Leila Lalami writes about one of her favorite bookstores in Rabat, with a nice photo of what real bookstores used to look like – and some still do: http://lailalalami.com/2009/support-your-bookstore/
Also check out Lalami’s timely review of Christopher Caldwell’s book Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam, and the West, in the Dec. 14, 2009, issue of The Nation, available online at http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091214/lalami/single
Andras Riedlmayer
Harvard University
Between Revolution and State: the Path to Fatimid Statehood: Qadi al-Nuʿman and the Construction of Fatimid Legitimacy. Ismaili Heritage Series, 11. By Sumaiya A. Hamdani. London; New York: I. B. Tauris Publishers in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2006. Pp. xxvi, 210, including bibliographical references and index. $45.00 (hardback). ISBN: 9781850438823.
The dust jacket states that this work examines the most important works of al-Qāḍī al-Nuʿmān, an influential Islamic theologian and jurist under the Fatimids. The introduction states that the author will examine the significance of the Fatimid revolution and state during its own time, based on already known sources. The work goes on to describe how the Fatimids separated from other Shiʿite sects and expanded into North Africa. It also summarizes descriptions of the Fatimids from a variety of works written in the tenth century C.E., discusses the Fatimid religious policy, sessions, and public ceremonies intended to garner support from the variety of Islamic sects under their rule, and discusses the place of the Fatimid imams within Fatimid society.
The material discussed in Between Revolution and State is weighted more towards the general than towards an analysis of al-Qāḍī al-Nuʿmān’s works. Each chapter provides a general summary to set some aspect of the Fatimid state in relation to the rest of the Islamic world. The rest of each chapter summarizes some content from one of al-Qāḍī al-Nuʿmān’s works. The general summaries do not fully identify all the individuals mentioned in them, nor do they spell out background information in detail. This information is considerably more specialized than what is taught in introductory courses on the Middle East. Many undergraduates will not be prepared to fill in the background for themselves. Each chapter also has some discussion of al-Nuʿmān’s works. However, the works are not quoted and their overall structure is not described. Only some important points are presented. This method does not provide enough information about the works for graduate level work. On the positive side, Between Revolution and State is carefully footnoted and has an index. The bibliography includes the full range of well-known scholars on the Fatimids and Shiʿism. Unfortunately, the only diacritics used are alif and ʿayn.
This book should not be a high priority purchase. Although it does present some new material, it is a little too complex for many undergraduates and at the same time too general for advanced work.
Mary St. Germain
University of Washington Libraries
Distant relations: Iran and Lebanon in the last 500 years. By H. E. Chehabi, with contributions by Rula Jurdi Abisaab et al. Oxford: Centre for Lebanese Studies; London: I. B. Tauris; New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2006. Pp. xiv, 322, with bibliographical references and index. ISBN: 1860645615.
H. E. Chehabi, Professor of International Relations and History at the University of Boston, is the editor of this book, and author or co-author of six of the twelve papers. Six other scholars also contributed papers, while a paper by the late scholar Albert Hourani is reprinted, a fact not noted in the pertinent chapter itself, and only incompletely cited in the preface.
The premise of the book is that while the media make much of the current relations between Iran and the Lebanese Hizballah, this relationship did not spring out of nowhere. The book therefore proceeds to study the history of religious, cultural, and political relations between Iranians and Lebanese.
The first paper, written by Chehabi and Hassan I. Mneimneh, is an introductory paper which lays the groundwork for the rest of the book and summarizes what is to be discussed. It is here that the full citation to the Hourani paper is finally found, buried in a footnote on p. 6. The remaining eleven papers are arranged essentially chronologically, and divided among three parts.
Part I, Iran and Pre-Independence Lebanon, discusses the early centuries, starting with Hourani’s paper, “From Jabal `Amil to Persia.” This describes the emigration of Shi`ite scholars from Jabal `Amil in southern Lebanon to what is now Iran. A paper by Rula Jurdi Abisaab continues the discussion about the `Amili `ulamā’ in Syria and Iran. This is followed by a paper by Richard Hollinger on the Baha’i students at the American University of Beirut from 1906–1948, a paper which seems somewhat out of place in a book whose main goal is to trace the development of relations between Iranian and Lebanese Shi`ites. The final paper in this part, written by Chehabi, discusses the memoirs of the prominent Iranian scholar and diplomat Qasem Ghani (1893–1952), covering the time he spent in Beirut during World War I. It includes lengthy quotes from Ghani’s memoirs, translated into English.
