Suchergebnisse

In the late nineteenth century, a pan-Islamic movement -- a Muslim front against the common threat of foreign imperialism -- originated in the Ottoman Empire. It was opposed by the Qajar state in Iran, because preservation of a separate Shia identity was essential to the survival & security of the Iranian state & the Shia religious hierarchy in the face of Ottoman power. Pan-Islamism undermined the authority of the Shia clergy, even though politically, the Shia clergy had links to the Ottoman government. The few supporters of pan-Islamism in Iran were political reformers struggling against the Qajar state or sentimental nationalists pursuing Iranian independence through alliance with other Muslim states. Thus, neither group actually saw pan-Islamism as a religious movement. M. Pflum

The political & philosophical thought of the nineteenth-century Iranian intellectual, Mizra Fath Ali Akhundzade, is examined. Akhundzade was the first Muslim intellectual to articulate principles of Iranian nationalism. Driven by belief in the power of reason & disdain for religion, Akhundzade viewed Western Europe as the pinnacle of civilization & called for establishment of democratic government & individual liberties in Iran. He blamed nineteenth-century Iran's problems on Arabs & Islamic civilization & viewed them as the major obstacles to Iran's progress. Ironically, he glorified Iran's pre-Islamic past, an era characterized by oppression, & did not reconcile this glorification with his love of democracy. He never acknowledged the contributions of Islamic civilization to Iranian culture & failed to transcend the dualism of Occident vs Orient. D. Generoli

While the Arab uprisings have overturned the idea of Arab ""exceptionalism,"" or the acceptance of authoritarianism, better analysis of authoritarianism's resilience in pre- and post-uprising scenarios is still needed. Modern Middle East Authoritarianism: Roots, Ramifications, and Crisis undertakes this task by addressing not only the mechanisms that allowed Middle Eastern regimes to survive and adapt for decades, but also the obstacles that certain countries face in their current transition to democracy.This volume analyzes the role of ruling elites, Islamists