Beyond Fundamentalism: Confronting Religious Extremism in the Age of Globalization

Reza Azlan, once again dissects a very complex subject matter and makes it easy to understand. Admittedly, not many of us know the difference between a "jihadist" and an "Islamist" ...and if one does not know the fundamental difference between the two ..one will clearly fail in any attempt to understand their principles/ ideology ...and accordingly fail to address and put an end to their acts of terror and terrorism successfully.The book is both enlightening and a delight to read although the subject matter is complex and difficult to comprehend. It is to Reza Azlan's credit that he writes with a simple delightful grace that leaves the reader feeling informed and enlightened ... not angry , judgemental and prejudiced. Kudos to Reza Azlan!! A must read !!

Beyond Fundamentalism is a compelling analysis of the War on Terror that mixes the roots of Islamic fundamentalism and Jihadism with American evangelicalism to argue that the War on Terror is in fact an unwinnable cosmic war in which both sides believe they are fighting on behalf of God and with God's help. By arguing that this conflict must be brought down to Earth if it is ever to be resolved, Aslan provides a unique perspective on the War on Terror by questioning American conceptions of Muslims, Jihadists, and the fundamental American ideal of America as God's country. Aslan suggests that the problem of Jihadism can only be overcome by recognizing it as a social movement that, while misguided and un-Islamic, is legitimate because it stems from a growing feeling of disenfranchisement among young, educated, middle-class Muslims. Beyond Fundamentalism is enjoyable to read and revolutionary in its approach to analyzing the War on Terror--a great choice for anyone who wants to learn more about the causes of and possible solutions to this contemporary cosmic war.

if you are looking for an extremely well-written clear informative way to get an idea of what all this stuff is about, this is your book. i bought it after reading 'Zealot' about Jesus and Christianity (something i am very well-read on and Reza's book was fantastic- putting all i knew together - then adding so much more-wonderful book!). Beyond Fundamentalism is an older book, so you might feel, well, its out of date what with all the things going on in the world, but i whole-heartedly recommend starting here then reading Reza's more recent 'No god but God' - i've just bought it and have begun reading it -... sure, i expect some repetition, but as most of the information is new to me, reading it again (and written slightly differently) will help me absorb it better (old dog-difficult teaching me new tricks).

Reza Aslan's Beyond Fundamentalism is an incredibly interesting read that reminds us that the current "War on Terror" that the United States is involved in is by no means an isolated or completely unusual event and in fact could be described as a "cosmic war." Cosmic war, which he defines as a religious conflict fought on a higher plane as well as on earth where one side (or both) truly believes that they are acting on behalf of God, is un-winnable as only faith can conquer by defeating evil, and with faith there is no compromise. Aslan presents an argument that Jihadism is a social, not religious, movement, and that it has sociopolitical causes such as the shifts from secular nationalism to globalization to ultra-nationalism as a fear reaction to globalization of today. Aslan offers a reminder that from the Jews of the Old Testament to the Crusades, cosmic wars have always been fought, but he also provides us with a compelling solution: just don't participate. In a war you can't win the only answer is to make sure it never starts through mutual respect (easier said than done...). I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in actually understanding the root causes of the political situation between the western world and the Middle East. My only critique is I wish he'd said a little more about the differences between Sunni and Shiite Muslims, but I'm sure that is included in his other book, No god but God, which I am looking forward to reading soon.

Simply put, Reza Aslan's Beyond Fundamentalism should be a required read for anyone who wants to understand the conditions that have lead to the current religious tension in the world today. The book explains not only the history of fundamentalism and the current state of the movement, but it also contains a unique perspective that Aslan is able to give on the events we see today.In short, Aslan outlines what is known as a "cosmic" war that we're facing, and puts it in terms that we can use to understand the motivation and drive behind its combatants. He urges us to realize that the people we are currently fighting against do not have any cement goals that they wish to accomplish by fighting - instead they merely want to destroy what they believe is evil. We, the west, only serve to fan the flames when we claim to be fighting "crusades." Aslan's goal is to bring this war back to something we can actually fight, not with bombs and guns, but with tools such as democracy. We need to improve the climate that terrorism breeds in by making a lasting change in the Middle East and removing the need for radicalism in the first place.

This work is a very scholarly look at the factions in our world today. The essence of what the book reveals is that our lives boil down to good versus evil. This describes the rise in religious fundamentalism as opposed to the highly involved civilization so often put forth in our day. There is also a neat parallel to the rise of Radical Islam and its opposition to the world as a basic battle of good versus evil. The diction of this author is highly educated and his style of writing is scholarly; however, if you take the time to read this work, your understanding of the world of today and the basic struggles is certainly enhanced. I do recommend this book.

Excellent !!

If you are beginning to learn about worldly violence and the role religion plays within it, then this book is the place to start. The reason why it fantastic for beginners is simply because it is easy to read. People with some background knowledge will also benefit as the book focuses upon the Abrahamic religions - Judaism, Christianity & Islam. It places heavy focus on contemporary violence in all three religions and touches upon historical background. In Judaism, Aslan sketches the Zealots and the destruction of the first temple in 70AD all the way to the Zionism and the formation of Israel on the first of May 1948. Aslan looks at the crusades an contrasts modern day Cosmic Dualism (the main thesis of his work, the clash of civilisations, good vs evil) Global Jihadism and the Bush Administration.My favourite part of the book is when Aslan focuses upon islamism and democracy. Normally, people, particularly in the west, would look at disgust with Islamist organisation who hold ideas which seem the anti-thesis to Liberalism. People may say that Islamist ideas are what underpin the Global Jihadist movement, and to tackle the latter we need to tackle the former. However, Aslan presents a convincing case whereby allowing Islamist parties to partake in democratic elections may be a way to repel people from turning to Global Jihadism.Aslan also gives a balanced perspective. Some reviews here say that Aslan never criticised the Muslim community yet criticised a lot of American institutions. However, Aslan points out a fundamental and dangerous concept that is widespread in the Muslim world -- takfeerism. Takfir is a widespread doctrine practiced by a number of Muslims, simply put, it is the action of calling some one a Kafir (disbeliever) or a group of people Kuffar. Both the Ulema and Global Jihadists practice this concept. Aslan takes time sketching the history of takfeerism by recalling Ibn Taymiyah, he then takes time to show how dangerous such concept really is for Muslims to practice today.One negative about this book is that it only talks about everything up to 2007 which means that it misses everything from then on to today. Therefore, the rise of ISIL is not talked about. An evaluation of Obamas presidency is not talked about (which if Aslan reviewed again would come to a different conclusion in his book) and the Syrian civil war is not talked about. Therefore, this book is only good for a good background to the events today. Most of the ideas presented in the book still stand though.In conclusion, if you are going to buy a book that deals with issues of religion and violence, then do not hesitate to start here!

Very captivating and informative. I love when writing flows this naturally

This book should be required reading for anyone who is interested in the battle against the extremism of any religion. Dr. Aslan writes succinctly and with the authority of someone who has done in-depth research.

Come gli altri libri dello stesso autore, questa ricerca presenta una analisi ottimamene fondata e documentata, sia storica che fenomenologica,sociologica, politica, culturale e religiosa che aiuta a conoscere e a comprendere le radici dei vari fondamentalismi, ma anche a reagire a essi partendo appunto dalle loro origini profonde. Un altro capolavoro dell'autore, un'opera che dovrebbe conoscere ogni persona pensant