A World Without Islam

by Graham E. Fuller

What if Islam never existed? To some, it's a comforting no clash of civilizations, no holy wars, no terrorists.

But what if that weren't the case at all? In A WORLD WITHOUT ISLAM, Graham E. Fuller guides us along an illuminating journey through history, geopolitics, and religion to investigate whether or not Islam is indeed the cause of some of today's most emotional and important international crises. Fuller takes us from the birth of Islam to the fall of Rome to the rise and collapse of the Ottoman Empire. He examines and analyzes the roots of terrorism, the conflict in Israel, and the role of Islam in supporting and energizing the anti-imperial struggle. Provocatively, he finds that contrary to the claims of many politicians, thinkers, theologians, and soldiers, a world without Islam might not look vastly different from what we know today.

Filled with fascinating details and counterintuitive conclusions, A WORLD WITHOUT ISLAM is certain to inspire debate and reshape the way we think about Islam's relationship with the West.

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

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Graham Fuller is an author and a political analyst. He has worked for the United States Central Intelligence Agency, the National Intelligence Council, and Rand Corporation.

Reviews

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who already has a general understanding of Islam, and a passion and fondness for this faith, it is so refreshing to see someone try to put things back into perspective, especially given the fact that so many are so ill-informed about Islam and what it teaches. With so many focusing on Islam as "the enemy" merely because they don't know or understand anything more than what their preachers or newscasters have told them, its so important for someone to be the voice that nudges us out of our dazed and deluded states and brings things back into focus – Graham Fuller is that voice.

Despite whether one agrees with his hypothesis that things would have happened along the same lines without the existence of Islam (something I do believe he does well to support), one must admit how important it is that someone show us the other side of this “war with Islam” and bring us back to realizing the things that have roused the people of the Middle East into feeling and acting the way they do.

Most people don't even try to understand what breeds extremism. Do we not think that we have any responsibility in the condition of the extremism we see? This extremism isn't something that is purely religious. It is geopolitical frustrations being acted out in the name of religion, in reaction to many perceived injustices, which the author does well to show.

We need to try to understand and get to the root of the problem. As he says, determining the motivation helps us to find the solution. Until we acknowledge that they have legitimate grievances our relationship with them will never improve. Extremism is bred out of extreme circumstances. It comes from intense pressure. It doesn't just decide to pop up on its own. And its not a reflection of Islam as a whole, nor even is it the true face of Islam. So we need to acknowledging that these groups do not represent the entirety of Muslims, and work to understand why they feel so much animosity, what has driven them to this point. Just because the way they choose to express themselves isn't one we find very appropriate doesn't mean they don't have legitimate issues that need to be addressed, and the author goes well into those issues.

He does well to show us our need to understand that religion is just one ideology that is abused and used for the benefit and advancements of other causes. He shows religion not as cause of the issues/problems we see, but as a vehicle for those issues - issues that originate from other sources - and shows how the faith of Islam is being used and abused to advance these causes in spite of the actual teachings and tenants of the religion.

This shows the problems are not Islam and would exist even without Islam there to commandeer, because these issues would still exist, since the frictions and tensions we see throughout history and today have far more to do with political/geopolitical, societal, economic (etc), issues than theological ones. In a time when people want to blame all the problems on a religion they don't understand is important for someone to remind us of that. Just because these extremists use the system of ideals that is Islam for their own means in a way that completely ignores some of the major principles of the Islamic faith does not mean that Islam itself is the problem. Instead it is merely the backdrop/vehicle these geopolitical, social (etc) issues were able to erupt through, and they would have erupted even without the arrival or existence of Islam.

We need to take a step back and try to identify the real motivation, the real source of the problem, in order to understand how to handle the situation and to find a solution, rather than continue to be sucked into mere perpetuation. We need to realize our way of handling the situation isn't going to work because its not really handling said situation as long as we refuse to see the underlying issues and insist on “Islamicizing” the problem. The bridge can only come from understanding each other and our issues, their history, and effect, and we're the ones who need to take that step – as well as other steps he offers in the text.

I have to add, as I conclude, that all the facts presented within his book line up with all the other sources I've read. I didn't find one fact or historical claim made that I hadn't seen elsewhere, in other sources I hold to be credible, so I don't doubt the author's own credibility, and would recommend this to anyone who thinks they have an understanding of Islam or the “war on terror”(or anyone who wants to). It really is a must read, indeed, it is a book I'm going to refer others to often, I'm sure. :)

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is utterly fascinating and eye-opening. A general understanding of the basic precepts of Islam probably helps to enjoy it, but even those who begin with little knowledge of Islam will finish the book with fewer prejudices and a greater appreciation for the cultural and historical significance of Islam. Definitely recommended.

I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads program.

[Santo · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Islam didn’t exist, would there still be conflict between the West and “another”…? This is the central theme that runs through this excellent, easy-to-read book. Today, when Islam and Muslims have become scapegoats for every problem imaginable in the world, Fuller argues that conflict is purely about religion; it’s usually about land, natural resources, national egos, spheres of influence, and balances of power. Religion is used by people to fan the flames of conflict and hatred to catastrophic levels.

Through a careful study of the history of relations between Christianity, Islam, and their peoples as far as the Crusades, Fuller answers the question by demonstrating that the potential for conflict has always existed, even without Islam. Unlike what many would like us to believe, the history of modern-day international relations did not begin on 9/11.

