Der Islam in der Gegenwart by Werner Ende; Udo SteinbachReview by: Annemarie SchimmelInternational Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 18, No. 2 (May, 1986), pp. 225-226Published by: Cambridge University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/163263 .

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Int. J. Middle East Stud. 18 (1986), 225-258 Printed in the United States of America

BOOK REVIEWS

WERNER ENDE and UDO STEINBACH, eds., Der Islam in der Gegenwart (Munich: C. H.

Beck, 1984). Pp. 774.

A voluminous book, compiled by nearly thirty authors, this publication attempts to offer a scholarly, reliable, and yet readable account of the modern world of Islam, and we may state at the very beginning that authors and editors have been largely successful in

accomplishing this difficult task. The first chapters are historical and discuss the expan- sion of Islam, Sunnites, Shi'ites, and the inter-Islamic movements for a revival and reconstruction of religious thought and practice in Islam as they grew from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries. (Personally, I find these chapters not fully satisfactory.) Most welcome is an exact statistical survey of the number of Muslims in the countries of the world, with useful details about the difficulties in defining a "Muslim."

The second part deals with the political role of Islam in the present age. It discusses, for instance, Islamic economy and the development of law in several Islamic countries as well as the reaction of different political systems to problems of Islamic legislation and questions like "Islamic socialism." Following this, Islam in its present state in the countries with Muslim majorities is described one by one, from Turkey through the Asian countries, East and West Africa down to the Horn of Africa-areas which are not too well known even to the normal Islamicist. Most of the chapters are excellent, such as the one on Pakistan and Bangladesh, while the following one dealing with India has a predominantly political orientation and does not cover the more spiritual aspects of Indian Islam or the role of various Shi'a groups. A fascinating survey describes the Muslims in the diaspora; it covers not only the originally Muslim communities in the Balkans and the situation of Turkish "guest workers" in Germany, but shows also the influence of Islam, especially of a more or less genuine Sufism, on modern men. It goes without saying that militant movements, such as the Muslim Brethren and the Jamaiat-i Isldmi, are represented. Likewise, popular Islam, especially the mystical fraternities and their present organization, are dealt with; here, again, one could add a few more remarks about personal piety in countries like Turkey or India. One chapter deals with sectarian groups such as the Nusairis and Yazidis, but also Baha'is and Ahmadis-the Baha'is would not be very happy about being represented here, as they consider themselves a genuine, independent religion. A few more details about the Aga Khani Isma'ilis would be useful. One welcomes a brief chapter on some of the Muslim organizations which support the Muslim cause in different ways; their number is constantly increasing, as one can well observe in London. The Shi'a, to mention only one example, is well represented by the active Muhammadi Trust.

The last part of the book, "Culture and Civilisation of Islam in the Present Age," starts out with a chapter on Islam and local traditions, in which two particularly interesting border zones, e.g., North Africa and Indonesia, stand as model cases for the problem of Islam's adaptation of pre-Islamic and non-Islamic elements. An important chapter is devoted to the literary expression of Islamic thought, with examples from Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu literatures; it highlights the importance of the figure of al-Hallaj in modern poetry and gives a clear exposition of the different approaches of modern Muslim writers to problems of faith and belief. The final chapter is concerned primarily with

? 1986 Cambridge University Press

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226 Reviews 226 Reviews

architecture; one misses here the mention of the Aga Khan program for architecture and the awards granted by them, as well as a good number of publications on this subject. The area of modern painting and calligraphy, etc., is touched on only in passing, although here highly interesting new solutions of artistic problems are being offered by artists from virtually all Islamic countries.

A good bibliography and two maps, as well as indexes, complete the book, which is a treasure trove of solid information. The articles-with the exception of one or two-are well written and contain all the necessary information. A narrow specialist might be tempted to add some more details from his own area; but the book can be most warmly recommended to everyone who is interested in modern Islam and its various expressions in every field of life.

Harvard University ANNEMARIE SCHIMMEL

NORMA SALEM, Habib Bourguiba, Islam and the Creation of Tunisia (London: Croom Helm, 1984). Pp. 270.

This study, by an assistant professor of history at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, derives from the author's doctoral dissertation, completed in mid-1982. It purports to show how "religion plays a role in politics" (p. 1) by looking at the experience of Tunisia's president-for-life, Habib Bourguiba. It is intended as a biographical study of the Tunisian leader in which his official speeches, statements, and declarations constitute the essential source materials by which to discover the man's thinking on the relationship between religion and politics. Its claim to originality, according to the author herself, "is in placing the evolution of Bourguiba, as representative of the Tunisian nationalist movement, within proper perspective with respect to intellectual influences both from the West, mainly through France, and from the Arab-Islamic heritage of Tunisia" (p. 1). We are led to believe that such a case study will help explain how "Islam plays a role in the process of legitimation in the Arab world" (p. 1).

Such a broad research agenda would appear intriguing for those interested in a range of salient analytical contructs extant in comparative politics such as political leadership, political ideology, political socialization, and political legitimation. Additionally, given Bourguiba's historic role in Tunisia's political evolution, an in-depth biographical study utilizing the most recently available archival and secondary sources would provide new insights into a controversial but charismatic personality.

Regrettably I have to report that none of the theoretical, methodological, or empirical expectations come close to being realized. Indeed, the overall contribution constitutes a step or two backwards as sloppy scholarship, glib generalizations, and shallow observa- tions, derived in great part from the excessive dependence on mainly propagandistic and biased documentary sources, deluge this study which in itself is communicated in awkward and inelegant prose. To make matters worse the author inundates us with a flood of unprocessed information including a virtual nonstop bombardment of lengthy, mostly irrelevant, French-language quotations-sure sign of a dissertation in need of drastic excision.

The book is unguided by any clear-cut conceptual framework. In fact, the author rejects most historical and social science approaches as being too "Eurocentric" and, in any case, too expansive for appropriate synthesis. She decides, instead, to present her "general frame of mind" of a "partly subjective, partly narrative" nature (p. 9). The author's convoluted prose adds confusion to the book's intent as when she writes: "The thrust of

architecture; one misses here the mention of the Aga Khan program for architecture and the awards granted by them, as well as a good number of publications on this subject. The area of modern painting and calligraphy, etc., is touched on only in passing, although here highly interesting new solutions of artistic problems are being offered by artists from virtually all Islamic countries.

A good bibliography and two maps, as well as indexes, complete the book, which is a treasure trove of solid information. The articles-with the exception of one or two-are well written and contain all the necessary information. A narrow specialist might be tempted to add some more details from his own area; but the book can be most warmly recommended to everyone who is interested in modern Islam and its various expressions in every field of life.

Harvard University ANNEMARIE SCHIMMEL

NORMA SALEM, Habib Bourguiba, Islam and the Creation of Tunisia (London: Croom Helm, 1984). Pp. 270.

This study, by an assistant professor of history at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, derives from the author's doctoral dissertation, completed in mid-1982. It purports to show how "religion plays a role in politics" (p. 1) by looking at the experience of Tunisia's president-for-life, Habib Bourguiba. It is intended as a biographical study of the Tunisian leader in which his official speeches, statements, and declarations constitute the essential source materials by which to discover the man's thinking on the relationship between religion and politics. Its claim to originality, according to the author herself, "is in placing the evolution of Bourguiba, as representative of the Tunisian nationalist movement, within proper perspective with respect to intellectual influences both from the West, mainly through France, and from the Arab-Islamic heritage of Tunisia" (p. 1). We are led to believe that such a case study will help explain how "Islam plays a role in the process of legitimation in the Arab world" (p. 1).

Such a broad research agenda would appear intriguing for those interested in a range of salient analytical contructs extant in comparative politics such as political leadership, political ideology, political socialization, and political legitimation. Additionally, given Bourguiba's historic role in Tunisia's political evolution, an in-depth biographical study utilizing the most recently available archival and secondary sources would provide new insights into a controversial but charismatic personality.

Regrettably I have to report that none of the theoretical, methodological, or empirical expectations come close to being realized. Indeed, the overall contribution constitutes a step or two backwards as sloppy scholarship, glib generalizations, and shallow observa- tions, derived in great part from the excessive dependence on mainly propagandistic and biased documentary sources, deluge this study which in itself is communicated in awkward and inelegant prose. To make matters worse the author inundates us with a flood of unprocessed information including a virtual nonstop bombardment of lengthy, mostly irrelevant, French-language quotations-sure sign of a dissertation in need of drastic excision.

The book is unguided by any clear-cut conceptual framework. In fact, the author rejects most historical and social science approaches as being too "Eurocentric" and, in any case, too expansive for appropriate synthesis. She decides, instead, to present her "general frame of mind" of a "partly subjective, partly narrative" nature (p. 9). The author's convoluted prose adds confusion to the book's intent as when she writes: "The thrust of

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