Vali Nasr is always worth reading. `The Shia Revival' was superb political analysis and there's plenty of that here as well, especially when Nasr gives a straightforward historical overview as he does on Iran at the start of the book, and Turkey and Pakistan at the end. He very helpfully explains how Arab governments assumed that modernity had to come via the state which has held back entrepreneurialism. This brings us to the heart of the book's thesis: encourage people to get involved in commerce and nasty religious extremism will wither away. Let the middle classes arise and the uneducated superstitious peasants will back off. It's a familiar thesis, but Vali Nasr did not convince me
, mainly because there were too many generalisations for the thesis to be properly underpinned. Take the phrase middle class, he never defines who they are. Are they the usual candidates - the doctors, lawyers, engineers and teachers? Probably not because they are not engaged in commerce. So are they the small shop keepers, the men of the bazaar? If so the idea that they are suddenly going to become less religious overnight isn't very convincing. Using a very opaque system of trade they have been making lots of money for many years...and in Iran at least have been the regime's most faithful supporters. Or are they the slick suited international jet setters marketing the latest gadgets from China? I was never clear who the author meant by the middle class. It is the same with the crucial phrase `fundamentalism': the discussion is very interesting, but I never quite knew what exactly the author meant by the word. A lack of definitions, and certainly no socio economic graphs or detailed footnotes to pin assertions down. So typically the author says that radical Islam is not on the rise in the Middle East because Muslims want to do business (page 146, hard back copy). There is no footnote. So this is ultimately just an opinion, an impression. Later he says that `business minded shop keepers...have little or no interest in extremism' Again...there is no foot note, there is no survey to support this. It is just an impression. And though this opinion that violent extremism is retreating in the Middle East is constantly repeated, it still remains opinion, as do his sweeping generalisations on the nature of Islam which, for example, apparently spread by embracing diversity. From this author I was hoping for solid fact, not journalistic generalisations, especially because the thesis is so important. Europe has only recently ended its tribal and religious wars through the power of commerce cemented into law by the EU. This is surely an important way forward also for the Middle East.
, mainly because there were too many generalisations for the thesis to be properly underpinned. Take the phrase middle class, he never defines who they are. Are they the usual candidates - the doctors, lawyers, engineers and teachers? Probably not because they are not engaged in commerce. So are they the small shop keepers, the men of the bazaar? If so the idea that they are suddenly going to become less religious overnight isn't very convincing. Using a very opaque system of trade they have been making lots of money for many years...and in Iran at least have been the regime's most faithful supporters. Or are they the slick suited international jet setters marketing the latest gadgets from China? I was never clear who the author meant by the middle class. It is the same with the crucial phrase `fundamentalism': the discussion is very interesting, but I never quite knew what exactly the author meant by the word. A lack of definitions, and certainly no socio economic graphs or detailed footnotes to pin assertions down. So typically the author says that radical Islam is not on the rise in the Middle East because Muslims want to do business (page 146, hard back copy). There is no footnote. So this is ultimately just an opinion, an impression. Later he says that `business minded shop keepers...have little or no interest in extremism' Again...there is no foot note, there is no survey to support this. It is just an impression. And though this opinion that violent extremism is retreating in the Middle East is constantly repeated, it still remains opinion, as do his sweeping generalisations on the nature of Islam which, for example, apparently spread by embracing diversity. From this author I was hoping for solid fact, not journalistic generalisations, especially because the thesis is so important. Europe has only recently ended its tribal and religious wars through the power of commerce cemented into law by the EU. This is surely an important way forward also for the Middle East.
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