Product Description

Why do they hate us? An entire cottage industry has arisen to answer this question. But what no one has really figured out is, who exactly are they? Is it al-Qaeda? Islamic nationalists? The whole Muslim world? "How to Win a Cosmic War" lays out, for the first time, a comprehensive definition of the movement behind and surrounding al-Qaeda and the like, a global ideology properly termed Jihadism. Contrasting twenty-first-century religious extremism across Christianity, Judaism and Islam with its historical antecedents, Aslan demonstrates that while modern Jihadis may have legitimate social grievances - the suffering of the Palestinians, American support for Arab dictators, the presence of foreign troops in Muslim lands, to name a few - they have no real goals or actual agenda.So, what do the Jihadists want? Aslan's answer is: Nothing. The Jihadists have no earthly agenda; they are fighting a metaphysical conflict, a theological war. And ever since 9/11, we have unfortunately been fighting the same cosmic war, the war they want: the so-called War on Terror. How do we win a Cosmic War? By refusing to fight in one. And in this stunning new work, Aslan reveals surprising conclusions about how we can deal with this predicament.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #98652 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Review
`Compelling, penetrative and timely. If more of us in the West grasp Aslan's arguments, we will begin to win the war of ideas against Jihadists and extremists.' --Ed Husain, author of The Islamist

From the Inside Flap
Cosmic War: an unwinnable, unloseable religious battle of identity in which participants divide the world into black and white, good and evil, us and them

Why do they hate us? An entire cottage industry has arisen to answer this question. But what no one has really figured out is who exactly ‘they’ are – al-Qaeda? Islamic nationalists? Fundamentalist zealots? The whole Muslim world?In How to Win a Cosmic War, Reza Aslan uses the history of religion to explore twenty-first Jihadism and the so-called ‘War on Terror’, and offers a radically provocative and timely explanation of these two catastrophic phenomena.

The acclaimed author of No God But God (shortlisted for the 2005 Guardian First Book Award) lays out, for the first time, a comprehensive definition of the movement behind and surrounding al-Qaeda, a global ideology properly termed Jihadism. Contrasting twenty-first-century religious extremism across Christianity, Judaism and Islam with its historical antecedents, Aslan demonstrates that while modern Jihadis may have legitimate social grievances – the suffering of the Palestinians, American support for Arab dictators, the presence of foreign troops in Muslim lands – they have no real goals or actual agenda. Their war is not real: it is a metaphysical conflict, a Cosmic War, fought between the forces of good and evil. And since 9/11 western governments have been inciting this conflict, playing into the Jihadis’ hands: for the ‘War on Terror’ is the war they want.

How do we win a Cosmic War? By refusing to fight in one. And in this definitive new study of an ongoing and unprecedented conflict, Reza Aslan offers some surprising conclusions as to how this can be achieved.

From the Back Cover
Praise for No God but God:

‘Reza Aslan’s No God But God is just the history of Islam I needed, judicious and truly illuminating.’ A.S. Byatt, Guardian Books of the Year 2005

'A revelation, an opening up of knowledge too long buried... [Aslan's]...careful scholarship and precise language dismantle...false claims and commands... Aslan is acutely perceptive.' Independent
‘Aslan…is a superb narrator, bringing each century to life with vivid details and present tense narration that make popular history so enthralling… Illuminating… Aslan is superb on the origins and richness of Islam…. A terrific read.’ Glasgow Herald

'Enthralling. A book of tremendous clarity and generosity of spirit.' Jim Crace

‘Aslan is an engaging writer, his strength lies…as an observer of contemporary challenges facing Islam… Sensitive and generous’ Financial Times

‘Grippingly narrated and thoughtfully examined… A literate, accessible introduction to Islam…carefully placing its message and rituals in historical context.’ New York Times

Customer Reviews

Cosmic Wars, Earthly Causes
This book is a valuable addition to the library of somebody sincerely seeking a balanced perspective on the Current and temporal (if not Cosmic) state of affairs between the West and the Middle East.

Of importance to the reader is the definitions that Aslan provides. Of note is the differentiation between Islamist- A body of Muslims focussed on producing social change and social justice in their own Countries, and the Jihadist. A transnationalist whose focus rooted in Salafism and with the development of Takfir ( the ability of any Muslim to self-appoint himself as a denouncer of other Muslims), sees Jihad as a means to social change beyond the confines of 'nation' - a term that is increasingly defunct in the modern format of Europe, and always was defunct in the Middle East- the source of conflict as a Western imposed concept in the Post-Ottoman period.
Aslan argues that Islamists moreso than Jihadists are capable of Responsible government i.e Democratic ( with caution ) , where to Jihadists to quote Al Zawahiri, a Muslim who is a Democrat is a Kaffir.
He argues that in an increasingly borderless world Zionism, Fundamental Christianity and Islam as Religious Nationalisms are inevitable, and may offer genuine opportunities for meaningful political development, taking on a role of National Identity where Nationhood and Ethnicity have been made increasingly less relevant, under the pressures of mass migration, multiculturalism and globalisation, whether it be through the internet or via cultural exchange, (never achieved to this degree in previous history).

That America is clearly under the sway of its own Fundamentalism should be a red warning light to all of us. The deliberate targeting of the Military cadre with Evangelising organisations such as the ' Faith Force Multiplier' whose stated mission is to create a 'Christian Army' quoting its founder Lietenant William G Boykin- should send shudders down the spines of all God-fearing secularists.
Aslan gives a broad overview of the History of Christian Fundamentalism- (a word originally designated for American Christians) with their 'uncompromising belief in the infallible, inerrant and absolutely literal nature of the bible...'
There are too many good points to this book, but to sumamrise it .
The Cosmic War is a construct of all three of the Monotheistic faiths in the advent of the Globalising world, with transnational communities binding evermore closely by Religious affiliation. An answer from the old world to the Modern Worlds problems of cross cultural changes.
It is clear from this reading that it is not only Islam that has extremists, but also Christians and Jews, and it is they whose capacity for destruction is truly terrifying, the reader may conclude, with the vast Military Industrial Complex at their disposal.
The solution for winning a Cosmic War?

By refusing to fight in one.

Excellent
Simply put, this is an outstanding piece of work. Aslan tackles so many big issues in a relatively short space and accomplishes the monumental task of making difficult issues highly engrossing and easily accessible. The preface and introduction feature so much food for thought that in the hands of a less capable writer it would take a whole series of books to convey. Superb. I pray this is on President Obama's nightstand.