Customer Reviews (1)

High Price
At this price I expected much more than 72 pages (80 if you count glossary and index).Good overview on several topics, but much could have been read via internet searches.Good content but required more pages for my higher star rating. ... Read more

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For the last several decades an influential group of Egyptian scholars and public intellectuals has been having a profound effect in the Islamic world. Raymond Baker offers a compelling portrait of these New Islamists--Islamic scholars, lawyers, judges, and journalists who provide the moral and intellectual foundations for a more fully realized Islamic community, open to the world and with full rights of active citizenship for women and non-Muslims.

The New Islamists have a record of constructive engagement in Egyptian public life, balanced by an unequivocal critique of the excesses of Islamist extremists. Baker shows how the New Islamists are translating their thinking into action in education and the arts, economics and social life, and politics and foreign relations despite an authoritarian political environment. For the first time, Baker allows us to hear in context the most important New Islamist voices, including Muhammad al Ghazzaly, Kamal Abul Magd, Muhammad Selim al Awa, Fahmy Huwaidy, Tareq al Bishry, and Yusuf al Qaradawy--regarded by some as the most influential Islamic scholar in the world today. A potentially transformative force in global Islam, the New Islamists define Islam as a civilization that engages others and searches for common ground through shared values such as justice, peace, human rights, and democracy.

Islam without Fear is an impressive achievement that contributes to the understanding of Islam in general and the possibilities of a centrist Islamist politics in particular.

Customer Reviews (7)

Filling a Critical Gap in the Contemporary Debate
Often in contemporary political discourse about Islam and Islamist movements, one hears either that there is no such thing as moderate Islamism, or that if there are any moderates they are marginal and insignificant.Surely, the thinking seems to go, if there were any moderate Islamists we would have heard of them by now.Professor Baker's book undercuts this conventional wisdom, demonstrating that the mainstream of contemporary Islamism discourse is in fact the moderate Wassatteyya trend.However, his challenge to the prevailing wisdom on the subject is not merely an empirical one, but a conceptual one as well.On the most basic level, what are we to make of non-Western ideologues endorsing commitments we take to have a Western provenance?And more importantly, how is the term "moderate" to be used in characterizing Islamist discourse?Does being moderate mean endorsing American foreign policy in the Middle East across the board?This is the position of the various RAND Corporation studies on the subject; there are no "moderate Islamists," only scattered pockets of "moderate Muslims" whom the US government ought to fund and organize to maximize their impact.If Baker is right, however, "moderate" should have a more dynamic, more contextual significance.Qaradawi for one has not absolutely rejected suicide bombing, female circumcision, or domestic violence, arguing instead that they can be legitimate under exceptional and abnormal conditions.Within our own political debates, this would obviously count as an extreme point of view; within Islamist discourse it counts as center-right.If our aim is to find opinion leaders in the Middle East who are on the same page with us about everything already, then we might end up with a fairly restricted set of moderates on our map (although, if Baker and Bruce Rutherford are right, even in that case it would be a bigger and more mainstream set than is typically thought).If, on the other hand, our aim is to open a dialogue, leveraging what points of agreement we already have so as to work towards convergence on the rest, then Baker's classification is the right one to use.Whichever tack one ends up taking, this book remains the best point of entry to the topic.

Brilliant and timely, a must-read
This highly readable and highly relevant book has given me an entirely new perspective on politics in the Middle East. Anyone concerned by the results in Iraq of our current understanding of the Middle East will see in this book the road map to another way.Baker provides perhaps the most balanced, well-informed, and optimistic perspective on Islamist politics available today. Whether you consider yourself conservative, liberal, or right down the middle, this book is a must-read.

No Objectivity in This Cheerleading of Islamicists
Daniel Pipes has said that Baker's books on the Abdel Nasser and Sadat eras, 1954-81, bespeak his familiarity with the Egyptian political scene; as he puts it, he has made "a voyage to an intellectual, cultural, and moral world into which I was not born but where I no longer feel a stranger." Islam without Fear clearly shows the strengths and weaknesses of this voyage. On the plus side, Baker not only knows his topic but has a feel for the Egyptian scene, both Islamist and otherwise. His survey of the "New Islamists"--a group of important Egyptians (such as Kamal Abul Magd, Muhammad Selim al-Awa, Tareq al-Bishry, Muhammad al-Ghazzaly, Fahmy Huwaidy, and Yusuf al-Qaradawy) at the vanguard of Islamist ideological development--is informed, smart, and supple. He documents their thinking, assesses their achievements and failings, and points to their significance.

