Product Description

This book traces the essence of the Islamist Revolution from its origins in Egypt, through Najf, Lebanon, Iran and the Iranian Revolution to today. Alastair Crooke presents a compelling account of the ideas and energy which are mobilising the Islamic world.The story of the emerging Islamist Revolution is largely one of an Islamic response to western thinking based around individualism and personal relationships with the divine, juxtaposed to the Islamist demand to place human values above politics and self-interest. Crooke argues that the West faces a mass mobilisation against the US-led Western project. The roots of this conflict are described in terms of religious themes that extend back over 500 years. They represent clashing systems of thinking and values. Islamists have a vision for the future of their own societies which would entail radical change from Western norms. Resistance is presented as the means to force Western behaviour to change and to expose the essential differences between the two modes of thinking.This is a rigourous account that traces the threads of revolution of various movements, including the influence of 'political Shi'ism' and the Iranian Revolution and its impact on Hezbollah and Hamas.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #163965 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

About the Author
Alastair Crooke was advisor to EU High Representative, Solana, in the Middle East, 1997-2003. He was involved in facilitating a series of de-escalations of violence and military withdrawals in Palestine with Islamist movements from 2000-2003 and the end to the Bethlehem Church of the Nativity seige. He was a staff member of the Mitchell Committee into the causes of the Intifada in 2000. He is Director and founder of Conflicts Forum.

Customer Reviews

Comments by Michael Calum Jacques, author of '1st Century Radical'.
This is a good book, both scholarly and eminently readable. It would seem that its main purpose is to convince 'Middle America' and other players in the 'Western World' that Islamic regimes and forces such as Hezbollah, Hamas, et al are, in reality, not merely the seething enemies of civilised societies which they may appear to be. All in all, Crooke's 'Resistance: The Essence of the Islamist Revolution' is an erudite and well rounded critique of the successes and failures of the West's interfacing with Islamic regimes. And that is one of the reasons it makes such fascinating reading.

'Resistance: The Essence of the Islamist Revolution' has been well acclaimed by a number of experts in this field such as John L. Esposito, the Professor of International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University and also the co-author of 'Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think.' Esposito called Crooke's book "required reading" in the light of "the the failed policies of the Bush administration-led War on Global Terrorism". Similar comments flowed from the pen of Seymour M. Hersh, writing recently in The New Yorker magazine.

This work attempts to plot the course of the Islamic Revolution from its conception right up to the present day. The author has produced an absorbing and entertaining narrative which identifies and outlines the motivating philosophies and dynamic which energise Muslim societies. The Islamic Revolution is contextualised as a Muslim reaction towards Western, individualistic, (liberal?) lifestyle, culture, and practices, set against the Islamic standpoint which elevates human values beyond the realms of either politics or self-gain.

The author makes a most convincing case that the West is confronted with a surge of deep-seated, reactionary anger directed at the the US-fronted 'Westernisers'. This is the result of the colliding theosophical and philosophical systems; obviously, devout Muslims generally hold entirely different expectations from those realisable by any Western social 'models'.

Armed resistance and retaliation - especially when targeting occupying forces - is seen to be the means with which to wrought changes in Western attitudes and aggression as well as high-lighting some of the pivotal, critical divergences between Islam and 'the West'. This is well attested and can be proved demonstrably from comparing and contrasting other geographic, cultural and temporal contexts such as the fierce Jewish struggle against the occupying Roman forces during the 1st Century AD/CE.

In summary then, this book of around 280 pages is a competent summary of the East-West predicament which also pays heed to the tricky subtleties and spectrum of the Islamic revolution and its various movements and incarnations, including the influence of the Iranian Revolution and the impact and aftershocks from it which still affect thinking in organisations like Hamas and Hezbollah. It is by no means a light, easy read, but it is at all times a rewarding one.

Michael Calum Jacques

A clash of values
Alistair Crooke has accomplished an extraordinary feat by analyzing what is wrong with Western society from the point of view of leading Islamic thinkers. In so doing he not only shows that we have a serious misconception of what is going on in the world of Islam, he is also holding up a mirror in which to see where we have fallen far short of our own ideals. Crooke uses an in depth knowledge of Western philosophy to highlight the tortuous road that Western society took since the so-called Enlightenment by proceeding on a path that has over-valued the individual at the expense of society. The Islamist re-emphasis on a just society resulting from responsible individuals submitting to divine values (Islam=submission) stands in stark contrast to the current paradigms of Western society.
The book contains many surprises, even for someone who has been following events in the Middle East for a long time. There is for instance the influence by European philosophers such as Frantz Fanon on people like the Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini and the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah; the political sympathies between Shi'i and Sunni Islamists (e.g. Hezbollah and Hamas) in their fight against Western hypocrisy despite their religious differences; the numerous quotes from statements by leading Islamists to the author that show a pragmatic approach to politics, yet one which is based on the perennial values of Islam.
While there is an occasional tendency to ignore the lust for power that even Moslem clerics harbor, Resistance is a must for anyone dealing with the Middle East politically and/or economically; it is a highly recommended book for all those of us living together with major Moslem communities. Readers who also take the trouble to read Karen Armstrong's Short History of Islam will be well equipped to see Islam not as a threat but as a valuable ally in promoting a more peaceful world.

required reading
As we read more and more in the newspapers about the 'evil' terrorists planning to destroy our way of life, this book gives us the chance to find out how complex the truth is. The now debunked myth of the so called 'War on Terror' and the clash of civilisations are examined through Muslim eyes. It is a study in the roots and development of the Islamic revolution, and how the west needs to turn towards diplomacy and understanding if we are serious about containing violence on both sides. A very important book from a man who has a long and involved history of conflict resolution in the Middle East.