A review by justfoxie
The Battle For God: Fundamentalism In Judaism, Christianity And Islam by Karen Armstrong
4.0
I started reading this book in December, and about 15 pages in it became really obvious that I didn't know enough about the basics of Islam and Judaism to be able to follow it effectively. So I laid it aside and switched to [b: History of God|3873|A History of God The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam|Karen Armstrong|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386924363s/3873.jpg|2011826], and only just a month or so ago picked this one back up again.
In many ways I feel that Battle is a fantastic sequel to History and where the author's own subjectivity comes out to play, but in ways that I think highlight the frustration of many people in her (and my) position - we just don't get these people, and that's part of the problem. This book, fortunately, is a very accessible way to bridge that gap. It covers Fundamentalism amoung Protestants in the US, Sunni in Egypt, Shia (Shii? Shiah?) in Iran and Judaism in the Diaspora and later in Isreal.
I had no idea that the creation of the state of Israel was as controversial among Jews as it was among other nationalities. A huge eye-opener, and one that makes the tension in the region all the more understandable and flecked with grey than I ever understood before.
Also, set in the context of the other religious movements, the American Protestants seemed even more unintelligibly - unlike the Egyptians, Israelis and Iranians, they have no excuse for claiming to be oppressed. They live in a society that does expressly allow them to express ideas and worship virtually anyway they please - as well as be economically successful; then for them to turn around and want to rid others of the same freedoms doesn't do their movement any justice. They come across as merely strident and unreasonable, not freedom fighters or those struggling for a place in the world that repressed them since day one.
As for the Islamic movements, I had suspected that colonialism and bad political leadership had contributed to their development, but never truly understood the confusion and haphazard development that underlies it still. Not that these roots excuse the violence or cruelty, mind you, but at least knowing where they're coming from there is room for dialogue and through dialogue perhaps resolution.
All in all, I do highly reccomend this book to anyone looking to better understand these peoples and the struggle with extremism.
In many ways I feel that Battle is a fantastic sequel to History and where the author's own subjectivity comes out to play, but in ways that I think highlight the frustration of many people in her (and my) position - we just don't get these people, and that's part of the problem. This book, fortunately, is a very accessible way to bridge that gap. It covers Fundamentalism amoung Protestants in the US, Sunni in Egypt, Shia (Shii? Shiah?) in Iran and Judaism in the Diaspora and later in Isreal.
I had no idea that the creation of the state of Israel was as controversial among Jews as it was among other nationalities. A huge eye-opener, and one that makes the tension in the region all the more understandable and flecked with grey than I ever understood before.
Also, set in the context of the other religious movements, the American Protestants seemed even more unintelligibly - unlike the Egyptians, Israelis and Iranians, they have no excuse for claiming to be oppressed. They live in a society that does expressly allow them to express ideas and worship virtually anyway they please - as well as be economically successful; then for them to turn around and want to rid others of the same freedoms doesn't do their movement any justice. They come across as merely strident and unreasonable, not freedom fighters or those struggling for a place in the world that repressed them since day one.
As for the Islamic movements, I had suspected that colonialism and bad political leadership had contributed to their development, but never truly understood the confusion and haphazard development that underlies it still. Not that these roots excuse the violence or cruelty, mind you, but at least knowing where they're coming from there is room for dialogue and through dialogue perhaps resolution.
All in all, I do highly reccomend this book to anyone looking to better understand these peoples and the struggle with extremism.