What do you think?
It's Not About Religion
Literary Nonfiction. Middle Eastern Studies. When the Middle East is covered on the news or depicted in film, what is shown is a region defined almost exclusively by violence, chaos, and extremism, and a common question often arises in Does religion have anything to do with it?
In this concise book, Gregory Harms examines a range of topics in an effort to answer the question. As the book's title indicates, the region's woes and instability are in fact not caused by biblical or Islamic factors. Harms reveals a list of entirely secular factors and realities as he examines how and why Americans view the Arab Middle East the way they do; the history of European and U.S. involvement in the region; the emergence of Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism; and how academics and the mass media tend to discuss the region and its inhabitants.
In roughly one hundred pages, the reader is shown a constellation of history and culture that will hopefully help move the conversation of the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy in a more grounded and precise direction.
"For anyone wishing to understand the disconnect between the protests of the 'Arab Spring' that have so inspired us all and the Western image of the Middle East as an eternally fundamentalist, freedom-hating backwater, this book is for you. An informative, lively, and humane look at the real sources of conflict and struggle in the region."—Naomi Klein
"Gregory Harms's IT'S NOT ABOUT RELIGION is a welcome breath of reason in the midst of our continued and willful ignorance about all things Islamic, Middle Eastern, and especially, Muslim. Important and timely."—Nick Flynn
In this concise book, Gregory Harms examines a range of topics in an effort to answer the question. As the book's title indicates, the region's woes and instability are in fact not caused by biblical or Islamic factors. Harms reveals a list of entirely secular factors and realities as he examines how and why Americans view the Arab Middle East the way they do; the history of European and U.S. involvement in the region; the emergence of Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism; and how academics and the mass media tend to discuss the region and its inhabitants.
In roughly one hundred pages, the reader is shown a constellation of history and culture that will hopefully help move the conversation of the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy in a more grounded and precise direction.
"For anyone wishing to understand the disconnect between the protests of the 'Arab Spring' that have so inspired us all and the Western image of the Middle East as an eternally fundamentalist, freedom-hating backwater, this book is for you. An informative, lively, and humane look at the real sources of conflict and struggle in the region."—Naomi Klein
"Gregory Harms's IT'S NOT ABOUT RELIGION is a welcome breath of reason in the midst of our continued and willful ignorance about all things Islamic, Middle Eastern, and especially, Muslim. Important and timely."—Nick Flynn
- GenresNonfiction
103 pages, Paperback
First published July 20, 2012
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 6, 2020
This is not new or revealing information. After just reading "Infidel", this falls short. Felt like I had already read this information.
November 5, 2012
Review: It’s Not About Religion
Gregory Harms' Explanation for the Unrest in the Middle East
Antonia DiBona
It’s Not About Religion
Gregory Harms
Nonfiction
Perceval Press, pp. 106
Cost: $11.00
How Much Does Religion Have to Do With It?
If asked about the source of the problems in the Middle East, the average American undoubtedly would answer "Islam." At least that is according to Gregory Harms in his new book It’s Not About Religion. He writes, “It has become a virtual reflex to sum up the different conflicts in the region as being a throwback to biblical times.” An independent scholar focusing on US/Middle East relations, Harms sets out to systematically portray what he sites as the true sources of conflict in the Middle East and the role of the West, especially the United States. It’s Not About Religion is the story of a calculating Western government, one that has tried to manipulate the region and in the process caused many of its problems. The volume is laid out in a straightforward manner offering a five-part look at Middle Eastern politics: how Muslims have been presented to Americans historically, Western Europe’s policies in the Middle East, U.S. involvement in the region, the role of religion in the Middle East, and finally the imperialist view that governed America’s actions in the region.