On the minus side, Baker, professor of international politics at Trinity College, Hartford, has lost any sense of objectivity and instead adopted the outlook of his New Islamist subjects, for whom he serves as an English-language cheerleader. Rehashing the silly and discredited trope distinguishing between moderate and extreme Islamists, he treats the leading lights of the world's most vibrant totalitarian movement with an overt and embarrassing enthusiasm (centrist, positive, impressive, human, and humane are adjectives describing them that appear in just the book's first five pages). Worse, the study contains an element of deception, a hiding of problems, symbolized by Baker's long account of a headline-making debate in January 1992 between Qaradawy and an arch-secularist named Farag Foda but his omission that this exchange contributed directly to the assassination of Foda five months later by an Islamist terrorist.

Liberals in Egypt are the Real Force
It is true that the Islamist scholars have taken over the arena in Egypt; however this is a result of the governmental media, which sees in liberals a threat to its own authority.

Liberals in Egypt are in part, those who stood on Sadat's side when he started a number of reforms in the late 70s of the last century. They do have a practical view for Egypt. They are the grandsons of those who ruled Egypt in the first half of the 20th century.

In Egypt, as in many other countries of the third world, a President comes to ruin the picture of the President before him. Nasser did that with Naguib. Sadat did that with Nasser. Mubarak won't build a new tradition of course, since he is a clerk more than a politician!

Since the start of his rule, Mubarak brought back Nasser's second line of men in. Among them was Safwat ElSherif, (Information Minister for more than 22 years thereafter), Mufeed Shehab (High Education Minister for about 10 years and one of those who Sadat detained in the 15th of May reform revolution of 1971, as he called it) and Kamal El-Shazli (Minister of the affairs of the People's Assembly for many years and the most hated man in Egypt today).

These men didn't give a chance for liberals to speak out. They draw the government's picture, as if it was the only liberal force in the country. As if the government is the only one which wants relations with Israel. As if the government is the only one which can have relations with the USA and the West.

By silencing their voices, the government guarantees that it is the only one which can have relations with the outside, be it the USA, the rest of the West, or even Israel. The government doesn't want to have a competitor in its relations towards the outside. If outsiders see it that way, then it would be an ultimate success for her.

Sadat's legacy had to be buried down, and Mubarak was to be branded the man who did everything, even the Yom Kippur war!!!!

At the time, the USA maybe knew that, but its interest went on with Mubarak and his corrupt regime. However, now things have changed, and the USA knows where the liberals are, and she knows that they are buried by the government and are ignored from speaking out and saying what hey have to say.

Islamists are a Ghost used by the government, and were given a way by it. Many of the Islamist intellectuals mentioned in the book were given way to media by the government "controlled media". They would have never been the lions of the arena unless there was government support.

Therefore, today, "Kefaya" which is a civil society movement and made up mostly of the Islamists, Nasserites and Leftists, is not that dangerous for the government, but actually very helpful. Also, the latest clashes in Alexandria between Muslims and Christians, over a play said to be "against Islam", might be instigated by the government itself, so that it sends Washington a message indicating that it fights extremist Muslims while it is so moderate! Thanks God, since Washington is not that stupid as the Egyptian government thinks!
The Egyptian government is making everything possible to survive the un-survivable. It is in panic and is taking the wrong decisions in the wrong time.

Liberals are awaiting a chance to come out. They know that about 40 million "silent majority" are supporting Liberalism.

Many in the West have been deceived, like the author here, by just observing the cream of the Cake. Many have said that people in Egypt were happy that Sadat was killed, by just observing what they see, without any added effort to see what is hidden within society.

