The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam From The Extremists (2007) - Plot & Excerpts
My parents sent me to two schools at once when I was a kid: to the public elementary school (the secular one) and to an Islamic school (Islamic "madrassah," or "school" in Arabic, often spelled "madrassa" in English). Yet, as the world attention to Islam has been growing as the result of the massive terrorist activities from the fanatics (I call them the lunatics, actually), there are a lot of things I cannot fully explain to my friends from other religions (who sometimes ask me about this and that) and, probably, my husband, as I also don't really understand why there are such abominable practices among the people who call themselves pious Muslims. I feel like I'm becoming alienated to my own faith. The lunatics have defined the term of what I believe in to the world. I have to admit though that they have louder voice, because they speak with guns. Besides, regular Muslims like me don't really know our stuff. I mean, of course I know the basic principles of Islam (which is just, really, to admit that there is this one entity who'd created and controls the universe, either you call it "God" in English, "Allah" in Arabic, or "Tuhan" in Indonesia, and that Muhammad is also one of the special people He/She/It had sent to this Earth, and among those special people are including Jesus, Moses, Abraham, and Adam) and other set of rules some people call "Sharia." But ask me to define the definitive resources of various rules, and I would say I don't know, despite my many years in the Islamic school. For example, our ustadz ("a male teacher," in Arabic, but in Indonesia it's understood as "a teacher of Islamic teaching"), who was not fluent in Arabic, taught us that wearing a headscarf for a woman is obligatory. My parents said it is obligatory, but if you cannot be a better person by wearing it, then don't. And there was no way we could track each opinion down to its definitive sources since the Islamic books we found usually did not tell differed opinions: that headscarf was obligatory, for example. We didn't know that there are different interpretations on it, and how these interpretations became different from one another. If only we knew that there were different interpretations on this and that, and why some scholars came to different conclusions, people would have had better grounds to what they believe in, and understood why people do differently, without any grudges and judgment whatsoever. Ultimately, it is about our personal choice on which set of beliefs most suited to our personal logic. As are millions of other Muslims in the world, I was lacked of book resources that could've guided me better to various interpretations and history of Islam. I am so grateful that I got open-minded parents and relatively good teachers who'd paid attention to the philosophical aspects of the Islamic teaching, not the strict form of it. But looking back to what my ustadz had used as manual books in the classroom, as well as various Islamic books sold in front of my campus when I got into the university years later, I realize now that they actually represent the puritanical point of view of Islam.And I wouldn't have known this if only I didn't read this Abou El-Fadl book. Back then, I was told by some friends or teachers that this Muslim intellectual was good, and that Muslim intellectual was great, and I should read this book or that. There was no Internet to do better research on their suggestions. I remember one day a friend of mine in university bought me a Sayd Quthb book. That friend was a prominent leader of a student organization in my university's mosque. He was soft-spoken and popular and very generous, and I remember he bought me the Sayd Quthb book impulsively just because we'd met in the canteen at lunch time and then walked to the classroom together, passing some street booksellers on the sidewalk. I never read the Sayd Quthb book because I couldn't get pass the first page--I found it really weird. I remember the next time I saw that friend again I asked him why did he consider Sayd Quthb as interesting. He said he didn't know. He just knew that Sayd Quthb was famous, and his books must be worth to read because "he came from the Arab region" -- a view that seems to be shared by many others, especially--perhaps--Indonesians. As if any Islamic interpretation that comes from an Arabic scholar is the right one. By reading this Khaled Abou El-Fadl book, I realized that Muslims--or, perhaps, just Indonesians--don't know that much about Arabic scholars, and some of us perhaps have picked the wrong ones to read. Some of us perhaps don't have the resources to get our hands on the variety of scholars to make comparisons and learn better about our own belief. I realized how the lacking of book resources might've led to the growing movement of puritanism we see nowadays. This book explains the history of the so-called "Sharia" nowadays, and how it was so different in the early centuries of Islam. It also explains generations of Islamic scholars who'd influenced various interpretations found in Islam. It explains why the fanatics insist on "building the Islamic caliphate in this world": because they are so afraid of change and ignorant to the history and refuse to learn humanity. My favorite subject in this book is the term of salvation in Qur'an, because I think this is the most important part of the puritanical movement. The puritans believe they are abiding to what God really wants of them, and thus they are better than the rest of us and deserve heaven. Since they think making other people go to "the way of heaven" is also their obligation, they push other people to do what they're doing and resemble them, by any means.Abou El-Fadl explains why he thinks Qur'an insists that salvation is not exclusive to certain party, which means anybody could go to heaven, and only God who has the right to judge on us. Actually, this is a common knowledge among Muslims--that only God who has the right to judge and therefore you should not be judgmental to other people; a lot of Qur'anic passages cite this subject, but only a few of us really grasp it. But that salvation is not exclusive is probably a new concept for the puritans, conservatives, and a lot of Muslims. This book also makes me know why Sayd Quthb is popular and what he'd stood for and that he's probably one of the inspirations of the Islamic fanatical movement. Perhaps that's why I couldn't read his book because our point of views toward religion are so different from the very first page. Sadly, Sayd Quthb's books are widely spread and read, at least in Indonesia. There are many other Islamic scholars deemed prominent in the Islamic world although the followers of the religion don't know those scholars' place in history. If only "a scholar from Arab" is the only qualification welcomed among Muslims, then they should read this Arabic scholar. They would probably be shocked of Abou El-Fadl's interpretation as it is very different from the puritanical teachings more popular nowadays, thanks to the Wahhabi/Salafi gang supported by the Arab's oil money. Perhaps, those puritans would also argue that Abou El-Fadl--despite his status as an Arabic sheikh, his study of formal Islamic jurisprudence in Kuwait and Egypt, and his resources of about 50,000 books on Islamic subjects--is not really an "Arab" because he lives in USA and teaches at UCLA and thus already "Westernized." However, for the better understanding among us, people in the world, who believe and don't believe in God, this book is one of the good resources to understand the lunatic Muslims and bridge our differences.
The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists by Khaled Abou El Fadl"The Great Theft" is the enlightening book about the Islamic divide between the "puritans" and "moderates. The author labels "puritans" as that faction considered fanatical, extremist, and militant; as opposed to "moderates" who are reasonable. Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl is an accomplished Islamic jurist and scholar, law professor at UCLA and former appointee of the Bush administration to the U.S. commission on International Religious Freedom. El Fadl has written a very accessible and instructive book that has helped me have a better understanding of the aforementioned divide and most importantly why is that so and what will it take for the "moderates" to wrestle Islam away from the "puritans". A welcomed and informative book that has taken me to a world I know so little about. A recommended and worthwhile excursion into this religious divide. This 336-page book is broken out into two main parts: Part One, The Battleground for Faith, and Part Two, Charting the Moderate Versus Puritan Divide.Positives:1. Well written, accessible book for the masses.2. A fascinating topic in the hands of a scholar.3. El Fadl treats his subject with utmost respect and care.4. The author sets out to delineate the reality of Muslim thought and in doing so provided me some much needed education on the topic.5. The first part of the book the author focuses on defining what Islam and the basic differences between the "puritans" and the "moderates".6. Islamic culture well defined. Many basic terms defined and explained.7. Islamic law and its sources. Qur'an and the Sunna.8. What Shari'a truly is.9. The most influential puritan movements, the Salafis and Wahhabis, and the four main factors that contributed to the survival and expansion.10. Some very interesting insights throughout the book.11. Thought-provoking comments, "The problem today, however, is that the traditional institutions of Islam that historically acted to marginalize extremist creeds no longer exist".12. What the puritans prohibit...13. In part two of the book, the book really takes off as El Fadl provides more practical examples of the puritan, moderate divide.14. The five pillars, the heart and soul of Islam and something that all Muslims agree on.15. The relationship of the individual to God and how it varies from puritan to moderate.16. Good use of the Qur'an to make the distinctions clear between puritans and moderates.17. Great use of topical examples to make the points clear.18. How Islamic law and morality works. Once again the great divide is established.19. The