This book is a must for those who want to understand the bigger picture in today’s West vs. Islam debate. Many times, it’s too easy to fall into one camp or another; to defend the West for their supposed altruistic values, or to defend Islam as the religion under fire. Fall, and you will end up like those supporting or even acting like Breivik or Ben Laden.

Fuller’s account of Islam’s role in shaping civilization goes to prove the point that Islam didn’t just come out of the Arabic dessert in the last few decades to challenge the West. This is the picture that certain western neo-conservatives like to paint; one which attempts to portray Islam as a barbaric religion completely unattached to Christianity, thus making the Muslims easier targets as “the other”.

My favorite part of the book is Fuller’s analysis of the Crusades of the 11th, 12th, and 13th Centuries. We often oversimplify the Crusades as the ultimate conflict between Christianity and Islam. Fuller points out interestingly that Muslims at the time didn’t see this as a war between religions, but as a continuation of the rivalry between the West and the East, which had earlier existed in the form of the Latin Romans (Rome) vs. the Greek Romans (Byzantine).

I was also intrigued by Fuller’s explanation of the West-Soviets rivalry as a continuation of the one between Rome and Byzantine (as represented by the Orthodox Catholic church in Slavic Europe). During the Cold War, the West-Soviet friction was THE rivalry, THE conflict. It pitted two different ideologies in the fight for spheres of influence, land, natural resources, and balance of power. It almost sank the world to complete annihilation. And it evolved with the Islamic world simply watching from the sides.

We Indonesians know very well that conflict between Muslims and non-Muslims are seldom truly about religion. It’s usually about political influence; differences among tribes, among tribe leaders, and separatist/secessionist tendencies against the unitary state of Indonesia. When a side shouts “Allahu Akbar”, it doesn’t necessarily mean that a conflict is religious-based. Religion is merely the vehicle, and not the end.

To those who identify themselves as an educated pluralist and “moderate” (regardless if you’re a Muslim, Christian, or atheist), Fuller’s line of argument is nothing new. Even then, it’s always good to have analysis and views supporting our perspective. In a time when people are often easily pushed to extremes, and when schisms are nurtured by ignorance, we must become part of the empowered moderates. And to be empowered means to nourish one self with be knowledge, including about history, the world, and its people.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A World Without Islam" is an eye-opener. It taught me to view the Muslim world from a different perspective. I, for one, was guilty with the "why are Muslims violent nowadays compared to the Christians" mentality. This book helped me dismiss that question as nonsense. It instead explained to me that Muslims are looked at and projected to the world unfairly by the West. Policies by the West are partly to blame for what the Muslims are facing right now, so they should share the responsibility of helping them have a peaceful life. May the West stop pointing fingers at them, and may they stop naming Islam as the "root of the problem."

In short, a world without Islam is no different from the world we have now. Religion is not always the cause of current conflicts; in fact, it's merely invoked by some with vested interest to gain support, to "add fuel to the fire."

[أشرف فقيه]

في ديسمبر ٢٠٠٧، نشر الباحث والاستخباراتي الأميركي د. گراهام فولر مقالة بمجلة (فورين بوليسي) تحت عنوان: (عالم بلا إسلام) ما لبثت أن تحولت لكتاب. وقد كتب الدكتور حمزة المزيني عنها في حينه. وأعيد أنا تناولها هنا على ضوء مقالتي الأخيرة.

أن يكون الإسلام بريئاً من دم ضحايا الإرهاب فهذه نظرية نفهمها أنا وأنت. الإرهابي ليس ممثلاً للقيم الإسلامية الحقيقية، إنه إنسان يحمل مفهوماً خاطئاً لها. هكذا اتفقنا بعد مداولات ونقاشات. لكن (گراهام فولر) يخطو خطوة أبعد حين يقرر بأن هذا الإرهابي الذي يحارب الغرب الإمبريالي ويفجر طائراته لم يكن بحاجة لقراءة خاطئة لنصوص القرآن والسنّة.. هو كان سيمارس “إرهابه” بقرآن أو بدونه. الإسلام بالنسبة لـ (فولر) ليس سوى طارئ آخر على المشهد المعقد أساساً منذ آلاف السنين.. المعقد بالقوميات والأعراق والثقافات، وبالغزوات والامبراطوريات المارّة والمقيمة، وبالمواقع الاستراتيجية والثروات الكامنة أيضاً التي سال لها لعاب كل القوى الكبرى على مدار التاريخ. أضف الدين للمعادلة –وهو كذلك منذ ٣٠٠٠ سنة- فتتضح لك رؤية (فولر) لمنطقة كُتب عليها أن تكون بؤرة للنزاع وأحلام السيطرة.

تتمة المقالة.. http://www.alfagih.net/site/?p=6474

[Aziz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bacaan hebat yang membawa wacana Islamphobia (dan juga anti-Amerika) yang selalu tersasar perbicaraannya kembali ke landasan yang lebih waras. Dengan mencadangkan hipotesis kepada pembaca (tentunya lebih kepada pembaca barat) akan sebuah dunia tanpa Islam, Fuller membawa pembaca menelusuri sejarah, geopolitik dan agama hingga pada akhirnya memaksa pembaca berfikir, apakah dunia hari ini akan berbeza jika Islam tidak pernah wujud.

Buku ini pada dasarnya ialah satu refleksi pemikiran seorang pemikir Amerika, yang juga bekas timbalan pengerusi National Intelligence Council di CIA, terhadap dasar-dasar Amerika Syarikat terhadap dunia Islam terutama dunia Arab dan Timur Tengah yang membawa kepada kewujudan keganasan global dan peristiwa 9/11.

