Islam: A Mosaic, Not a Monolith

by Vartan Gregorian

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After World War II, leading western powers focused their attention on fighting the ""Red Menace,"" Communism. Today, as terrorist activity is increasingly linked to militant Islamism, some politicians and scholars fear a ""Green Menace,"" a Pan-Islamic totalitarian movement fueled by monolithic religious ideology. Such fears have no foundation in history, according to Vartan Gregorian. In this succinct, powerful survey of Islam, Gregorian focuses on Muslim diversity and division, portraying the faith and its people as a mosaic, not a monolith. The book begins with an accessible overview of Islam's tenets, institutions, evolution, and historical role. Gregorian traces its origins and fundamental principles, from Muhammad's call to faith nearly 1,400 years ago to the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, and the subsequent abolition of the Caliphate. He focuses particular attention on the intense struggle between modernists and traditionalists, interaction between religion and nationalism, and key developments that have caused bitter divisions among Muslim nations and the partitions of Palestine, the break up and Islamization of Pakistan, the 1978 revolution in Iran, and the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Today Islamist views range across the entire spectra of religious and political thought, and Islamism is anything but a unified movement. While religious extremists have attempted to form a confederacy of like-minded radicals in many countries, much of the Muslim population lives in relatively modern, secular states. Gregorian urges Westerners to distinguish between activist Islamist parties, which promote—sometimes violently—Islam as an ideology in a theocratic state, and Islamic parties, whose traditional members want their secular political systems to co-exist with the moral principles of their religion. Gregorian emphasizes the importance of religion in today's world and urges states,societies, and intellectuals to intervene in order to prevent Islam--as well as other religions--from becoming the political tool of various parties and states. He recommends continuing dialogues between modernist and traditionalist Muslims, as well as among the educated, secular elite and their clerical counterparts. He also urges U.S.-led efforts to engage and better understand the diversity of Muslim communities in the United States and the world. Lamenting widespread U.S. ignorance of the world's fastest-growing religion, Gregorian calls on ""enlightened citizens"" to promote international understanding, tolerance, and peace.
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Genres: Islam, Nonfiction, Religion

179 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really I would like to write something more thoughtful for this, my last book of the year. I am a practicing Catholic but I do find Islamic religion and culture very interesting. This book, understandably, I was drawn to. And reading it has been a great experience, allowing me to further appreciate this misunderstood religion. Gregorian, a Muslim immigrant and now a professor (among other things) in New York, addresses many controversial issues with integrity and balance. Far from coming off as an Islamist apologist, he does not hesitate in pointing out the many places where Islam is not entirely compatible with the West and where there is a genuine need for reform even within its home countries. Instead of provoking an us-and-them attitude throughout the book, he instead urges one to understand the complexities inherent in this great and important religion. Something I and many other people ought to be more willing to do.

[Rizwanur Rahman · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read in recent days. The author beautifully explained the dilemma within modern Muslim minds, the struggle of modern Muslim countries to cope with the current situation, the reasons behind fundamentalism and diffidence towards westerners in Muslim societies, the Traditionalist vs. Modernist mechanism, and so on. The book might be 20 years old but still relevant to the contemporary world. A Must Read!

The author was cautious about expressing his own thoughts; he mainly depended on other scholars' expressions and concisely plus carefully described different schools of thoughts among westerners regarding Muslim society. I liked the approach and the detailed references.

[char · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing. The fact that this was written in the aftermath of, and somewhat as a response to 9/11 was extremely obvious, as the book focused way too much on the military and political history of the ummah, as opposed to the religion itself. I was hoping for something more about what daily Muslim life looks like in different countries and branches of Islam, which is what the subtitle made the book sound like... Oh well.

[Chantal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not quite I was expecting. I was hoping it would be more about the beliefs of Islam, but it was more a socio-historical account.