An Iranian equivalent of Monty Python's Life of Brian will deconstruct all this one day. The Shia sects and some of their more esoteric beliefs have little to do with Islamic theology. Ali was, without doubt, a sophisticated theorist and leader, but his heirs were weak-willed and easily manipulated. Some decades after Muhammad's death the wars of succession led to the birth of the faction (Shia) that insisted on treating Muhammad as more than a simple messenger and demanded that his family alone supplied the caliphs, ie his son-in-law Ali and his heirs. The picture presented is that of an ideal Prophet and mostly unworthy successors. He is a true moderate, and if western elites are in search of a more user-friendly Islam, this book will be much more helpful than the bearded moderates paraded on television after each new atrocity.Īslan's account of early Islam is too literalist. Aslan, who regards the US occupation of Iraq as a "liberation", provides a much more nuanced and cultured view of Islam than the more dogmatic Islamists representing Shia or Sunni orthodoxy. Its aim is to appease western ideologues who have embraced the "clash of civilisations" thesis. In reality this book is designed for the west.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |