Review: Regional Studies: Western Dominance and Political Islam
| Author | Paul Kingston |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070209605100227 |
| Published date | 01 June 1996 |
| Date | 01 June 1996 |
| Subject Matter | Review |
REVIEWS/REGIONAL
STUDIES
393
In
the
meantime, the
volume
is
a
valuable
narrowing
of
many
of
the
issues
without
being
(nor
claiming
to
be) definitive
in
treating
the
the-
oretical
subtleties
involved.
Laure
Paquette/Lakehead
University
WESTERN
DOMINANCE
AND
POLITICAL
ISLAM
Challenges
and
responses
Khalid
Bin
Sayeed
Albany:
State
University
of
New
York
Press,
1995,
viii,
197PP,
US$1
9.9 5
Sayeed's
work
adds
to
a
growing
number
of
books
concerned
with
the
rise
of
Islamic
fundamentalism.
It
is
written from
a
Muslim
point
of
view
and
seeks
to
provide
a
critical
perspective
on the
rise
of
radical
Islamic
political
movements.
His
argument
is
broad
but
grounded
by
a
series
of
case
studies
of
politics
in
three
Islamic
countries:
Iran,
Saudi
Arabia,
and
Pakistan
(the
country
on
which
Sayeed
has
written
the
most).
As
the
title
suggests,
Sayeed
clearly
and
correctly
places
the
rise
of
Islamic
fundamentalism
in
the
context
of
growing
Western
hegemony,
a
term
he
defines
in
cultural
as
well
as
economic and
political
terms.
In
Sayeed's
view,
Islamic
fundamentalism,
just
as
Arab
nationalism
before
it,
is
a
response,
a
form
of
resistance,
to
the multifaceted
power
of
the
West.
This
is
a
sound
though
not
altogether
novel
or
startling
framework
for
the
book.
The
most
interesting
feature
of
Sayeed's work
is
the
critical
way
in
which
he
treats
the
'fundamentalist'
response,
one
which
he
sees
as
too
negative,
narrow,
and impatient.
He
believes
that
'Islam
could
act
as
an
inspiring
and
instructive
model'
(p
142)
but
only
if
'fundamental-
ism'
is
replaced
by
a
more sophisticated
and
realistic
political
move-
ment
built
on
more
coherent
notions of
Islamic
social
justice
and
democracy
and
on
strong 'mediating
mechanisms'
(such
as,
in
Sayeed's
view,
the
Muslim
Brotherhood
in
Egypt)
which
can
work
to
transform
these
newly
formulated
Islamic
ideals
on
a
gradual
and
systematic
basis
into
real
human
development
(p
151).
In
essence,
Sayeed
calls
for
the
To continue reading
Request your trial