A major theme throughout the book is a depiction of a meddling United States whose actions created unforeseen consequences. Harms clearly shows specific cases of this phenomenon. For example, in the early 1950s, Iran's prime minister, Muhammad Mossadeq, was interested in nationalizing the then British-owned oil industry. The White House, with close ties to England and oil interests of its own, did not view Mossadeq favorably. A coup was staged in 1953 to overthrow Mossadeq and replace him with a more Western- friendly Shah in a government mission called Operation Ajax. The author of It’s Not About Religion, Gregory Harms’, take on the matter is strikingly similar to the New York Times' bestseller All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror, which also noted the unfairness of the situation. Stephen Kinzer, author of All the Shah’s Men notes, “‘My only crime,’ Mossadeq told his judges, ‘is that I nationalized the Iranian oil industry and removed from this land the network of colonialism and political and economic influence of the greatest empire on earth.’” Harms argues what Stephen Kinzer suggests that “the years following Operation Ajax saw not only a return to the authoritarian oppression long familiar to the Iranian people, but also an upgrade of the Shah’s repressive methods in order to discourage further ‘instability.’” Harms, like Kinzer, questions what Iran would be like today had the United States not interfered. It is a good question and worth contemplating.
Although the title of the book is It’s Not About Religion, Harms does consider religious groups that have sprung up in the region. He explains how these different religious groups were formed and came into popularity but depicts certain groups like the Muslim Brotherhood very differently from some of his contemporaries. In her memoir, Infidel, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a woman raised in Islamic states who claimed asylum in the Netherlands, spoke out against Islamic groups like the Brotherhood and their treatment of women. She champions a secular democratic Middle East and does not support the Muslim Brotherhood. Harms, on the other hand, argues, “Although the Brotherhood had periods of violence, on balance it steered a moderate course.” Obviously his view of religious extremists groups is different that Ali but he explains that religion offers hope for the people in this region and it is hope from “leaders who function either as attendants to American power.” In this way, he again shows how the United States and Western policies have set up an unstable region where religious extremism can flourish.
As an American, It’s Not About Religion can seem offensive at times. The author is not coming from the popular Western point of view. In the book, Harms considers Robert Fisk, a Middle East news reporter, who described fellow reporters as having “deep insight many of them, into what’s happening in the region, but when I read their reports it’s not there. Everything they have to tell me of interest has been erased.” Gregory Harms argues that this is proof of a biased media. He states, “State power pursues its foreign agenda, which is often carried out with the private sector’s well-being in mind. The private sector owns the media and is not going to imperil its interests.” For a reader who may have been raised with the idea of a free and unbiased press, this feels like an assault against everything he or she believes, but the point Harms raises is an interesting one. It plays into the overall theme of the American government’s manipulation of both foreign and domestic entities. It’s Not About Religion offers an informative look at this underlying problem of the Middle East, taking the discourse away from the tired excuse of religion. It is an enlightening read, well-written, concise and clear. Perhaps a book such as this helps more of us challenge what we think we know about a multifaceted problem.
Bibliography
Kinzer, S. (2003). All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Gregory Harms' Explanation for the Unrest in the Middle East
Antonia DiBona
It’s Not About Religion
Gregory Harms
Nonfiction
Perceval Press, pp. 106
Cost: $11.00
How Much Does Religion Have to Do With It?
If asked about the source of the problems in the Middle East, the average American undoubtedly would answer "Islam." At least that is according to Gregory Harms in his new book It’s Not About Religion. He writes, “It has become a virtual reflex to sum up the different conflicts in the region as being a throwback to biblical times.” An independent scholar focusing on US/Middle East relations, Harms sets out to systematically portray what he sites as the true sources of conflict in the Middle East and the role of the West, especially the United States. It’s Not About Religion is the story of a calculating Western government, one that has tried to manipulate the region and in the process caused many of its problems. The volume is laid out in a straightforward manner offering a five-part look at Middle Eastern politics: how Muslims have been presented to Americans historically, Western Europe’s policies in the Middle East, U.S. involvement in the region, the role of religion in the Middle East, and finally the imperialist view that governed America’s actions in the region.
