Suchergebnisse

The fear and anxiety aroused by Islamism is not a myth, nor is it simply a consequence of terrorism or fundamentalism. Writing in 1997, before 9/11 and before the austerity that has bred a new generation of far right groups across Europe and the US, Bobby S. Sayyid warned of a spectre haunting western civilization. This ground breaking book, banned by the Malaysian government, is both an analysis of the conditions that have made 'Islamic fundamentalism' possible and a provocative account of the ways in which Muslim identities have, in the west, come to play an increasingly political role over the last two decades. It shows that the spectre of Islamism is more than just a continuation of political and cultural decolonization; it is the returned repressed proof that the western world order is just another civilization among many. In the wake of multiple crises, this is an essential, intricate and challenging story about why individuals chose to kill and be killed in the name of a faith that history had seemingly forgotten

An interview between Peter G. Mandaville & Bobby S. Sayyid concerning Sayyid's A Fundamental Fear: Eurocentrism & the Emergence of Islamism (1997) is presented. The issues of whether Islam has retained its singularity despite its polysemic nature, the possibility of establishing an alternative to anti-Orientalist discourse that attempts to deconstruct Islam, & whether Islam works within a deconstructionist framework are discussed. Rather than advocate the creation of a non-Western modernity, it is contended that Islam should emphasize identifying the elements that constitute a good society within particular historical & cultural contexts. Although the political writings of Imam Khomeini are perceived as the paragon of Islamic political logic, it is emphasized that other political possibilities are available within Islam. Even though the possibility of implementing Khomeini's non-Western political order is questioned, Islamic & non-Islamic political orders are compared to illustrate the characteristics of a non-Western political system. The conditions under which discourse between the Western & Islamic worlds can eventually take place are stipulated. A strategy for reducing the extent of Eurocentrism in Western political discourse is also offered. J. W. Parker