Islam/Current Affairs Lumbard How has fundamentalism betrayed the true spirit of Islam? Islam, Fundamentalism, ___r___ This fully revised and expanded edition of the critically acclaimed book provides and the Betrayal of Tradition answers to this question and contains: • a new essay on the role of women in Islam; Revised and Expanded • an updated chapter containing insights into the true nature of the jihād; • three fully revised chapters that bring the discussion up-to-date with the current global situation; • a revised introduction. Essays by and the Western Muslim Scholars ___r___ Islam, Fundamentalism, Fundamentalism, Islam, “The essays collected here … firmly reject the extremism of puritanical reformist movements in the Muslim world. These movements ‘have abandoned the guidance of their own intellectual heritage’ for rigid, literal readings of the Qur´ān and the prophetic traditions. Yet [the authors] also reject secular modernism, which fosters Betrayal oppressive globalization and economic colonialism, denigrates traditional Muslim cultural values, and undermines morality by relegating God’s revelations to the purely private sphere.…This volume is essential for anyone concerned about the role Islam plays in contemporary culture. Recommended for all academic and public libraries.” — Library Journal of “This book capably argues for a return to the true spirit of classical Islamic intel- Tradition Edited by lectualism.… [It] is a good resource for progressive Muslims, graduate students, and readers already well versed on the politics of Islamic theology.” Joseph E.B. —Publishers Weekly Lumbard “Thought-provoking, comprehensive, and foundational.… This brings to mind the great intellectual contributions of Sufis throughout history.” Foreword by —Islam Online, the most frequented Internet site by Muslims in English “9/11 brought into sharp relief the struggle for the soul of Islam which has gripped S.H. Nasr Muslim communities across the world. In its wake many have asked, ‘Where are the Essays by moderate Muslims?’ Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition provides Western access to insightful and, at times, provocative Muslim voices.” Muslim —John L. Esposito, University Professor, Georgetown University, author of Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam Scholars World Wisdom World Wisdom $ 21.95 US About This Book “Anyone, whether he or she be a Muslim, a follower of another religion, or more generally anyone who is seriously interested in the relation between Is- lam and the West and Islam in the West, cannot but be attracted to this volume, which is the fruit of the thought of some of the best minds of the younger gen- eration of Muslim scholars, who are at the same time part of Western society, bearing upon some of the most momentous issues of the day. These are issues which affect the lives of everyone, young and old, issues which everyone in the Islamic world and the West who has the necessary capability and vision must seek to address and solve for the sake of all of God’s creatures wherever they might be, for as the Qur´ān asserts, to God belong both the East and the West.” —Seyyed Hossein Nasr, the George Washington University, author of The Heart of Islam: Enduring Values for Humanity “Islam must be conciliated in the West if we are to move on to better days. Knowledge is the only means we have to do so and this book is a step in the right direction.” —Hamza Yusuf, Director of the Zaytuna Institute “With America’s ‘war on terrorism’ being seen increasingly by many people as a ‘war on Islam’ there is nothing more important than informed scholarly analysis around the nature of contemporary Islam. This volume helps us in that understanding and provides us a desperately needed perspective in the discussion, which threatens to spin out of control in a miasma of prejudice and ignorance.” —Akbar S. Ahmed, American University, and author of Discovering Islam: Making Sense of Muslim History and Society “This book is indispensable for any specialist on the Islamic world and at the same time is accessible to the educated general reader. The chapters by dif- ferent authors achieve the rare distinction of being of uniformly high quality. Several of the essays in this volume are important contributions to the field. In this troubled time when so much misinformation circulates about Islam and Muslims, this book is a badly needed corrective.” —Antony T. Sullivan, Director of Faculty at the International Institute for Political and Economic Studies “Joseph Lumbard’s collection of forthright yet balanced and reflective essays contributes to a much-needed corrective of the perception that too few Muslim scholars have spoken out against distortions and misrepresentations of their own tradition. Together the essays place in high relief the damaging effects of radicalist Muslim rejections of history and culture as the essential contexts of religious communities.” —John Renard, Saint Louis University, author of Understanding the Islamic Experience “This book is of critical importance in clearing away the confusion and media- induced misconception that fundamentalists—be they contemporary Wahhābīs or violent extremists who have hijacked the word ‘jihād’—represent traditional or orthodox Islam. They do not now and never have, any more than that rebel and regicide Oliver Cromwell represented traditional Christianity.” —Abdallah Schleifer, the American University in Cairo, and former NBC News Cairo Bureau Chief “Those who are looking seriously for the taproot to terrorism and the only ad- equate answers to it will find it in Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition.” —The Muslim World Book Review “Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition provides the context necessary for a deeper understanding of important issues pertaining to Islam and the modern Middle East. It accomplishes this by explaining the traditional Islamic perspective in a contemporary language. Some essays analyze the his- torical background of Islamic militancy, demonstrating how the scriptures and teachings of Islam condemn religious fanaticism and gratuitous aggression. Some examine the conditions that allowed for the rise of such an aberration, while others address the divide between East and West, bringing into relief the pressures of modernization and globalization which have produced an internal confusion which fans the flames of religious extremism. “Offering an analysis by Western Muslim scholars of the key reasons be- hind the dangerous breakdown in understanding between Islam and the West, and clearly outlining the causes for the rise of the modern phenomenon termed ‘fundamentalism’—and revealing its sharp contrast with traditional Islam—these essays penetrate the veils of misconception which obscure genuine knowledge of one of the great world religions. The book provides a foundation for mutual understanding based upon the traditional intellectual teachings of Islam.” —Banyen Books and Sound “This anthology illuminates a subject all too often obscured by misunderstand- ing, prejudice, political opportunism, and downright ignorance—namely, the problematic relations between traditional Islam, various strains of politico-re- ligious ‘fundamentalism,’ and the modern West. These thoughtful essays will prove invaluable to those seeking to understand the deep-seated forces at work, the true nature of Islam, and the malignant role of the secular ideologies of modernity. It is a work of the most timely urgency, addressed to people of good will, whatever their political and religious affiliations and wherever they may be found.” —Harry Oldmeadow, La Trobe University Bendigo, author of Tradi- tionalism: Religion in the Light of the Perennial Philosophy “Significant numbers of Muslims, especially among the young, the inexperi- enced, and the disenfranchised see modernity, globalization, and the prepon- derance of the West as gravely threatening to their culture and Tradition, and in this respect their perceptions are correct. Some of them believe they are defenders of God’s works but, like their Western confreres, they lack profound understanding not only of human nature but also of their own Tradition. Both sides operate from false premises and are driven by ignorance and a ‘zeal not according to knowledge.’ Truth, Justice, and Peace are found on the side of the Eternal, not with erroneous and concupiscent interests, whether Eastern or Western. The essays in this collection will help the serious reader understand the real underlying issues.” —Alvin Moore, Jr., co-editor of Selected Letters of Ananda K. Coomaraswamy “The contributions to the volume display wide-ranging scholarship, and a measured tone which lends additional conviction to the arguments which they present. There are critiques of globalization and of the secular ethos which it seeks to propagate, and also of the extremist movements which have arisen within Islam largely in reaction to the destabilizing invasiveness of modernity. Most instructive is the perception, shared by all of the authors, that these an- tagonistic ideologies are two sides of a single coin. Far from it being the case that the current crisis represents a confrontation between modernity and ‘tradi- tion,’ it is only through a recognition and reaffirmation of the cardinal traditions of Islam that that crisis can be transcended.” —Temenos Review “[This is] a work I deem to be of great importance. I would be happy to see this book translated into many languages, both Western and Islamic . and distrib- uted as widely as possible: the world today has need of the insight and wisdom contained in these essays!” —Wolfgang Smith, author of Cosmos and Transcendence: Break- ing Through the Barrier of Scientistic Belief and The Wisdom of Ancient Cosmology “Years after 9/11, Americans barely understand what is happening in the Mus- lim world—that enormous, complex, and conflict-ridden swath of geography stretching across the globe. With 1.2 billion followers, Islam is the world’s fast- est growing religion—but it is also the most misunderstood. Joseph Lumbard attempts to correct some of these misunderstandings in his book Islam, Fun- damentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition.