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The Islamic Paradox: Shiite Clerics, Sunni Fundamentalists, and the Coming of Arab Democracy
This monograph concludes that, paradoxically, those who have hated the United States the most now hold the keys to spreading democracy in the Muslim Middle East.
68 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 12, 2015
Given that Gerecht is a CIA guy writing for other federal bureaucrats, I expected not to like this book. But I was pleasantly surprised at how informative it was. In a mere 58 pages, it covers a lot of ground about Shi'ites and Sunnis and their relationship historically.
The focus is on Iraq in the wake of the Second Gulf War, and there's a lot of interesting information about American Arabists like Hume Horan and Michael Gfoeller, secular groups like Allawi's Iraqi National Accord, Shi'ite fundamentalist groups like the Da`awa Islamia and Sadr's Saddriyin and, of course, Zarqawi's largely foreign contingent of Al-Qa`eda-affiliated Sunni terrorists.
There's interesting cultural information in the book about Shi'ite neighborhoods of Baghdad such as Kerada and of Al-Basra in the south, of Shi'ite Hawza councils which grew out of the clerical academies, traditional revenge killings or intiqam between Sunnis and Shi'ites, and lots of other pratical information for people trying to grasp the situation in Iraq.
The Sunni-Shi'ite divide in other Arab countries and in Iran is also explored in the book. And he brings up the interesting Shi'ite concept of teqqiya or dissimulation which grew out of Shi'a efforts to protect themselves against a history of violence and intolerance directed against them by Sunnis much as Christians have been guilty of the same against Jews and other minorities in Europe over the centuries.
Ayatollah Sistani comes across very favorably in this book due to his determination to avoid reprisals against Sunnis in the wake of many suicide bombings against Shi'ite pilgrims at shrines and Shi'ite citizens attempting to procure work as police officers and the like. Other Shi'ite groups like the Mehdi Army and the Islamic Da'awa come across much less sympathically as do almost all the Sunni groups active in Iraq.
One interesting point Gerecht explores is the fact that Sunnis have been much more tolerant of repressive governments over the centuries, and he points to some quotes from historic leaders to suggest why this is. One thing I prefer about Sunni Islam over Shi'ite Islam is the idea that a person needs no intercession between himself and God. Shi'ites, on the other hand, looked to one or more ayatollahs as guides for how they should conduct their lives. But individuals are free to choose the leaders they prefer.
The so-called Islamic state had not yet arisen when this book was published in 2004. In fact, a lot of the information in this book is quickly becoming out of date. However, I think it will be a very useful source of information for historians in the future.
The focus is on Iraq in the wake of the Second Gulf War, and there's a lot of interesting information about American Arabists like Hume Horan and Michael Gfoeller, secular groups like Allawi's Iraqi National Accord, Shi'ite fundamentalist groups like the Da`awa Islamia and Sadr's Saddriyin and, of course, Zarqawi's largely foreign contingent of Al-Qa`eda-affiliated Sunni terrorists.
There's interesting cultural information in the book about Shi'ite neighborhoods of Baghdad such as Kerada and of Al-Basra in the south, of Shi'ite Hawza councils which grew out of the clerical academies, traditional revenge killings or intiqam between Sunnis and Shi'ites, and lots of other pratical information for people trying to grasp the situation in Iraq.
The Sunni-Shi'ite divide in other Arab countries and in Iran is also explored in the book. And he brings up the interesting Shi'ite concept of teqqiya or dissimulation which grew out of Shi'a efforts to protect themselves against a history of violence and intolerance directed against them by Sunnis much as Christians have been guilty of the same against Jews and other minorities in Europe over the centuries.
Ayatollah Sistani comes across very favorably in this book due to his determination to avoid reprisals against Sunnis in the wake of many suicide bombings against Shi'ite pilgrims at shrines and Shi'ite citizens attempting to procure work as police officers and the like. Other Shi'ite groups like the Mehdi Army and the Islamic Da'awa come across much less sympathically as do almost all the Sunni groups active in Iraq.
One interesting point Gerecht explores is the fact that Sunnis have been much more tolerant of repressive governments over the centuries, and he points to some quotes from historic leaders to suggest why this is. One thing I prefer about Sunni Islam over Shi'ite Islam is the idea that a person needs no intercession between himself and God. Shi'ites, on the other hand, looked to one or more ayatollahs as guides for how they should conduct their lives. But individuals are free to choose the leaders they prefer.
The so-called Islamic state had not yet arisen when this book was published in 2004. In fact, a lot of the information in this book is quickly becoming out of date. However, I think it will be a very useful source of information for historians in the future.
December 29, 2014
Interesting premise behind the book.Potentially dangerous, but worth considering.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews