Albert Hourani (1915–1993)

This is a reasonably interesting book on the thoughts of various 19th and early 20th century Arab thinkers on governance and secular modernization. These thoughts were for the most part inspired by events in Europe, but Europe remains firmly in the background in this book. The author usually just notes that a particular thinker spent so an so many years in France before returning home, and instead explains in some detail how the person in question wanted to reform his own country. The legitimacy of the Ottoman empire, the preconditions of national solidarity, and nationalism (in the latter part of the period, during the birth of independent nation states in Arab lands) take center stage. It seems like most of the plans and ideas presented in this book did not incite much enthusiasm among a broader public and political developments didn't proceed in the way that any of these authors expected, but it's nevertheless interesting to learn about their worldview.

Political ideas are one central theme of this book and religion is another. Most of the writers presented consider these two themes inseparable. Again and again they return to the same dilemma: modernization can be good only insofar as it accommodates Islam, but Islam cannot be reformed or modernized. There's a passage somewhere in the book about one of these "modern" Arab thinkers (I forgot which one) who considers long and hard if those who convert away from Islam should be allowed to live or not. Others are much more tolerant, but I think this illustrates well how the strength of islamic tradition shackled the development of new ideas on tolerance and freedom in the Arab world. Even enterprising intellectuals with full freedom of expression struggled to reconcile their religious beliefs with political, economic and technical development. In the face of such a fundamental obstacle to modernization, it seems to be no wonder that Arab societies have developed so fitfully and achieved so little political freedom in the 100 years that have passed after these ideas were published.… (more)

This is one of the best history books of this scope that I have read. We learn about the history of the Arab peoples from the early life of Mohammed and the birth of Islam, through the rapid Arab conquest through the Middle East, North Africa, and up to Spain. We hear of the Islamic golden age, the sporadic fracturing and reshuffling of dynasties across continents, the coming and going of empires, schools of Islamic thought, and their discord over the last 1400 years.
Somehow this account manages to stay engaging and entertaining while remaining even-handed and unbiased. What we come away with is some appreciation of the huge complexity of the political, religious, and cultural situation in the Middle East, based on a fascinating and turbulent history. This book is highly recommended for anyone wanting to gain some understanding of the history and culture of this section of the world.… (more)