The Political Language of Islam (Exxon Lecture Series)

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Summary: not good not bad
Review: Bernard Lewis says in the preface of his book The Political Language of Islam that it is mostly based on lectures held by him at the University of Chicago in 1986. Hence its structure appears unusual to someone expecting a standard historical or political book. The first chapter of five in the book is called Metaphor and Allusion. After giving a short overview of some principles of Islam and mentioning the role of Islamic states nowadays, it talks almost only about semantic issues. Meanings and origins of words are discussed and compared to appropriate words in Western languages. For someone who doesn't know the Arabic language this gives an interesting insight.
The other chapters refer each to a certain political field of the Islamic community. In particular these are: The government and associated organizations, the ruler, the people, the state, war, peace and obedience. In discussing each of these topics, the author jumps back and forward in history to show how Islamic society and the language have developed. He usually starts by giving information about how certain political things are and were in different parts of the Islamic world and in which way they were influenced by other cultures. This is followed by a brief discussion about accompanying words in the Arabic language compared to Turkish and Iranian expressions and an analysis of their meanings, origins and changes over the time. Then the author switches again to political issues, just to go back to the explanation of words shortly after. This rhythm is kept over the whole book.
Referring to that, one can say that The Political Language of Islam consists of a political and a semantic part. The latter seems to be the main purpose of the book. The reader gets to know facts he didn't even think of. The shown connections between different Semitic languages as well as their changes from outside make the reader understand some Islamic expressions better. The author gives many examples on why, when, where, how and by whom the Arabic, Turkish and Persian languages were influenced and how new words or the change of meanings or interpretations of words became necessary. Origins of loanwords in the English language are also shown, sometimes by citing the Oxford English Dictionary.
As a result of this, the reader gets a first impression of the Arabic language. Even when listening to translations of Arabian statements on TV or radio, he can understand some expressions better, because he knows from which Arabic word they come. He is better informed about the meanings of words like kafir (unbeliever) or jihad (Holy War).
The political part gives a quick overview on the topics mentioned further above. The book doesn't go very deep into details, but therefore gives a lot of basic information on various points and historical events. The views and behaviour of people in different parts of the Islamic world, mainly Arabia, Turkey and Persia, are compared. This is not reduced to Muslims. The role of non-Muslims, slaves and women under Islamic authority is discussed as well as the opportunities for Muslims in non-Islamic states. Examples of historical events help the reader understand, how sayings from the Koran could be interpreted.
Bernard Lewis gives the right amount of historical and religious background information needed to understand the context. This way the reader learns a lot about several issues in Islamic history. The focus is on the change of the borders of Islamic states, because the clash of different cultures caused the language to change.
Due to the fact that everything is seen from the language aspect, some of the political information is even repeated. This is not too bad, because the book seems to be designed for a reader who doesn't know much about Islam. Terms like "Hadith" are explained when introduced. The good notes at the end of the book help the reader who is new to Islam, to understand certain things better. They also give many links to further study.
On the other hand, the reader may get confused by the permanent change of semantic and political topics. The frequently appearing jumps in history prevent him from getting a general overview of the developments in the Muslim community.
Lewis, who calls himself a historian and Islamicist, avoids taking position on controversial topics. He writes the book from a neutral view, neither criticizing Islamic nor Western attitudes.
For anyone who is interested in learning something about history of Islamic politics, this book is interesting, though there are probably better ones that concentrate more on politics instead of exploring language terms. These parts of the book sometimes appear to be too long for someone who reads it for its political content.

