Islamic conceptions of heaven and hell began in the seventh century as an early doctrinal innovation; but by the twelfth century; these notions had evolved into a highly formalized ideal of perfection. In tracking this transformation; Nerina Rustomji reveals the distinct material culture and aesthetic vocabulary Muslims developed to understand heaven and hell and identifies the communities and strategies of defense that took shape around the promise of a future world.Ideas of the afterworld profoundly influenced daily behaviors in Islamic society and gave rise to a code of ethics that encouraged abstinence from sumptuous objects; such as silver vessels and silk; so they could be appreciated later in heaven. Rustomji conducts a meticulous study of texts and images and carefully connects the landscape and social dynamics of the afterworld with earthly models and expectations. Male servants and female companions become otherworldly objects in the afterlife; and stories of rewards and punishment helped preachers promote religious reform. By employing material culture as a method of historical inquiry; Rustomji points to the reflections; discussions; and constructions that actively influenced Muslims' picture of the afterworld; culminating in a distinct religious aesthetic.
#1875840 in Books Emran Qureshi 2003-11-26Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.48 x .93 x 6.72l; 1.28 #File Name: 0231126670400 pagesThe New Crusades Constructing the Muslim Enemy
Review
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Too polemical to be useful to meBy Edward BrynesThis is a furious attack on the idea (associated with Samuel P. Huntington and Bernard Lewis) that Islam is at war with the West. The various contributors' counterblasts often seem to assume that their opponents started by wanting to attack Islam and designed their arguments with that intention; but of course they can't prove this. Every chapter has long angry footnotes that seem like continuations of the main text. The West is blamed for "The Hijacking of Arab Jobs by the Western Arms Industry" and this is traced to the Western desire for oil and arms sales. The writers attack the frequently-held view that Muslims in the West do not want to assimilate; but the attack is not persuasive; they hurl counterexamples but the net effect on a reader looking for the truth is confusion. The writer V. S. Naipaul is another large target: "The tone of this rebuke discloses Naipaul's considerable lack of self-awareness; as if his own responses on his Islamic travels were untouched by his fixed preconceptions." [p.159] There is an essay by Tomaz Mastnak which seems to assume that before the Crusades; Europe was untroubled by the expansion of Islam; when in fact the Mediterranean coast suffered frequent Islamic raids. Although I'm not well-informed on all the topics discussed; the frantic tone leads me to suspect something wrong.38 of 49 people found the following review helpful. Necessary antidote for reading on Islam or the US "Crusade"By L. F ShermanSerious readers about Islam and US policy should reflect on most of the essays in this book. It is a necessary antidote to all the simplifications and hidden agendas in the press; policy; and publications by "popular" writers on Islam who so often seem driven by hate; profits; or noteriety. Read here to reconsider the "Huntington Thesis" and it Lewis 'roots'. Reflect on the implications for Bush's "Crusade". The essay on Christian Serb terrorism and the manipulation of hatred is valuable for its general lessons as well. How think tanks and best sellers sway policy among those with limited depth of knowlege is worth considering -- especially when there seems to be an intellectual "Gresham's Law" of punditry. The continued importance of history and memory is highlighted. A variety of authors with considerable knowlege and depth offer valuable insights into where we are and how we got there - about myths and reality that are central to the what has been dubbed "the war on terror" and is often seen by Muslims with some justification as a "war on Islam" -- a Crusade.41 of 52 people found the following review helpful. A clarion call against the dangerous simplification of IslamBy Philip JeyaratnamThe New Crusades is a timely collection of essays that deals with a dangerous myth - the inherent violence of Islamic civilisation. The editors provide a useful introduction on the ideological shaping of the new Muslim enemy. They point out that the real fundamentalists are those who refuse to see the multiple identities that claim overlapping allegiances in the territorial bounds of the Arab and Muslim world. In support of diversity; the contributors included in the collection are heterogeneous - they range from first-rate scholars and Islamicists like Roy Mottahedeh of Harvard University to well-known journalists like Ahmed Rashid who have written popular accounts of militant Muslim movements. Edward Said is included in this collection; which makes the Post-Orientalist political bent of this volume clear enough (e.g. Bernard Lewis is mostly on the receiving end. but through reasoned argument; it must be said). There is a particularly illuminating essay by Mottahedeh that elegantly dispatches with Huntington's clash of civilisation thesis in the manner of a master historian dealing with a sophomore's essay. Another contributor demolishes the dangerous and bigoted simplifications of Islam contained in the work of V.S. Naipaul. But there are also the sounds of axes grinding in this collection and "ancient hatreds" between feuding academics and rival disciplines in the study of Islam; Muslims and the Arab world. One world sees all of Islam as potentially violent. The other sees potential violence arising from the demonisation of Islam.Indeed; after reading many of the essays; you will come to the depressing conclusion that the crusades of the East of the 11th to 13th century are still very much alive in the 21st century.
