This volume traces the second great expansion of the Islamic world eastwards from the eleventh century to the eighteenth. As the faith crossed cultural boundaries; the trader and the mystic became as important as the soldier and the administrator. Distinctive Islamic idioms began to emerge from other great linguistic traditions apart from Arabic; especially in Turkish; Persian; Urdu; Swahili; Malay and Chinese. The Islamic world transformed and absorbed new influences. As the essays in this collection demonstrate; three major features distinguish the time and place from both earlier and modern experiences of Islam. Firstly; the steppe tribal peoples of central Asia had a decisive impact on the Islamic lands. Secondly; Islam expanded along the trade routes of the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. Thirdly; Islam interacted with Asian spirituality; including Hinduism; Sikhism; Buddhism; Taoism and Shamanism. It was during this period that Islam became a truly world religion.
#1534068 in Books Laurent Murawiec 2008-08-11 2008-10-16Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.21 x .75 x 6.14l; 1.10 #File Name: 0521730635376 pagesThe Mind of Jihad
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Illuminating and enlighteningBy Brian K. MillerOne of the few books that presents all aspects of the cultural and social pressures driving young men into the jihadist movement.1 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Putting Innocents to the SwordBy Ralph WhiteIt was a matter of time before the European Intelligencia discovered a philosophy in the sacred terror being waged on civilization by its principal enemy; Islamic fundamentalism. Others have traced the movement's history and have thoroughly analyzed the tangle of antecedents which attempt to explain the blood lust of Islamacism. Credit Murawiec for documenting in horrific detail the fundamentalists' insatiable appetite for gore. This is not an entry level book and the reader uninitiated in Islamic savagery will be repelled...precisely the author's intent. It is no surprise that he did not find his message welcome in an increasingly Islamicized France; where apologists for any garden variety atrocity can be found. The United States is the right place for him for it is here and only here where his scholarship can be appreciated. He deserves credit; too; for his courage. However...Murawiec's crisp; complex syntax; distinctively European; lulls the reader into the illusion of receiving an advanced; postgraduate education. Yet the complexity of the language masks a mélange of blurred themes; many wholly unrelated to the mind of the jihadi. As the reader is led through the author's lengthy reflections on Ali Shariati's Gnosticism; it eventually occurs to the reader that if there is a unifying theme in the book; it fails explain the jihadi's intoxicating excitement at putting innocents to the sword.I see the absence of firm editorial controls in Murawiec's writing. That writing; which at the outset appears informed and lofty; ultimately becomes merely prolix. A good editor would have distilled the author's ostentatious erudition down to a version more easily digested by the American readership which is now his sole audience. My advice to Murawiec is to get an editor. Show by clear writing that you are capable of clear thinking. It is simply not obvious; as it now stands; how the book advances your cause.2 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Who is the real Laurent Murawiec?By M. HatfieldIn summary; the book is interesting and informative in its research and placing that research in the context time as far as it goes. However it is by no means exhaustive or balanced to the point that one can draw any concrete conclusions. It is sort of the selective tip of the iceberg well organized. We all know the Communists; Imperialist; Socialist;theocrat's;logocrat's... have manipulated and killed the Islamic World and the Islamic World has manipulated and killed all of them back and the blood of millions has flowed all over the place without arms; heads... All of these various groups have also kill within their own sphere in the millions and that is history as well. The real question I have is who is Laurent Murawiec. His brief resume connects him with a few brand name neo conservative think tanks; Richard Perle; Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr.;Marc Rich Foundation and what I would call some pretty far right marginal sorts of characters. Murawiec caused a big dust up with his 24 point presentation on Saudi Arabia to the Bush administration but that is even vague and published only second hand. Who are his parents? Where was he born? What is his religion or not? What has he done boots on the ground in the old Soviet Union; the Middle East; the Arab world; Asia; South America... I've traveled in all of those place extensively over the past 45 years as a business person and I find very few absolutes and a lot of gray everywhere I go. Maybe I've seen too much on all sides of this broad equation that Murawiec tries to quantify but I am sort of a cynic at heart and I like to see both sides of the ledger on all issues because I have found very few issues that did not have multiple defendable points of view and only a fool makes a decision without knowing all of them and from whence they emanate. Let's clear up this enigma and will the real Laurent Murawiec please stand up and who are you really? I sent an email to the Web Site but did not get an answer. Half the story is worse than none!
