I didn't know what to expect when reading a book composed by one of the most prominent Muslim intellectuals of the 21st Century. For a second, I thought I was gonna read a book about the traditional tropes of radicals in the 3 Abrahamic faiths being rooted in a minority of their respective followers. The shocking thesis of Reza Aslan portrayed in this book describes a much more endemic problem: the idea of a "cosmic war" between what each radical group perceives as "good" and "evil", and how that differs and at the same time finds common ground between the 3 faiths. The backdrop of globalization further emphasizes the de-nationalization of identity and the construction of a new identity that transcends geographical and racial boundaries, whether he talks of the radical groups such as Al Qaeda, the Christian right-wing extremists in the USA, or the Zionist settler groups in the West Bank. He asserts that such a history goes back to some of the earliest followers and scholars of each religion, with prominent figures such as the Zealots of early Judaism, the Crusading Kingdoms of Europe, and the Khawarij (or Kharijites) of the post-Righteous-Caliphs era.
That being said, what of the book? Even after reading this review by the Foreign Policy Journal, I thought it was the most convincing and thoughtful analysis on modern-day extremism that I have read in a while, moreso by looking at realistic and socioeconomic factors and less so by looking at what people portray as "misinterpretation of the religion". I always thought that the argument that "extremists are a minority because they twist the interpretation of the books to suit their own ends" was a weak argument, weaker so than actually looking at the fact that most of these extremists - whether Jewish, Christian, or Muslim - haven't really engaged well in theological discussions about their religion let alone engage objectively in their own religiosity. The modern-day leaders of these groups, such as Bush Jr., Bin Laden, and the Kahanists, have paralleled the pasts of their own religions' turmoil (the Crusades between the Christians and Muslims, the resistance of the Jewish Zealots against the Roman Empire, and so on and so forth) to the present: the so-called "War on Terror" was in disguise a Crusade seen by Bush Jr. and a "Jihad" by Bin Laden, which in and of themselves are "cosmic wars".
With regards to the writing style, it is written in a way that is easy to read and understand. The content is well-cited with an abundance of glossary terms and references. Overall, the book is an excellent read. There were plenty of points I disagreed with, but the book is very relevant in this day and age, and is a must read for those interested in understanding the roots of extremism, especially as addressing the root causes of extremism is tantamount to reducing the widespread violence and bringing peace to people of all faiths and backgrounds.
Writing style - 5/5
Content - 5/5
Overall - 5/5
Salaam
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