main reasons the puritans are so opposed to peace with Israel. Fascinating.20. The moderate points of view on justice and democracy.21. The five protected interests: life, intellect, lineage, reputation and property.22. The questions of salvation.23. The most interesting chapters by far are the last two chapters of the book: Chapter 11, Jihad, Warfare, and Terrorism, and Chapter 12, The Nature and Role of Women.24. What jihad is with a luxury of details. Educational history.25. How women are treated in puritan societies.26. The issue of slavery.27. An excellent conclusion chapter that wraps everything together including what moderates need to do to wrestle Islam back from the puritans.28. A comprehensive notes section.Negatives:1. The author never lets you know the percentage of "puritans" versus "moderates". He mentions that the moderates are the silent majority but never answers specifically how much more.2. A chart or illustrations would have added much value. As an example, a chart showing those countries that profess the Islamic faith and what percentage are "puritans" versus "moderates".3. The first part of the book is repetitive and not quite as interesting as the second half of the book where this book really shines.4. No formal bibliography.5. A couple of misspells...the word Prophet was misspelled on page 191 as an example.Overall, this was a very educational book for me. I read this book with the intent to learn more about Islamic culture and I accomplished that with flying colors. El Fadl has written a fair and balanced book that is useful. If you are interested in learning more about this fascinating topic I encourage you to get this book, a few shortcomings aside this is a worthwhile and educational book. I recommend it.
What do You think about The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam From The Extremists (2007)?
The early chapters of this book were truly excellent. El Fadl lays out in detail the historical hijacking of genuine Islam by "puritans" (what most in the West would call extremists or fundamentalists). Then comes a long section where he explains why the theology of the puritans is unislamic. I found this section less than satisfactory. While I understand the author's desire to stress how illogical and immoral puritans are, I think this section would have been more powerful had El Fadl simply laid out his case without stopping every few sentences to express his disgust. Finally there came a concluding chapter about what Muslims and non-Muslims can do about the whole mess. This chapter was very powerful, but all too short. The idea of moderates calling for a counter-jihad against the puritans is very powerful, but I wish that this idea had been fleshed out in more detail.
—Fred Kohn
I really liked this book, though in certain ways it seemed incomplete to me. I don't know if that's a reflection of the book itself or merely that it was intended for a slightly different audience, more of an introduction to Islam. Khaled Abou El Fadl divides the Muslim world into Moderates and "Puritans" (I love that term - better than Islamists or Extremists or Fanatics or Fundamentalists or any of the other words people tend to use) and this is a bit over simplistic for my liking. But I don't get the impression that the author himself is actually unaware of the many shades of grey, only that he neglected to include them for this book. I look forward to reading some of his other works.
—Cara
"Khaled Abou El Fadl has written an important work for anyone trying to understand the split within Islam. He posits a choice for Muslims who are confronted with negative perceptions of Islam: complain, cry and “grow old in silent bitterness” or “teach others about their faith.” However, the author admits there is a problem because “many Muslims are woefully ignorant about their religion.” He then offers a third option, to study and think about Islam and why so many non-Muslims have a negative perception of it. Though modern Islam is more complex than the division into two groups, moderates versus puritans, this work, by comparing these two ‘extremes,’ elucidates the schism.There are only a couple of references to the history of ‘Christianity,’ however, anyone with a basic understanding of ‘Christianity’ can see similarities. For instance, Fadl writes that the puritans pick and choose the verses they use and then interpret them in such a way as to support their world view. This doesn’t sound much different than what we understand is the method of ‘Christian’ fundamentalists.Part one is the first third of the book. It is “The Battleground for Faith.” This is a general introduction into the problem. Part Two is “Charting the Moderate Versus Puritan Divide.” Fadl gets into more specific issues in this part, from differing interpretations on ‘God and the Purpose of Creation’ to ‘The Nature and Role of Women.’ Of special note are his treatment of jihad and its historical context and the historical examples on the treatment of women.I recommend this work to anyone desiring to gain a better understanding of Islam in the world today. Both Muslim and non-Muslim will benefit from reading this book."
—Bruce