Dengan jelas Fuller membawa pembaca menelusuri sejarah perhubungan Timur-Barat sejak zaman sebelum Islam (Byzantine - Rom), zaman kebangkitan Islam, perang salib, reformasi agama di barat, penjajahan barat sehinggalah kewujudan Amerika Syarikat sebagai kuasa besar dunia hari ini. Sepanjang perjalanan itu Fuller menghujahkan bahawa setiap konflik yang berlaku di antara Islam-Barat bukanlah produk agama semata-mata. Bagi beliau yang lebih mendominasi setiap konflik Timur-Barat (dibaca Islam-Barat) itu adalah lebih kepada pertembungan pengaruh, kuasa, ekonomi, geopolitik dan sebagainya.

Beliau juga mencadangkan penyelesaian yang lebih rasional terhadap masalah keganasan yang menghantui dunia hari ini dengan menyarankan Amerika (dan barat) melihat perkara keganasan ini melangkaui tembok agama sebaliknya memahami realiti yang berlaku adalah produk daripada sebab-akibat sejarah, politik dan kuasa.

Buku yang sangat sesuai dibaca bagi meluaskan horizon pemikiran kita tentang sejarah hubungan timur-Barat dan memahami pemikiran alternatif dunia barat terhadap konflik yang melanda dunia Islam hari ini.

[Vivek V · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for all who unknowingly link terrorism to Islam. The book explains the reasons behind growing unrest across the globe with the help of facts. Great job done by Fuller.

[Donald Insomnian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sebuah buku yang ditulis oleh Pengamat Politik yang juga mantan Anggota CIA ini sangat menarik dan wajib dibaca semua kalangan dan bisa membuka pemikiran secara jernih dalam memandang Islam dengan tidak mencampuradukkan dan mengidentikkan dengan Terorisme seperti yang diklaim pihak Barat saat ini (lebih tepatnya oleh kaum Anti Islam aka. Islam Phobia).

Graham E. Fuller ingin menggambarkan bahwa dalam setiap periode kehidupan, pasti terjadi konflik yang bersifat global seperti halnya AS dengan Islam Phobianya saat ini, dengan menceritakan sejarah dunia dari wilayah Timur - Barat, yang dimulai sejak zaman Pra Islam (Romawi), diikuti masa Kebangkitan Islam, disusul adanya Perang Salib, kemudian Reformasi Agama di Barat hingga Kolonialisme dan Imperialisme Modern yang dilakukan Kaum Barat dan berhasil menjadikan AS sebagai Polisi Dunia seperti saat ini.

Buku ini berhasil membawa pembacanya untuk memahami esensi yang dikandungnya. Penulis berbicara Islam dalam buku ini bukan dalam pembahasan segi Agama, namun justru ingin mengajak pembaca untuk memahami ada kesalah-pahaman besar yang terjadi di dunia dengan mensejajarkan Islam dengan Terorisme.

Hal yang paling mendasar adalah adanya kesimpulan bahwa Islam TIDAK BERSALAH dan TIDAK TERKAIT dan atas darah para korban yang ditimbulkan oleh Terorisme (khususnya Tragedi 9/11).

Para Teroris tersebut tidaklah mewakili Agama Islam karena TIDAK MEMAHAMI Nilai-nilai Islam dengan benar. Mereka hanyalah orang-orang yang berlindung dibalik Agama demi Tujuan Pribadi dengan memahami Konsep Islam secara SALAH.

Sesungguhnya konflik yang terjadi antara Islam dan Barat saat ini murni adalah perebutan Kekuasaan atas Ekonomi, Sumber Minyak dan Hegemoni Suatu negara terhadap negara lain.

~insomnian~

[Ikmal Fitri (iikmalreads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well my childish otak ingatkan buku ni pasal kalau islam takde, algebra pun takda. Matematik tak berkembang, teknologi tak berkembang. Tapi buku ni mostly fokus terhadap terrorism dan juga hal0hal politik. Aku okay je la, sebab aku suka jugak benda-benda macam ni.

Buku ni bincang bagaimana kalau Islam takda, adakah peperangan masih akan berlaku, adakah krisis agam masih berlaku, adakah krisis antara dunia Barat dan dunia Arab masih berlaku? Benda-benda ni dihuraikan oleh penulis.

Penulis siap bukak balik sejarah-sejarah lama untuk justify benda ni. So kalau nak otak berilmu, boleh la baca buku ni.

English dia agak tinggi, so kalau hgpa budak muet band 3 macam aku, google translate kena jadi peneman kita.

Disebabkan English yg susah, jadi pengalaman membaca jadi kurang menyeronokkan. Well bukan salah penulis, tetapi salah kelemahan diri sendiri.

Apapun, aku suka buku ni. Tetiba jadi budak pandai lepas baca.

[Blu · Rating 2 out of 5]

At times it’s a challenge to distinguish whether an account of history is factual, contextualized accurately and at a very basic level, genuine, or in contrast imbued either subtly or manifestly with a degree of partiality. I sense that in the case of ‘A World Without Islam’ there is a penchant for the latter.

According to the author, the entire essence of Western Civilization is the root cause for all of the unrest and suffering we see in the Middle East, today (and throughout history), a direct result of strategic geopolitical interests, nationalistic intolerance, colonialism, imperialism, neo-imperialism, and interventionism; it has nothing (or very little) to do with the religion itself. By no means can we dismiss any of these themes as minor or in any way inconsequential, but to not take into account the part that religion has to contribute seems completely unreasonable, especially when the exact opposite argument is used to repeatedly denigrate the other major world religions throughout the book.

