As I was reading
Diana Eck’s book, A New Religious America, I was reminded
that the average American does not have a clue about religious
movements in America. Our attitude of tolerance, privatization of
religion, and pluralism has made America the most religiously
diverse nation on earth. These factors have also kept America from
seeing both the challenge and the gravity of this situation.
However, Sept.
11, 2001 opened some eyes to one of the fastest growing religions
in America and the world, namely Islam. We have challenged our
readers to be aware of what is happening as more and more Muslims
are populating all areas of our country. Because there is so much
to read of varying quality, we attempt to be very selective and
present books that are strategic, informative, and readable.
Bernard Lewis, a
professor of “Near Eastern Studies” Emeritus at Princeton
University, is the author of the best seller What Went Wrong.
He has the reputation of being one of the greatest historians of
the Middle East. All of his writings are descriptive and even
prescriptive as they relate to the Islamic religion.
This book is full
of helpful and insightful information on why Islam is so driven by
resentment and hatred expressed in acts of violence, hatred, and
terrorism globally and particularly in America. In The Crisis
of Islam, Lewis gives a good overview of thirteen centuries of
Islamic history, which he then explains and sets the stage for
many of the dramatic events of recent days. He gives background as
to why Muslim terrorists (and not all Muslims are terrorists) have
singled out America as the chief of the infidels to be destroyed.
Lewis gives
evidence that “the Muslim peoples, like everyone else in the
world, are shaped by their history, but unlike some others, they
are keenly aware of it…. Islamic history, for Muslims, has an
important religious and also legal significance, since it reflects
the working out of God’s purpose for His community—those that
accept the teachings of Islam and obey its law.”
Certainly
there is rich and colorful history coming from the Muslim people
down through the centuries. But there are also clear indications
as to why the terrorist element of Islam has become such a
dangerous and deadly force to be dealt with. Lewis
explains why extremist Islamists are committed to a jihad
(holy war) that is driven to kill their enemy, the great Satan,
namely Americans. Lewis also briefly connects the dots
between Saudi Arabia, Wahhabis, Hamas, and their terrorist
motivations. He includes two extremely helpful chapters, one
dealing with the marriage between the Wahhabi terrorists and Saudi
power, and a closing chapter on the rise of terrorism.
Lewis maintains,
“Terrorism requires only a few. Obviously, the West must defend
itself by whatever means will be effective. But in devising means
to fight terrorism, it would surely be useful to understand the
forces that drive them.” To that I would add that Christians
have a responsibility to reach out to Muslims in their areas of
influence. To develop that dialogical relationship, we need to
know what we are dealing with historically, religiously, and
politically. Lewis’s writings are of tremendous value and
benefit to that end.
Christopher
Catherwood teaches courses on Islam and religious conflict for the
University of Virginia. He lives in England and is a well-known
historian. In many ways, Islamic Rage is similar to
Lewis’s book. I believe the books reinforce each other and thus
help us to have a fuller and more accurate picture of our world
today.
Catherwood is
another easy to read writer. He focuses on key issues that have
caused the war between Christians and Muslims in the west. He
states that this book is for the general reader, though he clearly
writes from much knowledge and expertise on the topic. He
intentionally leaves out many technical details in order to appeal
to the non-technical reader.
This book will
give us some basis for asking and answering the question of what
can and should we be doing about current events. While it is true
that many Muslims abhorred and decried what happened on Sept 11,
01 at the twin towers, others praised and celebrated the event. It
was all part of the jihad (Holy War) for Islam. Part of our
perplexity is that in America we have learned to isolate and
privatize our religion from politics or economics. However with
Islam, religion is the energy behind all those areas.
Catherwood points
out that with today’s Islamic terrorists, “they have no such
qualms and actually want to massacre people on a vast scale for
reasons we shall see” (in this book). In saying that, Catherwood
attempts to explain why Islamic rage is such a 20th and
21st century phenomenon.
In contrast to
Lewis’s book, Catherwood does help us think about the past,
present, and future from a Christian perspective. He wants us to
understand that what is happening today actually had its beginning
a long time ago. We are still paying for the mistakes of the
Crusaders, as far as Islam is concerned.
As I read
Catherwood’s book, I realized that it was bad theology that led
to the Crusades. It was bad theology that led to the development
of Islam. Hence we find in history both Muslims and Christians
using the same tactics in the name of religion, which was a false
religion. So if bad theology got us into this predicament, then
good theology must be our hope of getting out of the morass that
has engulfed us.
There is so much
in this book, like The Crisis in Islam, that I would like
to quote, but space does not allow it. However, if you want to
understand what you are hearing on the daily news, you will not
want to miss the chapter “Oil and America: The Political and
Religious Consequences of Everyday Decisions.” In that chapter
he points out that seeing ourselves as others see us is crucial,
whether they are right in their observations or not. He even deals
with the burning question some have, “Can a Christian Drive a
SUV?”
Catherwood closes
his book on a positive optimistic view because as he says, Islamic
extremism will fail because God’s purposes will not be thwarted.
God tells us his ultimate purposes in the Bible and it is not for
extreme Islam to succeed with their jihad. As an added
value, Catherwood has a helpful glossary of Islamic related terms
at the end of the book.
-Charles Dunahoo
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