Egypt; 1925: the Muslim world is in turmoil over Mustapha Kamal Ataturk's proposal to abolish the caliphate in Turkey. The debate over Islam and politics re-ignites as traditional political systems dissolve under pressure from European powers and most Muslim countries lose their sovereignty. Into this debate enters Ali Abdel Razek; a religious cleric trained at Al-Azhar University; arguing in favour of secularism in his essay 'Islam and the Foundations of Political Power'; translated here and published in paperback for the first time.Scholarly features includeA substantial introduction that places the essay in its context and explains its impactAn appendix of Razek's sources with full publication detailsExplanatory notes beside Razek's original footnotesAdditional notes about particular people; events or vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to modern readers
#954276 in Books 2014-02-03Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.80 x 6.10l; 2.20 #File Name: 0745650775650 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Buried VoicesBy Peter I. ChipmanI have nearly finished this book; and for me it has been an easy read. The author has managed to find stories that bring to life common experience in a society that was undergoing unbelievable stress. He does have a tendency to quote too many statistics regarding such topics as steel production; rail trackage; etc.; and doesn't display any skepticism about the quality of the data. The Soviet leadership hovers in the background; we don't get to meet them. and there is no attempt to explain what I suspect is the unexplainable - how and why the terror happened to a whole generation of Russians. I have never found a satisfactory explanation for this just as I have never been able to understand the holocaust from any rational viewpoint.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Very very good.By Oliver TwistWow. A must-read for Russia buffs; but you have to be into it to slog through the text. Well-written; well-researched; really does give a glimpse into that dreadful place and time. But the original academic German shows through the translation; and that means you have to work at digesting the text. Not a beach read; but something to apply oneself to. Very very good.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Crime without punishmentBy Esteban MartinaThis poweful book shows clearly that killing and destroying millions of lives can coexist with a cultural environment that allows the criminals to be respected and even idolized by the whole spectrum of society. Very few people can recognize that anybody is capable of the most heinous acts given a set of circumstances. Modern society can accept anything if the proper cultural mechanisms are wisely applied. It can be argued that life must go on; that it is psychologically impossible to survive without becoming indiferent to the murders going on; etc.. It is true but one could expect a bit of moral outrage at the least. That this is not the general case shows how ideology and administrative procedures supported by cultural symbols can dehumanize man.
