Summary
Title: Islam Under Siege: Living Dangerously in a Post-Honour World
Author: Akbar S. Ahmed
Publisher: Polity Press
ISBN: 0745622097
Pro:
• Makes a good case for the ability of Islam to find a way between extremism and secularism
Con:
• Assumes the existence of an ideal, pure Islam, independent of what Muslims actually do
Description:
• Addresses how most Muslims are caught between extremist Islam and the secular West
• Argues that questions of honor play a key role in Muslims' relationship with the West
• Directs arguments towards Muslims who are looking for a way out of their conundrum
Book Review
That's a question which animates a recent book by Akbar S. Ahmed, Islam Under Siege. Along the way Ahmed, former High Commissioner (Ambassador) of Pakistan to Great Britain and chair of Islamic Studies at American University, discusses the more common questions in books such as this: what has gone wrong in the Muslim world, why it has gone wrong, and how we (by which he means both Muslims and non-Muslims) can work to repair the situation and thus pave the way for a more stable future for everyone.
Is Islam really "under siege"? Yes, and on multiple levels. Externally, Islam has come into direct conflict with Judaism (Middle East), Christianity (Balkans, Nigeria, Sudan), Hinduism (South Asia), and even Buddhism after the statues in Bamiyan, Afghanistan were blown up by the Taliban. Around the world, Muslims minorities are often concerned with whether they will be perceived as terrorists. Internally, Muslims are sometimes afraid of one another - moderates afraid of being killed by extremists, extremists afraid that moderates are corrupting their religion.
Ahmed approaches the issues not from the perspective of a professor of religion or politics; rather, he approaches it from the perspective of an anthropologist. This seems to provide him with insights which readers won't normally find in other books on this subject. In particular, Ahmed focuses upon the concept of honor.
He argues that much of what is going wrong not simply in the Muslim world but around the globe is a consequence of people feeling as though their honor has been impinged upon, if not robbed entirely, and that this then motivates them towards violence in order to redeem themselves. Although Ahmed tends to discuss this from the perspective of people who have been displaced through war or economic changes, in fact the same principles could be applied to understand the motivations of Western powers as well.
He describes such societies as "post honor" because traditional ideas about honor are neglected or rejected, but that isn't really true. The word 'honor' may not be used very often, but we can substitute terms such as 'credibility' and achieve much the same effect. The tradition code of honor dictates that you lose face if you does not respond to an insult; in official circles, a response is required in order to maintain international and military credibility. The language may change, but many of the basic motivations as well as the final consequences look awfully similar.