Using the author’s own word, he seems to have written an “apologia” of sorts, citing portions of history that certainly fit the narrative of his argument, but at the same time omitting large swaths of events that could have served to better balance the narrative and provide further legitimization to his case. As a result, the account seems a little disproportionate and at times even lopsided.

As to the title of the book, and what I believe was its main objective - to posit what life would be like without Islam – I believe he missed the mark. From what I was able to discern, there was no tangible alternate circumstance provided; rather each chapter essentially culminated in a question to the reader to the effect of (paraphrasing), “…without Islam, would it have been any different?”. This was the main reason I was interested in reading this title – to indulge in an alternative reality based on someone’s vast experience of having lived in, and studied the region for nearly 20 years.

To that end I was unfortunately left feeling a little unsatiated. I did however feel that it deserved two stars due to the historical information the author provided and his talented use of prose.

[Roswitha Muntiyarso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually this book doesn't really meet my expectation in explaining a world without Islam. It's maybe because I am a Muslim and found this book explain nothing to me but the historical view of Islam and Abrahamic faiths and current condition of Islam and other religion. Yes indeed I learn much about history of Islam in China, Russia, Western Europe and India in this book. Therefore reading this book still gives me something new about my understanding about Islam around the world.

This book would be really recommended for people who doesn't know much about Islam. This book gives a clear explanation about the relationship between terrorism and religion, especially Islam, which of course lead to no strand that link both of them. Terrorism simply happens because of the fear, revenge, envy and a desire to protect self and people with same identity and ideology. All those feelings are naturally occur in human heart despite of their religion. Even if Islam doesn't exist there will be another religion to become a scapegoat for terrorism.

Inside the book, there are few chapters that explains about anarchism and violence that linked to some Islamic community in the regions of India, Russia and China. The author views that all the coercion happened not solely based on the religion different. Most of those incidents were happened due to nonacceptance of majority group to minority group, different political views and ethnic discrimination. Just because they also have identity as Muslim, we cannot just that the incident happens due to a failure in Islamic doctrine. Each people has different identity inside himself which consist of tribe, religion, nationalism, profession and so on. So, it doesn't seem right to judge some people based only from an identity inside himself that sometimes has no link with the problem itself.

In the last part of the book the author also wrote that the incident 9/11 can be seen as a reflection of US foreign policy to other country (I think because this book was meant for US citizen at the first place). US saw the tragedy 9/11 as an attack to a very kind and powerful country while other may think the other way around. The US policy which a lot of time oppress other country might be the leading cause of it despite whoever the suspect is. Revenge might be aroused and fight back can happen many times. And again it is not because of the Islam doctrine that teach the people about terrorism. It is just how people behave during war and destruction of others property, revenge and hatred, which will naturally emerge in a heart of every single imperfect human no matter what religion they believe.

[Abdul · Rating 5 out of 5]

عنوان كتاب صادم باسم "عالم بلا إسلام"، لكن يبدو أن الكتاب قد لا يظهر من العنوان أحيانا. مؤلف الكتاب هو البرفيسور قراهام فولر: خبير استخباراتي و محلل سياسي محنك عمل لأكثر من عشرين سنة في الدول العربية والإسلامية و تقلد مناصب رفيعة قريبة من صناع القرار مثل منصبه كنائب رئيس مجلس الاستخبارات الأمريكية. طبع الكتاب في عام 2010 و يقع في 336صفحة.

في مقدمة الكتاب، يتساءل البرفيسور كيف كان سيكون شكل العالم و علاقاته الشرقية والغربية لو لم يظهر الرسول محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم (كما يسميه المؤلف). هل كان العالم ليكون مكانا أفضل؟ و هل كانت الحروب المستعرة لتختفي؟ هل كان سيسود السلام والعدل؟ هل كانت صفحات تاريخ إنسانيتنا لتكون انصع بياضا لو اختفت من على خارطة أحداثها فظائع الاستعمار والغزو الصليبي؟ إجابة البرفيسور سهلة و واضحة جدا:
لو لم يظهر الدين الإسلامي لفقدنا مقومات ثقافية و تاريخية و علمية و اجتماعية و أدبية هائلة. لكن الحروب و الاختلافات بين العالم الغربي والشرقي كانت لتبقى كما هي تحت عناوين أخرى حيث أن الإسلام لم يلعب أي دور حقيقي في تنشئة هذه الحروب الظالمة.

تتجلى حنكة المؤلف و خبرته الرائعة كمحلل سياسي عندما يطرح لنا في مقدمة الكتاب كيف توصل لهذه الفكرة: عن طريق تطبيق نظريات الاستخبارات العسكرية المتبعة اليوم على أحداث التاريخ. يقول البرفيسور بأن المحللين السياسيين والعسكريين يتبعوا نظم تحليل و نظريات سياسية كل يوم ليتنبؤوا بالأحداث المستقبلية، و ما القرارات التي ينبغي لهم أن يتخذوها اليوم بناء على تصور الغد. مثلا: إذا ما صادفت حكومة ما عملية انقلابية، فأي موقف ينبغي على الولايات المتحدة أن تنحاز له في خطابها أو دعمها؟ تفقد المحللين في الولايات المتحدة لأدوات التحليل السياسي والاقتصادي ينبأهم بما هي احتملات انهيار الحكومات أو بقاء المعارضة، وبالتالي ما ينبغي أن يكون موقف المحللين مستقبلا بناء على معطيات اللحظة الحالية. إذا، ماذا تخبرنا هذه الأدوات التحليلية عن طبيعة العلاقات الشرقية بالغربية لو لم يظهر النبي محمد بالدين الجديد قبل أكثر من أربعة عشر قرنا؟ و كيف كانت سستعامل القوى الرومانية والكنسية مع المجتمع الشرقي؟