Islamists might take over for a while till people who vote (and this will not take long) will see what these people will do. Egypt is not ready to be another Taliban. Most people in Egypt are liberals, even the poor, like Peasants, who r not ready to give up their profit, to the backward brothers.

A hagiography of a movement
A strange book.As a project of relating the ideas of Egyptian "New Islamists" as they would like themselves presented, the book does a very good job.But on the other hand, it is completely uncritical, and provides very little of the context for the positions described.Baker's unrelenting praise of the New Islamists gets wearying after a while, especially as most often the "New Islamist" positions are little more than warmed-over Islamic modernism, internal tensions and superficialities included.Perhaps the New Islamists are a welcome contrast to the more mindless, violent variety of Egyptian Islamist more familiar from the media.It is, however, too much of a stretch to portray these garden variety of cultural conservatives part of an intellectually sophisticated movement with liberal attitudes. ... Read more

Product Description
Egypt is almost the size of Britain, France, and Germany combined, yet its nearly 70 million people are forced by geography to live in an area no bigger than Belgium. In this illuminating introduction to economic geography, the authors describe the myriad problems facing Egypt. They examine food scarcity, the effects of water and land shortage, the impact of globalization on Egypt's attempts to industrialize, population explosion, massive debt, unemployment, corruption, and Egypt's tourism industry. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from The Geographical Review, published by American Geographical Society on October 1, 2003. The length of the article is 1091 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Egypt: An Economic Geography.(Book Review)
Author: Joseph Hobbs
Publication: The Geographical Review (Refereed)
Date: October 1, 2003
Publisher: American Geographical Society
Volume: 93Issue: 4Page: 534(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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'THE BIBLE BETRAYED'By James Rappai'The Bible Betrayed' presents an astonishing new hypothesis-discovery that conclusively proves the following: 1.The Bible stories are true.2.Ancient Egypt was in the Turkey-Syria region. 3.Ancient Israel was in Syria. 4.It pinpoints the ruins of the real Jerusalem in the mountains of Syria. 5.Finally, it suggests that scholars may be involved in an elaborate cover-up exercise. The Bible Betrayed proves that the Bible stories are true. The book goes on to reveal a mind-numbing archaeological reconstruction error in the volatile Middle Eastern arena. Modern-day scholars have misidentified and misplaced ancient Egypt on the reconstructed map of the Levant (core biblical arena). Since Egypt was the sheet anchor for this reconstruction, this fundamental flaw spawned multiple errors in the map, including the Bible anomaly of missing archaeological evidence. The Bible anomaly is probably being used as a smokescreen to cover up this grave error.The author, James Rappai's fascinating conclusions are based on his newly reconstructed map of the core biblical arena that emerged from a 10-year long study. It all began with the author's suspicion that 'Ethiopia of the secular Greek scholars' and 'Canaan of the Bible' were one and not two different kingdoms as modern-day scholars currently assume. This proved true. A search for the root cause of this inadvertent duplication led to the Egypt error.The new map is based on geographical pointers that are rigorously corroborated by both the Bible as well as secular ancient world historians such as Strabo and Herodotus. It firmly places Egypt as well as Canaan (of which ancient Israel was a part) in the Middle Eastern arena. When 'test run' to find Jerusalem, the new map delivers an astonishing find! It triangulates a fort-temple ruin situated on a high mountain ridge, hidden deep in the mountains of modern-day Syria. From the description given of Jerusalem by the Jewish historian Josephus, this fort-temple ruin is a hand-in-glove fit and instantly recognizable as the Fort Antonia cum Temple complex of the Jerusalem acropolis upon the Moriah Ridge that was rebuilt by King Herod. It is surprisingly intact... almost exactly as Titus left it in 70 AD! 'The Bible Betrayed' is soon to be followed by three new books that will highlight various other mysteries that are revealed and resolved by this hypothesis-discovery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

LOL!
LOL! What a silly book! Wow, ....wow. This book is so un historical it isn't even funny. I want my money back!

AMAZING ABSOLUTELY ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!
I GIVE THIS GUY THE 4As!! The scope of this book is immense. The author, James Rappai has managed to do what a hundred nay a thousand scholars before him tried and failed to accomplish!

