Journey into Islam

The Crisis of Globalization

Akbar Ahmed

• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
• Year: 2007
• Print ISBN: 9780815701323
• eBook ISBN: 9780815701330
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Globalisation
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Globalization, the war on terror, and Islamic fundamentalism—followed closely by a rise in Islamophobia—have escalated tensions between Western nations and the Muslim world. Yet internationally renowned Islamic scholar Akbar Ahmed believes that through dialogue and understanding, these cultures can coexist peacefully and respectfully. That hope and belief result in an extraordinary journey. To learn what Muslims think and how they really view America, Ahmed traveled to the three major regions of the Muslim world the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia. Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization is the riveting story of his search for common ground. His absorbing narrative and personal photos bring the reader on a tour of Islam and its peoples. Ahmed sought to understand the experiences and perceptions of ordinary Muslims. Visiting mosques, madrassahs, and universities, he met with people ranging from Pakastan President Pervez Musharraf to prime ministers, princes, sheikhs, professors, and students. He observed, listened, and asked them questions. For example, who inspires them? What are they reading? How do the Internet and international media impact their lives? How do they view America, the West, and changes in society? Ahmed's anthropological expedition enjoyed extensive access to women and youths, revealing unique information on large yet often misunderstood populations. Lamentably, he found high levels of anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism and a widespread perception that Islam is under attack from the West. But he also brought back reason for hope. He returned from his groundbreaking travels both impressed with the concerned, kind nature of the individuals he encountered and invigorated with the vitality and passion they displayed. Journey into Islam makes a powerful plea for forming friendships across religion, race, and tradition to create lasting peace between Islam and the West.

INDEX

Abacha, Sani (president of Nigeria), 107

Abbasid Empire, 220

Abduh, Muhammad, 36, 41, 224

Abdullah (king of Jordan), 70, 93–94

Abdullah (king of Saudi Arabia), 230

Abu Bakr (friend of Muhammad; first caliph), 44, 97, 98, 141, 209. See also Muslims—role models

Abu Ghraib (Iraq prison), 3, 41, 128, 195, 201, 203. See also England, Lynndie

Abyssinia, 106–07

Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi (AK Party; Justice and Development Party; Turkey), 155, 229

AEI. See American Enterprise Institute

Afghanistan: anarchy in, 5, 91, 109, 128; bin Laden, Osama, and, 89–90, 176; deaths in, 162; globalization and, 86; Islamic models in, 39–40; meaning of, 85; Muslim views of, 3, 10; Operation Mountain Storm and, 87; Our Voices Together and, 260; Pakistan and, 174; solutions for, 225; Soviet Union and, 153, 168; Taliban in, 89, 91, 109, 176–77; television in, 91–92; tribes in, 91, 93, 95, 177;U.S. and, 4, 10, 88, 95, 137, 168, 258–59. See also Al-Qaeda; Taliban

Africa, 10, 106–16

Aga Khan University (...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• About Brookings
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• ONE: An Anthropological Excursion into the Muslim World
• TWO: The Struggle within Islam
• THREE: Tribes, Women, and Honor in the Age of Globalization
• FOUR: Who Is Defining Islam after 9/11 and Why?
• FIVE: The Clash of Civilizations?
• SIX: Lifting the Veil
• Epilogue: The Hope of the World
• Appendix: Analysis of the Questionnaires
• Notes
• Index
• Back Cover