Having worked for several decades in North Africa; anthropologist Lawrence Rosen is uniquely placed to ask what factors contribute to the continuity and changes characterizing the present-day Muslim world. In The Culture of Islam; he brings his erudition and his experiences to illuminating key aspects of Muslim life and how central tenets of that life are being challenged and culturally refashioned.Through a series of poignant tales—from the struggle by a group of friends against daily corruption to the contest over a saint's identity; from nostalgia for the departed Jews to Salman Rushdie's vision of doubt in a world of religious certainty—Rosen shows how a dazzling array of potential changes are occurring alongside deeply embedded continuity; a process he compares to a game of chess in which infinite variations of moves can be achieved while fundamental aspects of "the game" have had a remarkably enduring quality. Whether it is the potential fabrication of new forms of Islam by migrants to Europe (creating a new "Euro-Islam;" as Rosen calls it); the emphasis put on individuals rather than institutions; or the heartrending problems Muslims may face when their marriages cross national boundaries; each story and each interpretation offers a window into a world of contending concepts and challenged coherence.The Culture of Islam is both an antidote to simplified versions of Islam circulating today and a consistent story of the continuities that account for much of ordinary Muslim life. It offers; in its human stories and its insights; its own contribution; as the author says; "to the mutual understanding and forgiveness that alone will make true peace possible."
#113910 in Books Milton Mayer 1966-05-19 1966-05-19Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x 1.30 x 5.25l; .78 #File Name: 0226511928346 pagesThey Thought They Were Free The Germans 1933 45
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Subtly informative..By David WoodThis cold war era study; an analysis of attitudes toward Nazism by its recent practitioners; while dated; has a good deal to teach. The German national character of the 1950s was quite different from the modern-day; reunited nation. It's a cautionary tale; as well as a thought provoking one2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. it is the greatest commitment of allBy Vis ComicaI have read several books on the same subject -antisemitism- and they were all written by Holocaust survivors trying to comprehend the incomprehensible; to explain the inexplicable and to describe the indescribable. I consider this effort a masterpiece because it looks straight into the mind of the common German; that is; the vast majority of Germans. It does not attempt to justify the unjustifiable nor to forgive the unforgivable; it shows how feasible it is to happen everywhere again and again. In one word; it reminds that democracy has little to do with freedom; it is the greatest commitment of all.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Should be a required read!By RebeccaI started with this book at the library; I read a little every day and could not put it down.I ended up purchasing it because I wanted a copy for my own personal library. I am really hoping that my children will be interested enough to read it some day-as it reflects SO much of where we are in the United States today-with politics; beliefs and the direction we seem to be headed.Milton Mayer does an excellent job putting together his interviews with his 10 Nazi friends post WWII to illustrate; how the Nazi's took over Germany; and how every day Germans allowed it to happen-with out them even knowing it. Rich in history; rhetoric and the seriousness needed for the subject.