هنا يقدم لنا البرفيسور إعادة للأحداث والمعطيات التاريخية قبل ظهور النبي محمد(صلى الله عليه وسلم) لتتجلى أسباب نشأة الصراع. يظهر المؤلف مقدرة رائعة على تلخيص أحداث تاريخية كبرى و إلمام كبير بتاريخ و معتقدات المنطقة. و المنطق البديهي الذي يقدمه أكثر من واضح. أول تجليات هذه الأحداث التاريخية تخبر بوضوح أن الحروب بين الشرق والغرب سبقت الرسالة المحمدية بمئات السنين عندما غزى الروم الشرق و احتلوا منطقة الشرق الأوسط. إذا فالمعركة أطول عمرا من زمن الرسالة المحمدية، ولذا لم يكن الدين الإسلامي سببا لهذه الحروب. أضف على ذلك طبيعة الصراع بين الكنيسة الأورثودكسية الشرقية والكاثولوكية الغربية قبل ظهور الإسلام. كانت الكنيسة الأورثوذكسية في مصر و أثيبويا و فلسطين و سوريا و غيرها من دول المنطقة في صراع مستمر مع القوى الرومانية قبل الإسلام. بل أكثر من ذلك ، كان هناك العديد من الكنيسة الأورثودكسية يؤمنون بالنظرة الإسلامية للمسيح كبشر مرسل من الرب. تذكروا كلام أبرهة حاكم الحبشة عندما ذهب المسلمون إليه في الهجرة الأولى ، و كيف وافق على الوصف الإسلامي للمسيح. الجزء الذي يتناساه علماء العرب عادة هو النصف الآخر من هذه العلاقة والتي تخبرنا بوضوح أن الرسول صلى صلاة الغائب على النجاشي مثبتا صحة إيمانه و إن كان لم يركع لله ركعة وفق الدين الإسلامي. العلاقة بين الإسلام و الأورثوذكسية إذا هي علاقة تكامل واستمرار لمعتقدات تنافي الاحتلال الروماني باسم البابوية الكاثولوكية.

تنهمر الأدلة من المؤلف على طبيعة هذه العلاقة التكاملية بين الإسلام والأورثودكسية في أحداث تاريخية معلومة لأبناء المنطقة المسلمين العرب لكن بوجهة نظر تشمل طبيعة المشاركة بين هذين الدينين بدلا من الصراع. على سبيل المثال، حدث تسليم بيت المقدس من قبل أهل البلد الأورثوذكس لسيدنا عمر رضي الله عنه. هنا تظهر قدرة الكاتب على النقد السياسي والعسكري: أهل البلد المقدس هم من الأورثودكس الذين عانوا من وطأة الاحتلال الكاثوليكي بضرائبه المرتفعه و تدنيسه لكنيسة القيامة و تحويلها إلى مزبلة كبرى. عندما ظهرت الجيوش الإسلامية في المنطقة، قام أهل البلد المقدس بطرد الاحتلال الروماني، وسلموا مفايتح البلد لسيدنا عمر بن الخطاب. و لم يكن سيدنا عمر بأقل كرما منهم عندما قام بتنظيف كنيسة القيامة بنفسه من الأوساخ و عندما تعهد لهم بأن لا يؤذوا في دينهم، وأن لا يكسر لهم صليب، و أن لا تهدم لهم كنيسة.

استمرت هذه العلاقة التكاملية منذ ذلك العهد بقصص معروفة و إن كانت ربما تدلس من قبل من يحرص على ت��كية النعرات الدينية من كل الأطراف المعنية والمتصارعة على السلطة. يقدم المؤلف العديد من الأدلة الواضحة والدامغة و يدرج خطبة البابا عندما أعلن الحرب الصليبية على "الأتراك" بدلا من المسلمين. هنا أعلن البابا حربا دينية على ولاية بدلا من دين معلنا عن خصمه و هدفه الدنيوي بل والعنصري. أدلة أخرى كذلك على طبيعة العلاقات بين الأورثودكس والمسلمين المتلاحمة هو كون أكثر من نصف قوات الكنيسة الكاثولوكية قد وقعوا صرعى أثناء مرورهم عبر القسطنطينية الأورثودكسية في حروب داخلية بينهم. علاوة على ذلك، قامت القوات الصليبية المعتدية بقتل كل أهل القرى و المدن التي أحتلوها، و لم يفرقوا بين مسلم ولا نصراني. في نفس الوقت: قام أهل تلك المناطق المسلمين والنصارى بالمدافعة عن مدنهم كتفا بكتف. إذا فالصراع بين الكنيسة الشرقية والغربية كانت حاضرة في زمن تلك الحروب، بل ولا زالت هذه المعركة مستمرة بين الكنيستين المتمثلة اليوم بروسيا الأورثودكسية و العالم الغربي.

يستمر المؤلف بتناول الأحداث و عرضها من وجهة نظر مبادئ العلاقات السياسية والاقتصادية.و لا يغفل أن يذكر القارئ أن الإسلام يختلف اختلافا جوهريا عن الكنيسة حيث أن رجال الدين في الإسلام (باستثناء النظام الإيراني الحالي) يتبعوا السلطة السياسية. الإسلام لم يقم يوما بما قام به رجال الدين المسيحي من قيادة حروب الدول و تنظيم شؤون عروش أوربا. إذا ، يمكننا القول بدون تحيز أن الإسلام كدين لم يتسبب بإقامة الحروب كما قامت المسيحية بذلك. يزيد الكاتب بأن يقول أن الإسلام أبرأ و أعف طرف سياسي في إقامة الحروب مقارنة مع باقي الإيديولوجيات العلمانية الحديثة كذلك. الإسلام لم يقدم أسماء مشاركة في تسعير الحرب العالمية والأولى أو الثانية، ولكن في المقابل الأسماء الليبرالية و الكنسية بل والملحدة في الغرب تسببت في مجازر دموية كبرى. لا يستطيع المرء سرد اسم قيادة إسلامية ساهمت في إذكاء هذه إحدى هذه الحروب، لكنه سيتذكر أسماء على غرار ستالين، موسوليني، ماو، هتلر، لينين، ناجازاكي و هيروشيما، راوندا و غيرها. في خضم كل هذه الأسماء والسير والأحداث، تبقى ساحة الإسلام السياسي ناصعة البياض تماما بعيدة كل البعد على التلطخ بدماء الأمم.

رغم أن رسالة الكاتب موجهة إلى صناع القرار في الإدارة الأمريكية ، إلا أن الكتاب من وجهة نظري لا غنى عنه للمثقف العربي والمسلم ليفهم طبيعة ما يسمى بالحرب على الإسلام . النظر إلى الحروب والمعارك الدنيوية من وجهة نظر عقائدية هو عدم إدراك لمسار هذه المعارك الطاحنة، و بالتالي خسارة مؤكدة لعدم معرفة طريقة التعامل مع الآخر. ذلك الآخر المتلون والمتدبل الذي يحارب روسيا بمساعدة القوى الجهادية ، ثم يعلن الحرب عليها. عدم إدراك الصراع على حقيقته يرمي أبناء المنطقة في حروب بين أنفسهم كذلك. مثال من أفغانستان التي حاربت تحت مسميات عقدية ضد الاحتلال الروسي، أفضى بها الانتصار إلى أن تعاني ويلات حروب داخلية لم تنته حتى بعد أن بدأت حربها مع أمريكا. ظل المجاهدون في أفغانستان يحاربوا القوى الكفرية متثملة في روسيا و المذهبية الإسلامية والأمريكان!. عدم إدراك الأهداف الحقيقية للصراع جرت البلد إلى ويلات لا نهاية لها حتى لحظة كتابة هذه السطور. لن يستطيع العرب أو المسلمون أن يحلوا مشاكلهم قبل أن يعرفوا منشأ هذه المشاكل، و التشخيص الصحيح دوما و أبدا هو أهم خطوة نحو علاج بدن الأمة المصاب.

[Azrul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting read about if there is no Islam to begin with, will the conflict between the West and Middle East cease to exist? Simple answer, no.

In this book, the author discuss the conflict in depth, its historical aspect and what is it that actually causes and affects the conflict. One of the main argument of the book is that Islam is only a vehicle for the conflict to ride on, not really the actual cause. Even without Islam, other notion, such as nationalism, can be the vehicle for the conflict to continue on.

I'm not used to reading non-fiction, soi found the early parts a bit dry. But it becomes better in the later part. The author especially makes reading history much more fun than lol. So here to many more non-fiction books.

[Puty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read that many of geopolitics book, but for me this one is very objective, systematic, yet straight to the point. It talks not only about Islam but also how religion from time to time has always been related to politics and power without being actually about theology. This book actually talks about human and society. A very good one, even the parts about history are not too long. Might be even better if you have basic understanding about sharia, Islam history & general history knowledge.

[Nuruddin Azri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book in answering whether the religion causes conflict in the world or the geopolitics itself.

The book is divided into three parts starting with the religion in history followed by how Islam interacts with certain countries (in this case, Fuller takes Russia, India and China for his study case) and the last part which is the crucial one is when Fuller explains the relationship between the colonialism, war and US foreign policy with Islam and which one starts the conflict in the world.

Overall, most of the analysis are not contradict with the Islamic teachings (such as what John Esposito's book, The Future of Islam) though I dislike some words used such 'Jadidists' when Fuller talks about the Revival of the Religion.

Knowing historical background of world's religions, politics, cultures and certain stands of scholars will lighten the reading process as Fuller takes some quotations from certain authoritative scholars such as Tariq Ramadan, Bernard Lewis, Jared Diamond, al-Qaradhawi and Anwar Ibrahim.

Fuller relates the topics in each chapter brilliantly and asks an interesting question, "Does the conflicts in the world will still happen if Islam absent?" and the history tells a lot about this such as how Nazism, fascism, two world wars and communism which still occur though they are unrelated to religion.

The last special part in this book which must be contemplated by muslims and US foreign policy maker is the solutions that Fuller suggests to end the confrontation between the Muslim world and US.

[Baljit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fuller offer great insight into a troubling issue of the 'West vs Islam'. He explores the history and theology of Christianity, Judaism and Islam and the evolution of Christianity in Europe; leadership of the Catholic church within the Roman Empire and the foundation of Eastern Orthodoxy, and subsequent Prostestant movement. In doing so, Fuller draws parrelels between history and present day events, and parrells between the religions of the book.

The main point here is Islam is seen as the source of many political problems, but would these problems cease to exist if Islam never existed? I will leave you to read for yourself, but the following quotes impressed me:

'Religion will always be invoked wherever it can to glavanise the public to justify major campaigns, battles and wars, esp in monotheistic cultures. But the causes, campaigns, battles and wars are not about religion. take away the religion and there are still causes, campaigns, battles and wars.'

'First oppression is made into an excuse for terrorism, and then terrorism is made into an excuse for oppression. The first is the excuse of the far left: the second is the excuse of the neoconservative right'

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has come to me through the First Reads program -- and I will be moving it to the top of my TBR pile. Look for a review here soon.

A very readable book, in fact the only reason it has taken me as long as it has to read it is that is has a lot of thoughts/ideas I needed to digest.

I think I can sum up what this book has to say with a quote from the end of the book:

"It is not a new revelation to note that power and any ideology tend to corrupt each other. If there was no Islam, there would certainly be other religions around playing similar roles under similar conditions. With no religions at all, we would still readily find or create other ideologies to justify the same acts. Thus, a world without Islam does not markedly change the nature of things."

Mr. Fuller brings up so many good points, I can't possibly put them all here -- some of them are in my status updates if anyone cares to check those out.

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, and actually I plan to do just that.

[Faiz • فائز · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading a few books related to decline of Islam (or Muslim civilisation), and this book appeared in the list. As the title suggests—the whole conclusion of this book is quite straightforward: war, or any conflicts would still occur, even if Islam had never existed because religion is not the cause, although it is still considered as the driving factor.

The long arc of conflicts, until nowadays, revolving around between the West and Islam. The clashing of these two blocs are frequently framed as religion-based, but Fuller proves otherwise. His analysis is detailed and unbiased, I would say, which makes this book worth reading.

I don't want to turn this short review to a overextended one, but believe me, this is a must-read book (although I'm quite convinced the author shouldn't place the “terrorism” and “jihad” into the same discussion, particularly at the end of the book… as readers might draw the wrong conclusion).

[1.1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another one won through this site's awesome giveaway system (well, it's awesome when you manage to win the draw), so thanks to goodreads, where thanks are due.

While this book doesn't say anything radically new, and isn't really a thought experiment about what the world would be like if Islam didn't exist, I still found it deeply interesting because of its unbiased look at religion as a state tool and the origin of east-west tension, which Fuller often attributes to geopolitical issues; the author in fact denounces any perspective of the current situation as being Islamic, but similarly he does not allow the idea that Islam exists in a vacuum away from socio-political tension.

Ultimately, in this book, I got more than I expected. Fuller really investigates historical antecedents to the current tension and posits the meaningful conclusion that global events were never really primarily theological, but that religion was often a handy tool that various states used to promote largely secular territorial acquisitions or aggressions. For this reason he is somewhat dismissive of Samuel Huntington's concept of 'the civilizational clash' (Fuller considers it 'highly theoretical') and entirely cautious about 'Islamizing' any Middle Eastern issue.

I would recommend this book especially to the people who would never look at it - the "Islamophobes" of the world and particularly America. So in a way I was depressed reading this, because it is so eminently rational, and so likely to be ignored because no sensational points are made; if anything, the title is a little misleading, but Fuller does often ask the rhetorical question in regards to tensions between, say, Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism, or Russia and America (largely a secular conflict of ideologies) or 'bloody borders' that were always on peculiar ethnic or political fault-lines.

This book is technically not academic, but that means it is a quick(ish) read, and not too dense, so nobody should ignore it on the basis that they can't finish in a busy week. Personally I found this book fairly comprehensive, very thoughtful, and refreshingly moderate, if not particularly surprising. As for technical matters, the author communicates effectively, writes a decent paragraph, and I found no typos; but really, who's concerned about that?

[Hestia Istiviani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read in English but this review is written in Bahasa Indonesia

Melihat buku ini seringkali membuatku ingin membaca. Namun, baru belakangan aku sempat. Itu pun karena ada yang bersedia untuk meminjamiku. Aku tertarik dengan judulnya dan sudah meletakkan ekspektasi akan apa yang nantinya aku dapat setelah membaca buku ini.

resensi lengkap

Meskipun tidak terlalu thought provoking, buku ini cukup bagus untuk dinikmati sebagai penambah wawasan. Selain karena dituturkan secara kronologis dan rapi, Fuller secara bertahap memperkenalkan konsep "bagaimana jika Islam tidak ada di dunia". Ujung akhirnya cukup memuaskan, dan bisa jadi bahan diskusi menarik. Kamu bisa menggunakan buku ini untuk mengisi kekosongan ruang di otak. Jangan lupa, orang-orang besar di dunia seperti Zuckerberg juga membaca buku ini lo!

[Paul Bard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really really bad.

The author did not research beyond wikipedia-level, relying in his impressions.

The book is not about a world without Islam, but about a narrative where the West is the bad guy and everyone else is innocent. So it's a puff piece, evidently, to boost the writers' reputation in certain social circles and produce higher speaking fees. Yes, it's that paltry.

The book is by a political bigwig who clearly relied on his repute to get into print. Of course, it's dead in the water because it's a simply awful apologetic sermon for how sensitive and multicultural the author can present himself and for how cravenly he can fawn on the distorted recollections of the victim-persecutor narrative presented by Islam.