Part II, Pahlavi Iran and the First Republic, starts with a paper by Chehabi and Majid Tafreshi entitled “Musa Sadr and Iran.” While much has been written about Sadr’s leadership of Lebanese Shi`ites in the 1970s and his disappearance in 1978, this paper covers his earlier years. After a brief discussion of Sadr’s ancestry and his family’s complex ties to both Iran and Lebanon, the paper describes how Sadr came to emigrate from Iran to Lebanon in 1959, and discusses his continuing political and religious relations with the Iranian Shi`ites and the Shah’s government. The next paper, by A. W. Samii, describes Iran’s foreign policy towards Lebanon during the period from 1957 to 1976, its attempts to influence events in Lebanon, and the role of SAVAK. The final paper in this part, by Chehabi, describes the activities of Iranian anti-Shah opposition groups located in Lebanon, and their relations with Lebanese groups.
Part III, The Islamic Republic and Hizballah, starts with a paper by Chehabi, “Iran and Lebanon in the revolutionary decade,” which describes relations of the Islamic Republic in Iran with groups in Lebanon, which by then was in the throes of its civil war, as well as its backing of groups, including the nascent Hizballah, which opposed Israel and its occupation of Lebanese territory. The next paper, by Rula Jurdi Abisaab, discusses revolutionary Shi`ism in Lebanese hawzas, a hawza being “a new type of religious seminary that differs from the traditional Lebanese madrasa in that it is more institutionalized and bureaucratized” (p. 231). She discusses the role of the clerics and the influence of the hawzas on the political and social lives of Lebanese Shi`ites. In the next paper, Judith Harik describes Hizballah’s public and social services in Lebanon, the role of such services as an agent of political mobilization, and the support provided by Iran. The book concludes with a paper by Chehabi which describes relations between Iran and Lebanon, including Hizballah, after 1989, the year which marked the death of Khomeini and the signing of the Ta’if agreement which eventually led to the end of the Lebanese civil war.
Each paper includes copious footnotes located at the bottom of the page where they are cited, a convenience which spares the reader from having to constantly flip back and forth to a notes section. Bibliographical references are included in the footnotes, but unfortunately there are no comprehensive bibliographies, neither at the end of each paper nor for the book as a whole. The book includes an adequate index.
All papers are scholarly and informative, and often shed new light on the events described. The book would be of interest to scholars in the areas mentioned above as well as to educated members of the public interested in Middle Eastern affairs. It would be an important addition to academic libraries which support Middle East studies programs.
Catherine Rockwell
University of Utah Marriott Library
Female Homosexuality in the Middle East: Histories and Representations. By Samar Habib. Routledge Research in Gender and Society. New York and London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2007. Pp. 195, with bibliography, filmography, and index. ISBN: 0-415-95673.
This study aims minimally to present some evidence from medieval Arabic sources that describe homosexual desire, practice, and identity, challenging the notion that homosexuality, and in this case female homosexuality, is a western construct of the nineteenth century. The book will not be easy reading for Middle East specialists, although it is grounded in classical and modern Arabic and Islamic studies. It is more a contribution to theoretical debates on the nature of homosexuality, a debate which may be foreign to the reader in Middle Eastern studies, and which is not always explained sufficiently in the book. Moreover, Habib has analyzed only a small portion of the vast primary material on sexuality in the history of the Middle East in order to prove her case. Scholars in the field of sexualities, on the other hand, may find it difficult to follow some of the arcane Middle Eastern and Islamic expertise.
The book is divided into four parts, dealing with the theoretical context, the history and representation of female homosexuality in the Middle Ages, in the contemporary Middle East, and conclusion. The author derives a new paradigm for “gay” historiography from an obscure ninth-century work of Ahmad Bin Mohamad Bin Ali al-Yemeni that contains descriptions of “grinding” (suhaq), which she argues warrants using the modern term female homosexuality. A poem quoted by Yemeni, written by a grinder, suggests that homosexual beauty, desire, and acts are among God’s creation. Yemeni also cites the first instance of female homosexual love ever recorded in history—a sort of Madam and Eve foundation myth. Another anecdote indicates that female homosexuality may be romantic and long-lasting. There are women who prefer grinding over pleasure with men, and there is a measure of societal acceptance for this phenomenon. In short, all the elements of female homosexuality.
The second part of the book is composed of an overview of some medieval Arabic literature on female homosexuality which contains some interesting and challenging insights. Although Habib tries to be as careful as possible in interpreting the sources, the ideas she raises are not always sufficiently grounded. The idea of homosexual relations between elite women and their female slaves is compelling, but deserves further study. Moreover, the close reading of Ahmad Ibn Yusuf Tifashi’s Nuzhat al-Albab is not always convincing.
The third part of the book, dealing with contemporary representations of female homosexuality, contains an analysis of “the first Arabic, lesbian-centered novel,” Elham Mansour’s Ana Hiya Anti, published in Beirut in 2000. Another chapter is devoted to a very few Arab films that have some male and female, homoerotic and homosexual, suggestions or explicit references. These are reviewed for some reason in non-chronological order, which further undermines unsubstantiated historical statements. Finally, some Israeli homosexual organizations, as well as Muslim and Middle Eastern gay websites, are mentioned as harbingers for the future.
