Between Jihad and Saalm: Profiles in Islam

Davis, Joyce M. Between Jihad and Saalm: Profiles in Islam. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1999. 339 pp.

Islam is one of the world's great religions and the Muslim population is estimated at 1.2 billion worldwide and 3 to 6 million in the U.S. About 20 percent of all people on earth follow Islam. The religion is in a period of rapid growth and it is expected that, if current trends continue, Islam will become the most popular religion sometime in the mid-21st century. There are around 58 Muslim countries, but most of them are underdeveloped and backward and many Muslim states are still under the weight of despotism and authoritarian rule.

Joyce M. Davis has contributed a dynamic collection of interviews that unveils the thoughts and personalities of different Muslim countries. The author's scholarly work has adequately addressed the contemporary issues of the Muslim world which has a lasting impact in the domestic environment and on the international scene. The author presents seventeen interviews with intellectuals, elites, scholars and leaders from ten Muslim countries (Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Sudan, and Tunisia). The main strength of this book is the insight it provides into the intellectual vitality that at the moment is igniting the Muslim world. Its appeal to Westerners is to enable them to see Muslims as human beings and as a part of the international community, rather than as enemies or rivals. The author has tried conscientiously to present the interviewees' perceptions and thoughts.

The author reveals extremes in opinion, providing a personal glimpse of the kind of people influencing the development of Islamic thought. The interviews have been conducted with even-handedness, resulting in an unbiased portrait of the players in one of the most volatile regions in the world. Most of the people profiled in this book are considered moderates in the Muslim world; they dislike violence and advocate political, social and educational reforms in the Muslim countries. The author recognises that a common feature among the interviewees their active opposition to the policies of Muslim governments. They claim that the majority of Muslim rulers are agents of the West but disagree with the extremist that the only way to bring justice to the Muslim countries is through violence, not by political process.

The author explains that Islam has been seen as a challenge to Western civilisation and values since the Islamic revolution of Iran (1979) and the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan (1994) who made Islam as dangerous as communism. The author further explains why the word "Muslim" is not respectable in the United States and also discusses the core causes of the Muslims' antagonistic attitude against America. In this regard, the author comprehensively analyses the Islamic movements in the Muslim world and evaluates the circumstances under which Islam became an integral part of many Muslim societies, as well as the cultural identity of Muslim people. The author admits that the term "fundamentalist" has no meaning in the Islamic world, but is used in the West as synonymous for radical or militant.

The author also claims that most of the interviewees were unhappy with the West and fashionably blamed the West for their countries ills. They criticised Western domination, but had no alternative solution to their grave problems. The author's analysis indicates that the Muslim depth of frustration and anger is a reaction against European colonialism and support for unpopular regimes which extremists perceive as corrupt, incompetent and puppets of the West. They blame the West for the backwardness and failure to achieve economic self-sufficiency and development of the Muslim countries. Davis also argues that in many Muslim countries, the masses have demanded democracy but the US have supported authoritarian regimes, which also breeds radical opposition in the Muslim world and stimulates anti-American sentiment. The author discusses the onslaught of Western culture, which the Muslims consider to be immoral, and notes their fear that Western influence will undermine the religious values of the Muslim societies. However, the author reports that Saidal-Ashmawy (the former Chief justice of Egyptian Supreme court) expressed appreciation of Western values including music, art, literature, and expressed no anger toward the West.

The author discusses myriad extremist organisations which have different ideas and ideologies for the creation of an Islamic state. In this context, the author argues that there is no consensus among scholars, because the Muslim world is divided on interpretation of the Quran and Islamic Shariah. Moreover, there is a popular demand for Islamic laws in Sudan, Algeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. At the same time, no one has any framework for an Islamic state or idea how to achieve their goals for Islamic society. The author explains that politics and religion are not separate in the Muslim world and Muslims believe that religious values have the solution to moral and political decay, and for this reason, mosques have an effective social, cultural and religious influence in the Muslim world. Moreover, Muslim extremists believe that to come closer to the West would mean to become more corrupt and promote immorality.