The Political Language of Islam (Exxon Lecture Series) Review

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The Political Language of Islam (Exxon Lecture Series) ReviewThis book is very unlike Bernard Lewis' other writing on Islam. "What Went Wrong" is much more accessible to the general reader and I recommend it highly. If, however, you have read most of Professor Lewis' work, and want to continue through his opus, then this will be your cup of tea. The book's title cannot be taken too literally; the subject is the derivation and meaning of words in the major Middle Eastern languages. The bulk of the book consists of his contrasting the usage of Islamic vocabularies with the counterpart words in English, and occassionally, Romance languages. It is fascinating, but even for a reader interested in linguistics, it becomes a blur. The Arabic ( both classic and modern), Turkish, Iranian (and often Hebrew) words flash by. With Islam in the news so much these days, the general reader will recognize some of them, such as "sadr," as in Sadr City, the slum in Baghdad. It turns out that the Arabic word means "chest" literally, but has come to mean centrality, leadership, command. In Turkish it is part of the Grand Vizier's title. It is true, too, that the reader will learn much about the Qur'an, the Traditions of the Prophet, and of sharia, the Muslim law. For instance, since the principal function of government is to enable the individual Muslim to lead a good Muslim life, there is no thought of the separation of church and state. Also, since there is no clerical bureaucracy, there is no formal theocracy, although most Muslims believe that the Prophet Mohammed was the giver of all law. It is a brief 116 page book, and the notes and index comprise a third of its volume. Notwithstanding my admiration of Professor Lewis, I cannot recommend this book to any but Islamic-language speaking people. With their strange, and meaningless, diacritical marks, the foreign words cannot be held in memory once the page is turned, and the import of the exposition is lost.
If you wondered why a celebrated Princeton Professor's book was published by the University of Chicago, it is because it is based on a series of lectures sponsored by the University of Chicago back in 1986. The book was published two years later, and is still in print. You may also be surprised to see that half of the back cover encomiums are from reviewers with Arabic names. This is because there is not one critical, cynical, or condecending word against Islam. It is a throroughly neutral treatment of a topic which was twenty years ahead of its time.
Keep in mind, too, that these chapters were written separately, although with a unifying theme. The result is that some chapters are less "linguistically intensive" than others. For instance, the chapter titled "War and Peace" is a good read on the fundamentals of jihad, and is less of an Arabic vocabulary study than the other chapters are. If you have time for only one chapter, this is it.The Political Language of Islam (Exxon Lecture Series) OverviewWhat does jihad really mean? What is the Muslim conception of law? What is Islam's stance toward unbelievers? Probing literary and historical sources, Bernard Lewis traces the development of Islamic political language from the time of the Prophet to the present. His analysis of documents written in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish illuminates differences between Muslim political thinking and Western political theory, and clarifies the perception, discussion, and practices of politics in the Islamic world."Lewis's own style, combining erudition with a simple elegance and subtle humor, continues to inspire. In an era of specialization and narrowing academic vision, he stands alone as one who deserves, without qualification, the title of historian of Islam."—Martin Kramer, Middle East Review"A superb effort at synthesis that presents all the relevant facts of Middle Eastern history in an eminently lucid form. . . . It is a book that should prove both rewarding and congenial to the Muslim reader."—S. Parvez Manzor, Muslim World Book Review"By bringing his thoughts together in this clear, concise and readable account, [Lewis] has placed in his debt scholars and all who seek to understand the Muslim world."—Ann K. S. Lambton, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies"[Lewis] constructs a fascinating account of the ways in which Muslims have conceived of the relations between ruler and ruled, rights and duties, legitimacy and illegitimacy, obedience and rebellion, justice and oppression. And he shows how changes in political attitudes and concepts can be traced through changes in the political vocabulary."—Shaul Bakhash, New York Review of Books

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