“As the world grapples with religious extremism and consequent violence in the world of Islam; Sayyid Riyadh Al-Hakeem provides us a valuable opportunity to understand the political dynamics and theological debates within Islam. I had the privilege to have a long conversation with Sayyid in 2014 in Najaf focusing on the developments in the Muslim world. I was struck by his scholarly demeanor; thoughtful approach and creative thinking geared towards peaceful resolutions to the challenges faced by humanity today. The Shia: Identity. Persecution. Horizons. is a penetrating historical account about Shia Muslims; enlightening us about their genesis; their struggles and most importantly their contribution to the Islamic faith. “Unlike many similar efforts; this book is not a chronicle of Shia–Sunni rivalries. The book is more focused on what the author believes to be the essence and spirit of Islam. He intelligently differentiates between issues that are linked to Muslim identity and others that are more profound in terms of foundations of faith. Sayyid Al-Hakeem; an accomplished scholar and jurist; is not only well qualified to teach us about this subject but his access to the corridors of learning and education in the Holy City of Najaf makes him among the ideal people to undertake this task. “This poignant and well-timed analysis of the Muslim dynamics brings great clarity to the complex series of events shaping the Muslim world today. It is a must read for both Muslim and non-Muslim audiences who are interested in understanding a Shia perspective that is written with an objective to pursue inter-religious harmony and peaceful coexistence; encourage tolerance and defeat sectarian agendas.†- Dr. Hassan Abbas; author of The Taliban Revival
#902010 in Books Finkel Evgeny 2017-03-07Original language:English 9.30 x 1.10 x 6.10l; #File Name: 0691172579296 pagesOrdinary Jews Choice and Survival During the Holocaust
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy CustomerGood.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. a tale of three citiesBy Michael LewynThis book addresses Polish Jews' survival strategies during the Holocaust from a political science perspective; focusing on three large cities with Nazi-created ghettoes: Cracow; Bialystok; and Minsk.Finkel suggests that these three cities' radically different political histories shaped the actions of ordinary Jews. Minsk had been part of the Soviet Union for decades and had a highly Russified; assimilated Jewry. Krakow was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (which encouraged Jews to assimilate into the broader society; but allowed religious freedom) and then the Polish Republic; as a result; its Polish-speaking Jewish population was less secular than that of Minsk but still somewhat integrated into the general society. By contrast; Bialystok was under oppressive Russian rule for centuries; and then part of Poland. As a result; Bialystok's Jewish population was Yiddish-speaking; physically segregated from Christian Poles; and generally did not get along well with the Polish population.According to Finkel; these distinctions affected Jews' survival strategies. In Minsk (and to a lesser extent Cracow) Jews who were able to obtain forged papers had a chance of blending into the general population. So Jews were more willing to escape the ghetto and try to "pass" as non-Jews. (However; the risk of being "outed" by non-Jewish acquaintances still meant that escape was not risk- free; in fact; some Polish-speaking Jews avoided this problem by moving to Germany and posing as Polish laborers; deciding that Germans would be unlikely to tell the difference between a Christian and a Jewish Pole). By contrast; Bialystok Jews could never become Poles; most of them did not speak flawless Polish; have Polish friends; or know enough about Polish Christian culture to plausibly pretend to be Christian Poles. However; Bialystok Jews' community cohesion enabled them to create powerful communal institutions that made ghetto life less unbearable than in the other two cities.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. a very well-written book on this topicBy K. Kennedy"Ordinary Jews" by Evgeny Finkel is a study of three ghettos during World War II; and his comparison of their communities; and the options available to their residents regarding their chances of survival. Recognizing that luck and fate play a role; Mr. Finkel provides a very readable analysis of individuals and the choices they made in seeking to survive; and negates many of the myths relating to why some survived and others didn't; as well as about the purported passivity of the Jews when facing wholesale slaughter.
