Arab books and human development

Religious Books

By all accounts, religious texts represent a large part of the Arab book industry. As already noted, the 2003 AHDR reproduced figures suggesting that between 15 and 20 percent of Arab books are on 'religious' topics. A recent study of publishing in Beirut found that 52 percent of Lebanese publishers produced books that might be termed Islamic. Yet the same study went on to say that religious books represent no more than 15 percent of total production, with only some 30 new Islamic titles being published each month, or a total of some 360 new 'Islamic' books per year. (15) Clearly there is a risk of overstating the problem as set out in the AHDR, if there is a problem at all.

A first observation to these figures is that there is nothing surprising about the large number of books on 'religious topics' published in Arabic. Religion is a very important aspect of the personal and intellectual life of many Arabs and Westerners alike. Arab publishers will print religious books only if Arab consumers wish to buy them, and there is no clear 'appropriate market share' for books on religion in any culture. A second observation is that many 'religious books' are also about politics, the economy, history, contemporary society, and self improvement. Bernard Haykel gives a vivid description of these 'Islamic best sellers':

   The most recent of these [Islamic best sellers] is La tahzun
   [Don't be sad] written by Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni, a
   Wahhabi scholar. It is a compilation of all the Quranic
   quotations and hadith (sayings of the Prophet) enjoining
   Muslims not to feel sad and suggesting what they can do to
   cheer their spirits: a 'feel good' book in Islamic guise. And
   there are others, all offering answers to current predicaments
   that engage Muslims: what attitude to take to the events of 11
   September, or what the Quran has to say about Jews. These
   really sell, because they address what people are engaged with
   at any given time. (16)

Because the authors use a religious language to address these issues, their works might be classed as 'religious.' However, the term 'Islamic' or 'religious books' is too broad to be of particular use for analytical purposes. One would never class a book published by a Western academic on Islam in society or politics as a 'religious book', but as a work in politics, sociology or Middle Eastern studies. Clearly Islamic books need to be broken down into different types of book rather than being treated as a common category.

While many in the West assume that 'religious books' in the Arab world must be in some way obscurantist or radicalizing, they are unaware of the heated debates that certain religious books have provoked. Sadiq Jalal al-Azm's critique of religious thought, or Nasir Hamid Abu Zayd's critique of religious discourse, might well be on religion, but are none the less critical of their subject matter. Even on 'religious topics' the widest range of issues may be treated, such as the striking renunciation of violence by a former member of the Egyptian militant Gama'a Islamiyya (Islamic Group) entitled Life is More Beautiful than Paradise. (17) The book sold very well in Arabic and was translated into five languages, though it has yet to appear in English.