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Islamic nations in the Middle East find themselves in continual conflict with their non-Muslim neighbors: Jewish Israel, Hindu India, and Christian Europe. These other countries do not find themselves involved with the same level of conflict with each other, but they are constantly at odds with Muslims - even to the point of military actions. Is this simply a coincidence?
No, probably not. Muslims today in the Middle East suffer from history - or more accurately, the memories of their own history. At one time, Muslim nations were the place to find some of the most advanced cultural and scientific developments in the entire world. They were also the place to find some of the most extensive religious tolerance which existed.
Today, however, matters stand quite differently. Muslim nations produce little, if any, scientific advances. They do not export cultural products like literature and music which appeal to the rest of the world in the same way that other nations do. They are also not a place to find a great deal of religious tolerance.
Understanding what changed, what went wrong, and why are keys to understanding why the current problems exist. Muslims in the Middle East experience their history as a current reality - the fact that something happened hundreds of years ago does not lessen its immediate impact and relevancy to them. Their religion teaches them that they are recipients of the final and most perfect revelation of God. Their history teaches them that they were once able to out-fight and out-produce everyone they encountered.
The fact that they are not now "on top" causes no end of discord and anger. The practical result in the modern era is jihad. This jihad is partially aimed inward, as people seek to "purify" their fellow believers' religious doctrines in the expectation that their problems are partially a result of having strayed from the "True Path" set down by God. This jihad is also aimed outward, a violent reaction against the perceived enemies of Islam who were responsible for colonialism and who are currently responsible for the cultural and political "attacks" on the Islamic way of life.
Although people commonly understand jihad simply as a religious doctrine, it is much more than that. It is, rather, a religiously-based reaction to political, social and cultural issues - as such, its form is determined in many ways by the political, social and cultural problems which people are seeking to remedy.
Thus, explanations of "jihad" cannot be reduced to simplistic notions either of "making war on the infidel," as critics tend to say, or of "struggle with temptation," as liberal apologists tend to say. Islamic jihad is a complex phenomenon, consisting of both political and religious aspects. Understanding this complexity is necessary in order to better understand the reactions of Muslims in the Middle East to various events and problems.
Two recent books explore both of these issues: what has gone wrong such that Muslims have lost their former status relative to the rest of the world and the response of "jihad" as an often violent reaction to perceived attacks. Bernard Lewis, in "What Went Wrong? Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response," does not offer any easy answers to the questions which trouble Muslims in the Middle East, he does help outsiders better understand the historical context which lies behind their conflict with the West.
In "Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam," John L. Esposito, explores the political, religious and social factors which have led to the current state of Islam and, perhaps, what sorts of changes may be necessary for a long-term improvement to be achieved. Esposito believes that Islam can have a democratic future but that it must first undergo important political and economic developments.
More About These Books:
Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam, by John L. Esposito. Published by Oxford University Press.
What Went Wrong?, by Bernard Lewis. Published by Oxford University Press.