Okay, histrionics aside, what Mr. Rappai has done is single-handedly resolve the Bible anomaly of missing archaeological evidence. In the process, he blithely dismantles the 'sacred' Egypt reconstruction and ships it lock-stock and barrel to the Near Eastern arena.

Is one allowed to do this? Do I find it believable? Frankly, I am a little bewildered, but if you ask me, does it make sense, I have to say... sure. Why the hell not.

The Egypt reconstruction is not all robust as it seems. True, there are the ruins, but the story that goes with it, is not all 'kosher.' The fit is a sham. There is a lot that has been quietly swept under the carpet. It is entirely possible that we have clothed one set of ruins with the garment of another, as Rappai suggests.

The inexplicable presence of Egypt in Syria has always vexed Egyptologists. Indeed, to accommodate this powerful magnetic pull, this region has been considered an annexe of Egypt.

A must read for every student of Egyptology and biblical studies. A must read for all the armchair explorers out there who want to sink their teeth into areal live-wire history mystery, one that take on a hundred thousands scholars head-on.

Facinating hypothesis
The Bible Betrayed attempts to resolve the enigma of missing archaeological evidence for the Bible. It suggestions that the reconstructed map of the Levant (including the Holy Land), suffers from an error and is indeed the root cause for the Bible's archaeological no-show. While this is indeed the standard position of the biblical maximalists, the author suggests that the map suffers from a fundamental or fatal error reconstruction error.

What is this fatal error?

Ancient Egypt was misidentified and misplaced. Ancient Egyptians were poor builders, and textual sources reveal them to have been a sophisticate populace much along the lines of ancient Greece. What we have now is exactly the opposite and clearly a case of mistaken identity.

The Egypt error skews the whole map. It caused Ethiopia of the Greek scholars and Canaan of the Bible to be separately reconstructed when in reality they are merely two different perspectives of the same city-state. This fact is elaborately established by tallying similarities between the two. History, topographical and political similarities are painstakingly tallied. The author cleverly uses corroborating ancient world textual sources such as Strabo, Josephus and Herodotus, to establish it in an irrefutable and transparent manner.

Incidentally, tracing the root cause of the Ethiopia-Canaan duplication is what that leads to Egypt error. Once again, using the corroborative approach, the author establishes that ancient Egypt too is erroneous.
Real Egypt was located in the Middle East where Syria is situated. With incredible easy the author eases Egypt into an altogether different landscape. The Nile and its delta are identified, and indeed, the whole reconstruction is expertly put into place in the most believable manner. The fit too is hand-in glove and everything makes much more sense. Frankly, the entire presentation is very unnerving.

As if this weren't enough, the new map is tested; it is used to locate Jerusalem. Here, a key extract from Strabo comes in handy. Jerusalem which was located in the mountains, was visible from the coast, it states. Using this clue, a fort-temple ruin set on a mountain ridge is triangulated. Closer examination reveals it to be a perfect match. The acropolis is exactly as described by Josephus and Strabo. One look at the photograph (use `customer image' link beneath the title image to reach) is enough to trigger cardiac arrhythmia amongst seasoned bible archaeologist. The resemblance is so uncanny!

The book is well written and written for the lay audience. All the arguments are structured well and the complex unraveling of this Gordian knot is indeed expertly done.

The whole ideology is new from end to end. Thus, petty scholars, especially short-order Wikipedia scholars empowered with stars and bottle-cap medallions to save the world, will undoubtedly bay for blood, and try their utmost to berate this discovery-hypothesis, make a mockery of the presentation. Senior scholars are however well advised to take a close look. ... Read more

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Product Description
This book is suitable for ages 9 to 10 years. To the rest of the world, Egypt is a living museum of the ancient world. Pyramids lie amidst modern farming villages, and construction crews renovate and restore crumbling old city architecture. "Egypt the Culture" examines the ancient and modern cultural history of Egypt. With 50 per cent new images, the revised "Egypt the Culture" examines contemporary issues such as sustainable development and how the country combats terrorism. It also looks at the environmental impact of Egypt's growing population and how pollution effects the pyramids. The topics include: mummies; King Tut; everyday life in Ancient Egypt; Modern Egyptian music, dance, literature, and art. ... Read more

Product Description
General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1819Original Publisher: Wells and LillySubjects: Commercial geographyBlack Sea regionTurkeyEgyptBlack SeaBlack Sea RegionGeography, CommercialHistory / Ancient / EgyptHistory / Middle East / EgyptHistory / Middle East / GeneralJuvenile Nonfiction / History / Middle EastTravel / Middle East / GeneralNotes: This is an OCR reprint of the original rare book. There may be typos or missing text and there are no illustrations.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

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This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1849 edition by Edward Moxon, London. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Volume: 2; Original Publisher: Wells ... Read more

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This differentiated text book looks at Eygpt's physical and human geography. It explores the history of Egypt, from the time of the pharaohs to gaining its independence in the mid-20th century. Meet some of the diverse people who live in modern Egypt, and read their own accounts of their lives. ... Read more

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This book is an up-to-date information, facts and figures on Egypt, using key facts boxes and statistical charts. It covers the physical landscape, climate and weather; natural resources, population figures, where people live and their lifestyles; economic, trade and business developments; industrial growth; religious and cultural beliefs, education systems; politics, law and order; environmental concerns and how Egypt is working towards the future. One of a series, this book provides a comprehensive account of each country of the world and draws relevant comparisons with other countries. ... Read more

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This series introduces children to the countries of the world through pictures. Each title focuses on one country and uses top-quality photographs and clear text to explain key facts and features. These include the people and how they live, the climate, landscapes, towns and cities, plus chapters on what the country produces. A full-colour map details major geographical features and places pictured in the book. Each title has an index and notes to explain how to use the book. Egypt brings to life through outstanding photography the history, geography, culture and religious customs of this ancient land. ... Read more

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Egypt is an important political and cultural center for the entire Arab world. A key player in Middle Eastern politics, Egypt is often in the news. Features of the series include: main chapters that focus on geography, people and culture, history, government and economy, and nature; 'At a Glance' double spreads to present a maximum amount of information in a minimal amount of space, utilizing charts, tables, time lines, and other highly visual elements; and, full-page maps that highlight physical features, vegetation and ecosystems, history, population, and political organization. As a bonus, every photograph within each chapter is tied to a location on the main map for that chapter. The work features smaller maps that zoom in on special topics, such as migration, rainfall, changing borders, resources, industry, and other important themes. It includes special feature sidebars that introduce intriguing people, places, and events, and a glossary to aid in comprehension of unfamiliar terms. It presents an extensive bibliography that lists books, National Geographic articles, and Web sites. ... Read more

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In The Red Sea Mountains of Egypt and Egyptian Years, English scholar and explorer Leo Arthur Tregenza (1901-98) describes an Egypt unknown today. In his prose the Nile still floods, and Bedouin of the desert practice a way of life unchanged for thousands of years.

L.A. Tregenza came to Egypt in 1927 to teach school, and remained until the 1952 Revolution. His passions in his native Cornwall had been the civilization of Rome, natural history, and walking. He carried on all three in Egypt, traveling on foot during school holidays through some of the country's wildest and most historic landscapes. The books deal mainly with his three long treks (1947, 1949, 1951) in the Eastern Desert. They also provide an extremely valuable depiction of the pre-High Dam rhythms of the Nile and its rural people.

Walking with Tregenza, the reader probes the Greek and Roman mining and quarrying sites of the desert wilderness, including Mons Porphyrites and Mons Claudianus. When Tregenza finds an inscription he translates it on the spot, drawing us closer to the lives of those who toiled here so long ago. He is a careful observer of wildlife, so with him we track the birds, mammals, and reptiles, learning the names and habits of each species. Most memorably, we get to know the individual Bedouin men of the desert who were Tregenza's companions and friends. The nightly show in the firmament captivates him, inspiring him to write beautifully of life's mysteries. The reader becomes, as Tregenza described his own sensation, "subordinate to the strange, overmastering appeal of the desert itself."

Tregenza's two classic accounts, published respectively in 1955 and 1958, are published here together in one volume, with a new foreword by Joseph J. Hobbs. ... Read more