Pioneers of Islamic Revival

I took several courses under a reknowned Islamic scholar (who is a practicing Muslim, mind you) and gave serious consideration to conversion to Islam. I digested all I could about Islam and as many translations of the Quran as I could get my hands on. While I never made the leap, I found a continuing deep level of respect for the faith of Islam and all Muslims, from the humanist variety to the militant variety so in the news these days.That being said, of all the courses I took, it is perhaps the course I took on Politics and Islam that continues to stick with me. For example, many in the West have a certain view of Khomeini as a renegade terrorist. What people don't understand is how it is that he was (and perhaps still is, to a degree) so revered. Having taken the course, I have a different understanding of his significance and how it was that he rose to power. I also understand more deeply why it is that the West (and the United States, in particular) is so feared, even hated by so many in the Middle East. This book helped along that path.The big names are here. If you wish to understand modern day Islam as a political force, you need to know some of the names in this book: al-Afghani, Abduh, Khomeini and Qutb and others are those whose thoughts gave rise to such movements as the Muslim Brotherhood and the Jama't-e-Islami. The militant strain that is so prevalent did not appear out of a vacuum. The roots were already planted. While it is claimed that the roots of the violence we see today go back to Muhammad, we underestimate just how much these modern thinkers and their interpretations of the Quran have influenced the course of modern day events.While the book is not without its weaknesses, it is a great introduction to understanding this phenomenon. While it is so contrary to Western culture, when understood in proper context, it is not so strange as we may think. While you may not agree with their conclusions and courses of action, you may at least understand better where they are coming from.

The first edition of this book is invaluable for its collection of intellectual biographies of figures like Khomeini, Shariati, and Afghani. At long last, the editor has updated the book, and I pleased to say that he maintained the high quality of the volume.