balance) encapsulated by the Mereological principle is integral to understanding Islamic society and goals versus the Western desire for continual growth at the expense of well anything else.

[Narmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.7 stars