Profiled on the front page of the "Wall Street Journal," Iranian-born scholar Vali Nasr has become one of America's leading commentators on current...
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Nov 17, 2008
Valerie
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The first chapter of this book is the single best explanation I have ever seen explaining the distinction between Shias and Sunnis. Nasr has performed a valuable service in writing this book. Most explanations reduce the Shia/Sunni distinction to a mere theological point, rendering both sides foolish in the telling. Nasr explains the economic, political, and often ethnic differences that gave rise to such passionately held ideological differences. And he does so in an easy-to-read, captivating a
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Oct 31, 2009
Steven
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This is an accessible and useful volume for those who want to know more about what is at stake with the Shia versus Sunni disputes. At the outset, the author, Vali Nasr, notes that (page 20): "The Shia-Sunni conflict is at once a struggle for the soul of Islam. . .and a manifestation of the kind of tribal wars of ethnicities and identities, so seemingly archaic at times, yet so surprisingly vital, with which humanity has become wearily familiar."
The volume begins with a de More...
The volume begins with a de More...
Aug 06, 2011
This is obviously from the Shia perspective, but in my limited-knowledge opinion (which I'd argue we all speak from) I'd say calling Khomeini the Sunnification of Shiism went a little far. Basically, the author appeared to back-peddle from his established opinion that Shia was the democratic and modernist alternative to a backward, fundamentalist Sunniism. Of course Khomeini is Shia and there was a Safavid empire based in Iran - but he tries to take what would be scary to the west and label it S
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Aug 24, 2009
Nicholas
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Though this book has it's flaws in scholarship, for example:
-Lack of Arabic sources
-Lack of balance leaning obviously toward a Shia perspective
it does provide a much needed and refreshingly different look at politics and history in the Middle East. Having been a student of "Arab studies," at one of the more progressive University departments devoted to the subject, it amazed me to finally open my eyes, reading this book, and realize how much the American and Wes More...
-Lack of Arabic sources
-Lack of balance leaning obviously toward a Shia perspective
it does provide a much needed and refreshingly different look at politics and history in the Middle East. Having been a student of "Arab studies," at one of the more progressive University departments devoted to the subject, it amazed me to finally open my eyes, reading this book, and realize how much the American and Wes More...
Aug 08, 2011
Nura
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The sectarian conflict that has taken and is taking place in the Middle East is certainly not what the Prophet had in mind in propagating Islam, in my opinion.
Are the Shia, Muslims? Are the Sunnis right? Honestly, no one knows. Instead, we have both groups, each trying to out-shout each other, saying that theirs is the true Islam. And most often, by violent means.
What a waste of time and resources. They are sitting on huge deposits of oil which could greatly help them bu More...
Are the Shia, Muslims? Are the Sunnis right? Honestly, no one knows. Instead, we have both groups, each trying to out-shout each other, saying that theirs is the true Islam. And most often, by violent means.
What a waste of time and resources. They are sitting on huge deposits of oil which could greatly help them bu More...
Mar 14, 2009
Jess
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Nasr's basic argument is that Shi'a are becoming more politicized for two reasons:
1) Sunni fundamentalism supercharges the salience of Shi'a identity throughout the Muslim world
2) The war in Iraq provides an example of what democracy can do for Shi'a populations.
Though he draws a pretty grim outlook from this, I think his fundamental analysis is pretty lacking. He relies too heavily on US intelligence reports and, in my opinion, misjudges the spillover affect in Iran.
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1) Sunni fundamentalism supercharges the salience of Shi'a identity throughout the Muslim world
2) The war in Iraq provides an example of what democracy can do for Shi'a populations.
Though he draws a pretty grim outlook from this, I think his fundamental analysis is pretty lacking. He relies too heavily on US intelligence reports and, in my opinion, misjudges the spillover affect in Iran.