The study of female homosexuality in the Middle East in the past and present is important and will undoubtedly contribute to a multicultural approach to female homosexuality in general, as the author argues. There are serious problems of sources and methodology for such endeavors. Nevertheless, this book will be quite disappointing for scholars of the Middle East. Perhaps it would have been preferable to open this field of inquiry with an anthology of discrete in-depth and more sophisticated studies.
Ruth Roded
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Mass Mobilization, Civil War, and the Future of the Region. By Neamatollah Nojumi. New York: Palgrave, 2002. Pp. 260, with bibliography and index. $18.95 (paperback). ISBN: 0312295847.
In his introduction, Nojumi writes, “For my part, I hope this study becomes a useful source for those curious minds and passionate hearts who always desired to know what was really happening inside Afghanistan over the past three decades (1978–2000).” I believe the author met his goal.
Neamatollah Nojumi gives us a glimpse into the deep and complicated history of Afghanistan, helping the reader understand more clearly how the Taliban rose to power. Nojumi grew up in Afghanistan, participating in the Mujahideen fight against the Soviet invasion and contributing to the provision of medical care and other services to displaced Afghans, whether they were forced to relocate outside the boundaries of Afghanistan or within. He offers an inside perspective of the developments within his country over the last 30 years.
He explains that historically, Afghanistan was a “bridge between Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East” (p. 63), resulting in many ethnic and linguistic groups living there. Included are eight major ethnic groups (Pushtons, Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks, Baluchis, Turkmens, Aimaqs, and Kirghiz) resulting in even more dialects. However, even though there were differences between localities involving ethnicity, religion, and linguistics, there was a shared sense of tradition that allowed them to live together in peace for many years (p. 228).
Nojumi writes about the beginning of the modern upheaval in Afghanistan with the Soviet invasion in late 1979, and the creation of various Mujahideen groups (holy warriors). He states that the Mujahideen violence was a crucial response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the aggression of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA). The “consensus of the general population” for the uprising was that the revolt was necessary to protect citizens’ rights (p. 26). He stresses that even though for centuries Afghanistan had not been ruled by religious leaders, the people were “influenced by the teachings of Sufi and Islamic mystic leaders…. These Sufi leaders encouraged peace, tolerance, and love.”
During the 1980s (while the Soviets occupied Afghanistan) thousands of religious schools (madresahs) opened across Pakistan, including in areas where many Afghan refugees lived. Here the ideological formation of the Taliban began, even though it did not become really powerful until the 1990s. As these students grew older, many of them went to Afghanistan to manage the religious affairs of the Mujahideen groups, and over time many received military training and formed local groups of full-time, armed activists. They took with them the religious call of the Taliban leaders to restore order in Afghanistan, and that was interpreted as the call to “enforce the rule of Islamic Law (Shari’ah)” (p. 126).
In the mid 1990s, the Taliban formed the General Department for the Preservation of Virtue and the Elimination of Vice. Young men would patrol the streets to make sure that the Taliban laws were followed (laws such as men not shaving their beards and women being covered from head to toe with a garment [bughrah]). Later, in January 1997, military battles erupted between the Taliban and opponents of this religious rule.
Nojumi describes the opium growth in Afghanistan and how the illegal sale of the plant helps finance the Taliban. Readers learn how this plant caused growing addictions among the people of not only Afghanistan but also neighboring countries. For this reason, there were also a growing number of conflicts regarding the illegal sales of this plant between various countries
Through this 30-year time period, we learn about the support of other countries (including the United States and Saudi Arabia) for various leaders in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Nojumi reports on involvement by China and Russia. He believes that most of the problems that have faced Afghanistan during this time have come about because of influences and interference from outsiders. However, he also states in his epilogue that, “To explain helps understanding, but is not to condone; accurate diagnosis is the first step in any treatment” (p. 222).
This book would be great for anyone truly interested in learning about the current and past history of Central Asia, the Taliban, and Afghanistan. However, it does not offer the only perspective on this complex issue. To take from Nojumi’s quote above, it will most likely also require reading other authors’ perspectives to make a more “accurate diagnosis.”
Included is a rather short chronological list of events covering the years 1784 through 2000 and a four-page list of definitions and abbreviations, which each would be more effective and helpful if expanded. There is also an excellent bibliography and index. A multi-paged List of Notes section is included that is very helpful for the reader who wants to research further into particular subjects and events about which Nojumi writes.
This book will be a tremendous help to anyone who has that “desire to know.” However, unless the person reading this book has studied Afghanistan extensively in the past, the reader will struggle without the necessary maps. The fact that no maps were included was a great deficit. There were so many military conflicts in various towns and communities, border disagreements, opium fields, displacement of people from one area to another, and issues surrounding access to the Persian Gulf, that maps are a necessary visual to understand and picture in our minds what and where all these concerns, problems, and triumphs took place.
Antoinette W. Satterfield
Kansas State University