Moderate and Radical Islamic
Fundamentalism
The Quest for Modernity, Legitimacy, and
the Islamic State
by Ahmad
S. Moussalli
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this Book now
Ahmad Moussalli redefines the
bases and scope of modern Islamic thought, suggesting
that Islamic fundamentalism might prove to be a
liberating theology for the modern Islamic world.
Basing his argument largely on Arabic documents, he
analyzes the basic concerns of
fundamentalism--epistemology, knowledge, philosophy,
modernity, and science as well as politics, political
philosophy, and political economy. He examines the ideas
of major Muslim thinkers who have affected the
contemporary Islamic revival--especially Hasan al-Banna,
Sayyid Qutb, and Hasan al-Turabi--showing the range of
Islamic fundamentalist views from liberal democracy to
authoritarianism. He then discusses how their thinking
could affect an Islamic state, from political repression
at one extreme to political representation at the other.
Going to the core of issues raised by fundamentalists, he
maintains that Islamic fundamentalism is a modern
development that will have a lasting impact on the
history of Islam--one comparable to the impact of
Protestantism on the history of Christianity.
Ahmad S. Moussalli is associate professor of political
science at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon.
He is the author or editor of many books, including Islamic
Fundamentalism: Myths and Realities; Historical
Dictionary of Islamic Movements in the Arab World, Iran,
and Turkey; and Radical Islamic Fundamentalism:
The Ideological and Political Discourse of Sayyid Qutb
(a 1994 Choice Outstanding Academic Book).
1999. 272pp. 6 X 9.
Bibliography, index.
ISBN 0-8130-1658-4 Cloth, $49.95s
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"Is recommended to all those interested in overcoming conventional and simplified views of the political discourse of Islamism."
--
Middle East Journal
"Full of innovative views and ideas about how to read various texts of Islamic fundamentalism"
--
Middle East Studies Association Bulletin
"Well-argued, highly
original . . . [Moussalli] asks one basic question--does
Islamic fundamentalism have a philosophical basis?--and
then proceeds to demonstrate how particular Islamic
fundamentalist theorists have addressed issues such as
ideology and knowledge, society and politics."-- Bruce
B. Lawrence, Duke University
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