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This title in other formats:

The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity

by Tariq Ali

The Clash of Fundamentalisms:  Crusades, Jihads and Modernity Cover

ISBN13: 9781859844571
ISBN10: 185984457x
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

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 triumphally 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 sides: '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.

Review:

A wide-ranging, often brilliant collection of essays ... a compelling point of departure for further study of Islam. (Kathy Deacon, Village Voice)

Review:

Ali locates the flexible, skeptical, hedonistic traditions within Islamic thinking... whom the fundamentalists wish to silence. (Fred Halliday, The Los Angeles Times Book Review)

Review:

The "Ali left" attacks the troika of imperialism, the petro-Sheikhs and the dissident jihadis....it fights every kind of fundamentalism. (Vijay Prashad, ZNET)

Review:

There is no ambiguity in this man's world... Ali belongs to the root-causes party. (Washington Post Book Review, Fouad Ajami)

Review:

[A] very nearly perfect book. (John Nichols, Capital Times)

Review:

Ali's style is vigorous, his narrative compelling. (Karen Armstrong, The Times [London])

Review:

Urbane, highly intelligent and vividly written. One hopes this fine study will earn no fatwa. (Richard Sennett, Times Literary Supplement)

Review:

An outstanding contribution to our understanding of the nightmare of history from which so many people are struggling to awake. (The Nation)

Review:

The current antiwar movement would benefit from his historical perspective, ideological clarity, and humor. (San Francisco Bay Guardian)

Review:

Timely and important...[Ali] is lucid, eloquent, literary, and painfully honest, as he dissects both Islamic and Western fundamentalism. (Howard Zinn)

Synopsis:

In this wide-ranging book Ali challenges assumptions on both sides, arguing that Islamic civilization has an important role in Western modernity, and that what we have experienced with the rise of fundamentalism is the return of history in an horrific form.

Synopsis:

In this timely and important book, new in paperback, Tariq Ali is lucid, eloquent, literary and painfully honest as he dissects both Islamic and Western fundamentalism.

About the Author

Tariq Ali is a writer and filmmaker. He has written over a dozen books on world history and politics, five novels and scripts for both stage and screen. He is an editor of the New Left Review and lives in London.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Eric Hamell, February 11, 2009 (view all comments by Eric Hamell)
This is an excellent, fascinating, engaging book. Ali is a writer of enormous talent, and his work here is informed not only by an incredible intellect, but by personal knowledge deriving from his background in one of Punjab's "old families."

Freethinkers will get a special kick out of the first chapter, "An Atheist Childhood."
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781859844571
Subtitle:
Crusades, Jihads and Modernity
Author:
Ali, Tariq
Publisher:
Verso
Location:
London
Subject:
Islam
Subject:
World politics
Subject:
Fundamentalism
Subject:
History & Theory - Radical Thought
Subject:
Islamic fundamentalism
Subject:
Religion and politics
Subject:
International Relations - General
Edition Number:
Pbk. ed.
Edition Description:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Series Volume:
03-127
Publication Date:
April 2003
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Pages:
428
Dimensions:
8.12x6.02x1.29 in. 1.32 lbs.

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