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Dec 16, 2009
Mustafa
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Interesting central hypothesis about how the position of Shiites within the Muslim world is changing, but wasn't overly impressed with his argument. Too much of it felt a bit anecdotal.
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Jan 18, 2009
John
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In spite of its obviously pro-Shia bias, which many other readers have also noted, this is a superb book; I cannot imagine a better introduction to the current sectarian religious strife in the Middle East and Central Asia, nor to the general theological as well as political differences between Shia and Sunni believers. In fact, it's hard to imagine a better introduction to the history and theology of Islam, period. Nasr achieves what I think I most admire in a writer of this sort of study, ma
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Jun 04, 2008
Ed
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Dealing with the Middle East without understanding the very basic differences between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam would be like trying to bring peace to Northern Ireland while remaining ignorant of the divisions between Protestant and Catholic Christians.
Vali Nasr writes very well. His brief survey of the theological, geographic and class based differences between the two major sources of Islamic thought is clear and (it seems) very precise.
This book will go a More...
Vali Nasr writes very well. His brief survey of the theological, geographic and class based differences between the two major sources of Islamic thought is clear and (it seems) very precise.
This book will go a More...
Jun 10, 2008
Ben
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This book basically has two parts and both are very informative. The first part is a sort of history or introduction to the Shias, who they are, and how they fit in the middle east vis-a-vis the Sunnis. The second part of the book is less historical, more of an analysis of the current situation along with thoughts on how the middle east is shaping up and what the rise of the Shias (and, the rise of Iran's influence - read influence, not domination or control) could do to change the region.
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Jul 12, 2007
Jamie
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Over the last three years, I think we've all become painful aware of the sectarian struggle between Shia and Sunni Muslims in Iraq. Although the political and armed struggle in Iraq probably represents the most intense manifestation of the Shia/Sunni struggle, this conflicts plays out in other Arab regions to significant effect - it was the conflict between the Sunni PLO and the Shias in southern Lebanon in the late 1970's and early 1980's that led to the foundation of the Hezbollah as a means
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Nov 07, 2011
Niki
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I loved this book. This is a really good way to help an American understand exactly what is going on in the Middle East.
I read bits of it for class in 2009 but I finally got a chance to read it for fun this year and I was thrilled I did. I enjoyed the CRAP out of this book.
Thanks Dr. Weinberg, as always, books you assign are more informative and helpful than I could have ever predicted. I actually was able to lead a discussion on Islam because of this book.
I read bits of it for class in 2009 but I finally got a chance to read it for fun this year and I was thrilled I did. I enjoyed the CRAP out of this book.
Thanks Dr. Weinberg, as always, books you assign are more informative and helpful than I could have ever predicted. I actually was able to lead a discussion on Islam because of this book.
Aug 09, 2009
R
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An excellent insight into the true power politics of the region. Where Americans see national boundaries and cults of personality, the actual power structure is based on Sunni/Shi'a history. It doesn't get a higher rating because Vali Nasr doesn't communicate his points and this structure well, leaving it to the reader to pick it out across a broad swatch of history. I'm a dilettante (though I do some of this stuff for work), and wanted more structure.
Jul 07, 2008
Jon
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Nasr falls on the sectarian side of the debate over how the contemporary and future Middle East will organize itself. Unlike scholars such as Moshe Ma'oz--who argue that local and regional balances of power will define the Middle East's power struggles and hotspots--Nasr understands the future of the Middle East in terms of a general split along Sunni-Shi'i lines. According to this logic, major cleaveages cut across--as opposed to along or within--national borders. As a result, the differences b
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Feb 10, 2011
Charlotte
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Nasr gives provides a new way of looking at many of the conflicts that bedevil Islamic communities in the Middle East and Asia through the lens of the Shia-Sunni split. I have taken a number of graduate level courses on the Middle East and they almost all failed to articulate how important this schism has been for Islamic history.
Dec 21, 2011
梁飞
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For an individual who doesn't have any sort of background in Islam, this book is a very good introduction. However, with that being said, there was one line in the book that made me seriously question the quality of it's scholarship in which Nasr states that the Yazidi are a sect of Shia. Um, definately not.
Jan 25, 2009
Angela
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I actually didn't finish this book. It is very informative and well written, but for me it was too detailed and I felt like I wasn't retaining anything that I was reading, so I gave up about half way through. My husband read it (all the way through) and he thought it was really good.
Jun 14, 2009
John
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This is a really interesting book, given to me by my friend Peter Sims, particularly in light of the Iranian elections last week. It's an in depth, but readable explanation of the history of the Shia/Sunni relationship, but also a very broad look at the contemporary politics across the region. I have a pretty strong sense that there's some pro-Shia bias in the book (although as an outsider, it's difficult to assess how much, really) -- nonetheless, this was probably the single most useful book I
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May 22, 2008
Benjamin
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This is a very informative read for people who are just beginning to learn about the Middle East, and I wholeheartedly agree with New York Times correspondent Dexter Filkins (who has his own Iraq book coming out in September) when he says that, "the more you learn about the Middle East, the less you understand."
The book summarizes the split between the Sunnis and the Shia and their history of relations. But the crux of this book is about the sectarian conflict between sun More...
The book summarizes the split between the Sunnis and the Shia and their history of relations. But the crux of this book is about the sectarian conflict between sun More...
Sep 23, 2011
Tamara
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One of the worst books I have ever read. Mr. Nasr is so biased it is sickening. He constantly refers to Sunni Muslims as extremist. So what is Hezbollah? The next door neighbor??
May 27, 2011
Sarah
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It took me much longer than usual to get through this book, simply due to all of the detail Nasr includes and the scope of the problems he discusses (not to mention somewhat unfamiliar names and a lot of groups to keep straight). Fairly easy to read, excepting that.
I'm sure other reviews have brought this up, but I feel like there's a Shia bias in the work and will definitely try to find differing perspectives. There is no one right way to view the conflict in the Middle East, howeve More...
I'm sure other reviews have brought this up, but I feel like there's a Shia bias in the work and will definitely try to find differing perspectives. There is no one right way to view the conflict in the Middle East, howeve More...
Apr 26, 2008
Sam
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An incredibly valuable book for anyone trying to understand the main sectarian conflict that is defining the Middle East. This book covers the history of Shia Islam from the initial schism in Islamic leadership right up to the present day. The author tends to insert a lot of history into a small book, and some more analysis would have been nice, but again, I can't say enough about the window this provided me, an American, into the history present-day conflicts that shape one of the world's lar
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Jan 06, 2012
Ghada
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I am really hesitant to give this book 3 starts but I gave it that because it is a great book in terms of covering many untouched issues and it leaves the reader with enough curiosity to read more on the issue.
What was apparent for me in the book, which I did not like especially that the author has a big academic back ground, is his apparent sympathy with Shies. I noticed that when ever he talks about bloody acts committed by Shies he is giving them the excuse that they were retaliated. He More...
What was apparent for me in the book, which I did not like especially that the author has a big academic back ground, is his apparent sympathy with Shies. I noticed that when ever he talks about bloody acts committed by Shies he is giving them the excuse that they were retaliated. He More...
Apr 12, 2009
Melinda
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I read this for my Middle Eastern class and I would recommend it to anyone, especially if you are interested in the Middle East and current events.
Aug 18, 2009
Christy
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Calm, expertly told, important history for a better understanding of conflict within the Muslim community.
Jan 17, 2010
The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future by Vali Nasr (2006)
Aug 12, 2011
Jonathan
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Vali Nasr is America's resident 'Shia expert' and in no small part due to this book.
Jul 30, 2011
Very interesting look at a conflict that runs much deeper than we often see.
Dec 01, 2010
Ali
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Great read, very acurate in his account of history and regional conflicts.