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Summary: A Linguistic Approach
Review: In The Political Language of Islam, Bernard Lewis attempts to trace the development of the political language of Islam from the Mohammedan Era, through the transformation of the religio-political discourse in modern times, to the present day. An eminent scholar of the Middle East and a professor at Princeton University, Lewis, presents an analysis of the discrepancies between Islamic and Western political thought. The book is based on his Exxon Foundation Lectures delivered at the University of Chicago in 1986.
In the first chapter of the book Lewis explains the differences between Islamic and Western political terms. He discusses the meanings and origins of words and compares them to corresponding terms in Western languages. He dwells on various metaphors and images, which reflect the traditional, social and political distinctions between Islamic and Western cultures. Despite these differences, Lewis says, there exist also resemblances between the two culturally different terminologies, due to the fact that the individuals of the two domains live in the same environment. He further adds that some of the similarities may be the result of cultural influences and borrowings.
In the following chapters Lewis introduces an account of the issues relating to the state and political authority in the Muslim world. He elaborates on relations, particularly of the ruler and the ruled, people and the state, obedience and rebellion, rights and duties, justice and oppression and legitimacy and illegitimacy. He examines how certain political elements were perceived and practiced differently in various parts of the "Islamic bloc". Lewis also provides an informative synopsis of the political vocabulary of the Arabic language compared to Turkish and Persian expressions, followed by an analysis of their meanings, origins and changes in time.
The last chapters of the book are devoted to a discussion on war and peace, in which one can find a strong connection to the political climate of the present. Proving against the common belief, Lewis argues that "classic Arabic usage has no term corresponding to the concept of holy war." Therefore, the word "jihad" does not exist in Arabic language as it is perceived today. Its literal meaning connotes "strive" and "effort." But Lewis also makes it clear that "unceasingly to convert or at least subjugate those who have not" is an obligation imposed by God on all Muslims. "It must continue until the whole world has either accepted the Islamic faith or submitted to the power of the Islamic state." Lewis asserts that with an apostate being the worst enemy, rebels, bandits and apostates are enemies against whom it was legitimate to wage war. Yet according to some Muslim teachings the war did not have to be in the military sense, the jihad could be understood in moral and spiritual terms.
An ambiguity as such in Islamic thought among the Muslims reflects contested interpretations of the tenets of political Islam. Particularly following September 11 attacks, the word jihad has been in frequent use in both the Western and Muslim media. Although moderate Muslims and extremists divide amongst themselves in what they would call jihad, the western press instigates the meaning of the term as the holy war of the Muslims. In fact, according to Lewis, a term for holy war does not exist in Islam. As far as the current Islamic militant activism is concerned, contradictions between the political understanding of the moderate Muslims and the extremists as such constitute restlessness among the Muslim population. With the case of how meaning of jihad is perceived being one case, in "The Political Language of Islam" Bernard Lewis elaborates on various aspects of Muslim political language and illuminates the origins and the changes in the meanings of the political vocabulary of Islam. Although the book does not go very deep into details, it gives a lot of basic information on major aspects of political Islam. For those readers interested in studying the subject further, Lewis provides an informative section of links and footnotes. Lewis writes the book from an objective point of view, without taking a pro-Western or pro-Islamic side. Therefore the book is lacks a strong argument. It is more a compilation study, than an argumentative work. "The Political Language of Islam" is highly recommended for academic circles, particularly for the faculty and graduate students of Middle Eastern Studies who would be willing to trace the political character of Islam in linguistic terms.


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Summary: A Work of First Class Scholarship
Review: Lewis's works are known for their depth of analysis while simultaneously being presented with a simple elegance that makes them approachable to those of us who are not Arabists or Islamicists. In this work he expounds on the language of political discourse in Arabia, Persia, Turkey and Islamic lands in general. Political vocabulary more or less confines and defines the range of this discourse so understanding the language is not mere semantics but indeed critical to the understanding of the development of Islamic political thought.

This short book (116 pages plus 52 pages of detailed notes and references, including an index) traces the etymology behind key political concepts in Islam. If you are an informed reader of current Mideast events encountering words like jihad, ayatollah, imam, shaykh, and fatwa and have a curiosity as to what these words are all about, under what context did they originally appear, and why they have contemporary relevance, you will find this unique volume hard to put down. The book is about the concept behind the word and its historical development more so than philological aspects, although the latter is also well covered. Originally published in 1988, an update reflecting the current state of affairs would be welcome. For example Islamic fundamentalists describe modern society as "jahili," a term originally used as a descriptor of Arabia before the time of the Prophet and related to the Arabic word for ignorance, "jahiliyya." Lewis' thoughts on how Muslims have dealt with attempting to end godless jahiliyya in the past and how it might apply to militant Islam today would have particular relevance as we try to understand the motivations behind the events of September 11th.