Malady of Islam

In this impassioned, erudite, and deeply moving book, Abdelwahab Meddeb, born and raised in Tunis and now living in Paris, details the breadth and scope of the Arab intellectual tradition and dismantles common preconceptions held by the Islamic and Western worlds. He describes the growing resentment between the West and the Islamic world as being due, in large part, to Islam's drift away from its own pluralist tradition. Tracing the history of the conquering of the Arab world by the West, he provides a detailed history of the ways in which Islamic fundamentalism has come to compensate for Western dominance. Directly addressing the terrorist attacks of September 11, he challenges us to reconsider the presumption that the gulf between the Islamic world and the West is too wide to breach. The malady of Islam lies in its alienation from the West and the corrosive influence that fundamentalism has wrought. This book is a correction of the historical record, a passionate description of the best of Islamic thought and culture, and an absolutely necessary read for those seeking a better understanding not only of Islam but also ourselves.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 09/05/2000
ISBN: 9780465044351
Pages: 256
Weight: 1.12lbs
Size: 9.50h x 6.36w x 0.94d

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 06/15/2003 pg. 848
New York Review of Books 04/29/2004 pg. 10
Choice 04/01/2004 pg. 1490
Reference and Research Bk News 02/01/2004 pg. 15
Publishers Weekly 07/01/2003
Library Journal 07/01/2003