A major theme throughout the book is a depiction of a meddling United States whose actions created unforeseen consequences. Harms clearly shows specific cases of this phenomenon. For example, in the early 1950s, Iran's prime minister, Muhammad Mossadeq, was interested in nationalizing the then British-owned oil industry. The White House, with close ties to England and oil interests of its own, did not view Mossadeq favorably. A coup was staged in 1953 to overthrow Mossadeq and replace him with a more Western- friendly Shah in a government mission called Operation Ajax. The author of It’s Not About Religion, Gregory Harms’, take on the matter is strikingly similar to the New York Times' bestseller All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror, which also noted the unfairness of the situation. Stephen Kinzer, author of All the Shah’s Men notes, “‘My only crime,’ Mossadeq told his judges, ‘is that I nationalized the Iranian oil industry and removed from this land the network of colonialism and political and economic influence of the greatest empire on earth.’” Harms argues what Stephen Kinzer suggests that “the years following Operation Ajax saw not only a return to the authoritarian oppression long familiar to the Iranian people, but also an upgrade of the Shah’s repressive methods in order to discourage further ‘instability.’” Harms, like Kinzer, questions what Iran would be like today had the United States not interfered. It is a good question and worth contemplating.
Although the title of the book is It’s Not About Religion, Harms does consider religious groups that have sprung up in the region. He explains how these different religious groups were formed and came into popularity but depicts certain groups like the Muslim Brotherhood very differently from some of his contemporaries. In her memoir, Infidel, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a woman raised in Islamic states who claimed asylum in the Netherlands, spoke out against Islamic groups like the Brotherhood and their treatment of women. She champions a secular democratic Middle East and does not support the Muslim Brotherhood. Harms, on the other hand, argues, “Although the Brotherhood had periods of violence, on balance it steered a moderate course.” Obviously his view of religious extremists groups is different that Ali but he explains that religion offers hope for the people in this region and it is hope from “leaders who function either as attendants to American power.” In this way, he again shows how the United States and Western policies have set up an unstable region where religious extremism can flourish.
As an American, It’s Not About Religion can seem offensive at times. The author is not coming from the popular Western point of view. In the book, Harms considers Robert Fisk, a Middle East news reporter, who described fellow reporters as having “deep insight many of them, into what’s happening in the region, but when I read their reports it’s not there. Everything they have to tell me of interest has been erased.” Gregory Harms argues that this is proof of a biased media. He states, “State power pursues its foreign agenda, which is often carried out with the private sector’s well-being in mind. The private sector owns the media and is not going to imperil its interests.” For a reader who may have been raised with the idea of a free and unbiased press, this feels like an assault against everything he or she believes, but the point Harms raises is an interesting one. It plays into the overall theme of the American government’s manipulation of both foreign and domestic entities. It’s Not About Religion offers an informative look at this underlying problem of the Middle East, taking the discourse away from the tired excuse of religion. It is an enlightening read, well-written, concise and clear. Perhaps a book such as this helps more of us challenge what we think we know about a multifaceted problem.
Bibliography
Kinzer, S. (2003). All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
January 1, 2017
There is a great deal of info and insight packed into this 85 page book. There are some bits about America which you would feel is introductory if you grew up here. The parts about Islam in the Middle East are informative and broad in scope prompting one to take notes for future reading of reference material and for keeping an eye out for future text. The gist seems to be that the average resident of that part of the World is much like us and that much of the 'problems' presented to us via our media are clouded in policy which we are oft too busy to tease out or just not informed enough to comprehend. I heard about Perceval Press while listening to a Times Talk in NY. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a clearer view of our World.
December 3, 2013
Gregory Harms provides a fuller picture of the conflict in the Middle East than mainstream American media provides. In this short book(85 pages plus notes and bibliography the author is able to provide us with a brief history of the Middle East and of the United States government's manipulation of the area through post war imperialism
February 13, 2014
Home run. Harms' conversational narrative is informed and insightful while being concise and on target. His style avoids superfluous "noise" and delivers "signal" that is focuses the conversation.
This book should be required reading for EVERY High School Junior in the US (and everyone older than that).
This book should be required reading for EVERY High School Junior in the US (and everyone older than that).
October 7, 2014
Brilliant little book!!! I plan on reading everything he's ever written.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews