Publications

Anthony Shadid
Legacy of the Prophet: Despots, Democrats, and the New Politics of Islam
(Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 2001), 340 pages, US$26.00 (cloth)

This excellent book examines and analyzes political Islam in the modern Middle East. Shadid, a former Cairo correspondent for the Associated Press, synthesizes his compelling descriptions with a genuine appreciation of regional history, politics, and culture. The result is a reasoned and empathetic contribution to an often-polemical subject.

His central argument is that the general tide of political Islam is now post-fundamentalist. That is, a plurality of movements that are subtle in their theological interpretations and policies is emerging out of the spent fires of Islamic radicalism. In Egypt, Jordan, and Iran, this new mode of political Islam eschews the right of any single person or institution to hold a monopoly on truth or to command authority. Furthermore, it recognizes the futility of centrally directed efforts to Islamicize society, and instead concentrates its efforts on social welfare programs in order to gain community support and transform society from the grassroots up. It is an Islamism based on community needs and wants, with the ultimate objective of fashioning a more secure indigenous identity in the region.

Furthermore, these Islamists tend to be more pragmatic than their predecessors and are intent on working within political systems, given the chance. They are also more willing to adhere to democratic principles. The author contrasts these new Islamists with the official orthodoxies still promulgated in Sudan and Iran, where a top-down and heavy-handed effort to instill proper behavior has left citizens disillusioned and alienated from both politics and Islam.

Shadid believes that, given their pluralistic bent, the new Islamists could be the engine for democratic governance in much of the Middle East. In fact, he sees the transformation as already underway; its peaceful evolution now largely depends on how much political latitude current leaders allow it. Jordan is cited as a model example where such voices have entered the official body politic with peaceful results.

Shadid concludes his book by suggesting that US policymakers should formulate a new approach to the region, one that appreciates the stabilizing role the new Islamic politics can play. (Daniel Klass)

Bulletin of Regional Cooperation in the Middle East Spring 2001
Copyright 2004 Search for Common Ground