The Islamic Threat : Myth or Reality? (Third Edition)

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 352 pages
• Published by: Oxford University Press, USA
• Edition: 3rd Edition October 7, 1999
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0195130766
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0195130768
• Book Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Weighs: 11.2 ounces

Product Review

*Praise for previous editions:
"Esposito has written that rarest, and most useful, of books: a consideration of 'Islamic Fundamentalism' by someone who knows what he's talking about."--The Village Voice Literary Supplement
"Offers a valuable history of the leading figures and movements in the 20th century Islamic revival, underlining the trend in recent years away from violence and toward parliamentary practices."--The New York Times
"One of America's foremost authorities and interpreters of Islamoffers an informed and reasoned discussion of Islam in politics."--The Wall Street Journal
"There is no superior voice explaining Muslims to us."--Times Higher Education Supplement


Product Description
Are Islam and the West on a collision course? From the Ayatollah Khomeini to Saddam Hussein, the image of Islam as a militant, expansionist, and rabidly anti-American religion has gripped the minds of Western governments and media. But these perceptions, John L. Esposito writes, stem from a long history of mutual distrust, criticism, and condemnation, and are far too simplistic to help us understand one of the most important political issues of our time. In this new edition of The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?, Esposito places the challenge of Islam in critical perspective. Exploring the vitality of this religion as a global force and the history of its relations with the West, Esposito demonstrates the diversity of the Islamic resurgence--and the mistakes our analysts make in assuming a hostile, monolithic Islam. This third edition has been expanded to include new material on current affairs in Turkey, Afghanistan, Palestine, and Southeast Asia, as well as a discussion of international terrorism.

Reader Reviews
When I was an undergrad not so long ago, I took a class on Middle Eastern politics and history that was co-taught by two professors. One of the professors was a good, solid political science type, and the other was a professor of religion who specialized in Islam (the latter has since moved to Wake Forest and is now quoted extensively in places like Salon). I don't know which one of them assigned us this book as a text. By the time I was done reading it, I firmly believed that the Islamic threat was "myth," and I stood ready to refute anyone who suggested otherwise. How utterly, immensely wrong I was. The perceptions that Esposito attempts to refute -- that cultural Islam has a severe and threatening streak of resentment, irredentism, and violence -- have proven themselves absolutely correct. In retrospect, the writing was on the wall. Esposito belongs in the same trash bin as Edward Said, by dint of his refusal to squarely face damning facts about non-Western peoples. At least I have learned better since then. Academics like Esposito, on the other hand, never do. He eventually showed up as an employee of Clinton's State Department, where he was instrumental in formulating the policies that allowed bin Laden and al-Qaeda to escape punishment for so tragically long. (...). This book has been made irrelevant by history, and should be left unpurchased and unread.