The Receding Shadow of the Prophet: The Rise and Fall of Radical Political Islam

The premise of this book is both controversial and - in light of 9/11 and the present extremist violence in Iraq and elsewhere - counterintuitive: that Militant Islam, although making quite a display at present, is bound to fail and indeed is already doing so. The authors, however, make their point well. They cogently appeal to historical examples and make a plausible case for what would seem to be an unlikely thesis. Basic to their thesis is the claim that Militant Islam, as a system, is more adept at breaking things, than creating them. This is especially true when it comes to the politics. The authors take the view that political Islam has yet to govern successfully. They state it succinctly thus: "Islamism was a hollow ideology that was certainly capable of fomenting rebellion and channeling unrest and popular wrath, but it was fundamentally flawed in terms of providing a workable template for governance" Theirs is an interesting proposition and certainly one way to view the evidence. They are not alone in this view. Gilles Keppel has recently written a work which arrives at a similar conclusion. Confronted by the implacable furor of militant Islam, first with the events of 911, and continuing thereafter, and in light of their stated goal of a world dominated by Islam, one may feel a certain angst as to the future. Although personally, I am not convinced of the authors thesis, one can only hope they are correct.

September 11th increased fears of a powerful Islamic tide rising to destabilize Muslim countries; yet past experience proved such concerns unfounded, and while Islam has become an ideology of wrath, it's failed to unique Islamic nations with any major reforms or campaigns. The Receding Shadow Of The Prophet: The Rise And Fall Of Radical Political Islam surveys radical political Islam's successes and failures in the modern world, offering penetrating views of how they've failed, and how their emphasis on violence frightens potential allies. Ray Takeyh is a professor, Gvosdev and editor: their book provides penetrating examples.