[Nehal · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very different point of view - albeit, a refreshingly different one. However, it does not come across as a completely balanced point of view. It is written with a clear American audience in mind and attempts to debunk the vilification of Islam in (what the author calls) the West.

Unfortunately, it skirts the entire issue of internecine conflict within the Islamic world (the latest one still brewing in Iraq or even the Taliban vs. Pakistan conflict). Clearly, tHere seems to be more conflict in the Islamic world itself, without weighing in the needling/ interference of the 'West'. Can that really be ignored?

Erudite and readable but not comprehensive nor balanced. Pity!

[Amanda Himawan]

Despite a very anti-islamic title (some of my friends raised their eyebrows when they see me reading this book... and I live in Indonesia in which the majority of people are Moslems), the content of the book itself can't be further than that. For me who know so little about Abrahamic faiths, this book is very eye opening and adds a lot to my knowledge.

The arguments presented in the book is very logical and easy to understand. I found myself knowing a lot more about middle east region after finishing this book. In the end, this book is very good for those who wants to see the contemporary issue of "war on terrorism" from a different perspective.

[Syed Fathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved almost all the arguments made by Fuller in this book. He made an honest, unbiased and critical argument on the role of Islam in war and conflict. The book advocates unprejudiced mindset on how we view religion today. I recommend this book to all people with islamophobic mindset, it surely will made you rethink your position. Great work by Graham E. Fuller!

[Hafizal Nordin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penulis mencurahkan beberapa pendapat daripada pembacaan beberapa buah buku dan risalah, menemubual beratus tokoh ilmuan di dalam bidang politik, keagamaan dan sejarah peradaban manusia dan Islam. Melihat sendiri bagaimana masyarakat Islam di Timur Tengah menjalani kehidupan selepas kejatuhan pengganas dan semasa pendudukan Barat menentang keganasan.
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Penulis mengemukakan pendapat yang mungkin dapat diketengahkan dalam memperbetulkan tanggapan yang salah mengenai keganasan (terrorism) secara am dan khususnya terhadap Islam.
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Banyak kupasan sejarah diambil mengenai penjajahan Barat ke Timur Tengah bermula pada zaman Byzantium dan peperangan Salib. Keberkesanan Islam di Turki dari segi politik dan kebebasan beragama. Keluasan pengaruh Islam di segenap pelusuk Eropah dan Asia.

[Euphatorium11 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saya suka kesimpulan akhirnya... Bahwa dunia Barat harus berhenti dalam ikut campur, baik secara militer ataupun politik di dunia Islam. Kemudian, hanya Muslim (orang setempat/pribumi) yg bisa menyelesaikan permasalahan-permasalahan di dalam internalnya sendiri.

Untung saja Graham E. Fuller menulis buku ini tidak berat sebelah. Dengan menjelaskan secara singkat perkembangan islam dari masa ke masa. Dari bumi bagian Timur hingga ke Barat.

[NA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Graham wrote this book beautifully. Like he said, when there is problems with Islam, it also our problems. In the end, this book will give you another insight about what Islam is and the history of political, geopolitical, and economic situation that is happened between East and West, between Islam extrimist, like ISIS, and US -from the point of view non-muslim-

[Suleiman Arabiat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very strong book, with solid arguments, and a clear and ordered flow of information, while keeping it in abstract form - yet informative.

I personally enjoyed the order of topics in the book, and the author managed to examine a sequence of geopolitical, ethnic, cultural, and economic factors that were the major underlying reasons behind the conflicts that history recorded and still records.

Also, the author managed to penetrate through all the modern bubbles that were created for political reasons, such as the bubble of European unity, the Bubble a Judeo-Christian world Vs. a Muslim world, A unified Christian world Vs. the rest, and many other minor bubbles here and there.

A main theme that is noticeable; is how the author is presenting his book as an advice for decision makers in the western world, specially in the USA, where he recommends that the USA abandons its hegemonic approach, and specially with the Muslim world. And that this vilification of Islam as the underlying factor behind the modern problems, is just a big hoax to marshal the masses for war and/or other political and hegemonic reasons.

The author didn't display any fundamental flaws in his understanding of Islam and Islamic history, though, its still obvious that he didn't go into Islamic theology, which is noticeable when he treads into comparative-religions, and how he presents the case of Islam in the midst of the other Abrahamic Faiths (a term that I personally do not agree with).

Also, the author - whether intentionally or to maintain the flow of thought and not tread into unwanted territory - failed to conclude that over the past few hundred years - which he summarized perfectly, it is mainly Islam and Muslims who are the targets, and I would have appreciate from him to read some sort of an analysis that would include more factors on why is it Muslims that are being targeted.

All in all, a highly recommended book, though if anyone would like to read it, one must be familiar with a lot of political, religious, and historical terminology to be able to surf through the book with ease.

[Nura Yusof · Rating 4 out of 5]

We live in an age of labels. We need labels to simplify what is complex. The Middle East is complex. With plenty of problems. Unfortunately, all these problems are being labelled as 'Islam'. At the end of the book, The author came up with a list of possible actions that the West might adopt to solve this "Islam" problem but I think one big one is missing. Reduce dependency on oil. That's the ticket. For as long as big corporations have need for this resource to oil the machines of industry, making tonnes of money for corporate fat cats and political big wigs, that's how long "Islam" will be used as an excuse to meddle into affairs not their own.

[Michael Powell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Author glossed over much of the violent Islamic theology... I skimmed over sections of academic speculation that did not interest me.