Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #148619 in Books
• Published on: 2003-02-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

Synopsis
An urgently needed guide to the history and varieties of Moslem belief by a Jewish historian Osama bin Ladin is not really fighting a war against America: he is leading a revolution within Islam. Stephen Schwartz explains bin Laden's actions in terms of the goals of the radical Wahhabi sect to which he belongs and distinguishes its tenets from those of traditional Islam. Schwartz explains the origins of the extreme Wahhabi variant of Islam the sect to which Osama bin Laden belongs, and the official cult of the Saudi Arabian state. Rather than viewing Islam itself as the problem, like other critics, Schwartz seeks to rescue mainstream Islam from Western ignorance and prejudice. It is a defense of moderate Islam by an American Jewish historian. Founded in the 18th century by a radical Moslem cleric, Wahhabism is an extreme and intolerant "Islamo-fascist" offshoot that became the official sect of the Saudi Arabian state. Schwartz will trace the origin and history of Wahhabism, giving special attention to the vigorous program of ideological export financed and directed by the Saudis over the past 50 years.

Anyone who seeks to understand who we are fighting, what our enemies believe, who our potential Moslem friends are - and why the Saudis have been such reluctant allies - urgently needs to read this book. As we enter a protracted and difficult war against terrorism, many people are wondering what motivates the killers: is it really their religious beliefs, or do they simply hate Americans? Some have argued that Islam is a religion of peace; others that Islam has always harboured tendencies to violence and intolerance. Can both these views be right? Now more than ever, as we seek to build and maintain a coalition of moderate Arab states against the terrorists, we need to understand the complex history of Islam and the varieties of Islamic belief.