Book Review: Inside the Brotherhood, by Hazem Kandil

This is proving to be a difficult read. I've made it to the end of the first chapter and I'm really going to have to push myself to continue on with it.

The book has thus far been a one-way critique of the Muslim Brotherhood based on interviews with anonymous nobodies. It is devoid of objectivity and balance, and full of sarcasm and straw man arguments.

If you're looking for unchallenged arguments to confirm negative opinions that you already hold about the Muslim Brotherhood, this book is for you. For me though, there's just too much political spin here. Everything the Brotherhood stands for and does is shed in a negative light and it's hard to take a book seriously that presents a caricature of its subject material.

Book Review: The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid

This is a popular novel which has thousands of reviews already so doing a general review isn't going to add much value to the world. Instead, I want to focus on a small gripe I have with the book: its title.

You'd imagine from the title that the protagonist is to go on a journey from being not very fundamental to becoming somewhat fundamental. What's implied by the word "fundamentalist" of course is "fundamentalist Muslim". Now here's my gripe. At no point in the story does the protagonist become more observant of the fundamentals of his faith; at no point does he become more observant of God or of the basic things a Muslim is expected to do and to refrain from. He becomes increasingly political and anti-American in his views but nowhere is there mention of him becoming more "Muslim". And there's my gripe. Sadly, what's implied by the title is, firstly, not in tune with what's in the novel and, secondly, it's just cashing in on the mainstream Western narrative that "fundamentalist" is synonymous with "anti-American".

That gripe aside: it's a good, tense, well-told story. Just set your expectations right: expect plenty of references to alcohol, extramarital relations and global politics, and none in the way of religion.

Film Review: Islam and the Future of Tolerance, by Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz

I only watched this documentary film because a colleague at work asked my opinion on Maajid Nawaz after he had watched it. Like 99.99% of the Muslim community in the UK I'd struggle to say anything positive about Maajid Nawaz but I thought it would be unfair to comment on him and the film without watching it and so I proceeded to do so. It was a struggle to get past the first five minutes. It was a struggle to get to the end.

I got the impression from the film's trailer and description that it would be an exchange of conflicting ideas between the two protagonists. But no, from start to end, the two continued to agree with other. In fact you'd struggle to find two individuals who agree with each other anymore than these two! Even with five minutes remaining I was certain that the two of them would disagree somewhere and give us something to think about. But no, it never came. So basically if you're a fanboy/fangirl of Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz and like to see the two of them agreeing with each other then you'll like this film.

The film tries desperately to create a narrative where there is no narrative. It tries to convey this idea that – by the two protagonists conversing with each other – they're bringing about some major change. But, again, to repeat the point, when two people who agree with each other converse, nothing changes! Both started off agreeing with each other and both ended agreeing with each other. It's simple maths.

In terms of the actual content of the film it's basically the two protagonists throwing out labels, defining boxes and agreeing to put people into them: this is a traditionalist, that's an Islamist and that's a traditionalist on the way to becoming an Islamist! Basically creating over-simplified representations of the people and world around them. A bit like the very "dogmatists" who they've made it their life mission to fight against if you ask me. Put your seatbelt on and expect a lot of labels: "Jihadist", "literalist", "Islamist theocrat", "conservative Muslim", "moderate Muslim", "secular Muslim", "reformist Muslim", "secular apologist", "pluralist liberalist", etc, etc.

I promised myself I'd keep my review to three paragraphs maximum because this film deserves no more time than I've already given it and so I'll end here.

Book Review: Islam & Politics, by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani

This was an alright read. If I'm honest I forced myself to stick with it and get to the end. Not that there was anything wrong with the formatting, translation or anything like that but it lacked a bit of a narrative and flow. That said it's always a pleasure to get a feel for the mind and thinking of Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani and this book was no different. Some of the key takeaways for me were (1) the discussion of whether politics is a means to a higher purpose or whether politics itself is the actual purpose of religion, (2) the discussion of whether the Quran and Sunnah have drawn up a detailed plan of exactly what an Islamic government should look like or whether the shape of an Islamic government is flexible as long as it adheres to the base rules and principles of the Shariah, and (3) an increased appreciation of Surah 22, Verse 41: "Those who, if We give them power in the land, establish the prayer, pay Zakat, enjoin goodness, and forbid evil; and with Allah rests the end of all matters."

Below are some quotes from the book:

"Politics and Jihad are not ends in themselves, but are means to achieve the end of religiosity. That is why all the Prophets (peace be upon them) were given all sorts of injunctions about worship, but not all received injunctions about politics and Jihad."

"... the promotion of goodness and the prevention of evil are among the foremost government objectives of the Khilafah system... the purpose of a government is not simply to make people happy..."

"... the satisfaction of the ruling class or the rich is not meant to be among the aims of government. Rather, its purpose is to put Allah's commandments into practice and try to improve the lot of the poor masses..."

"... love for wealth tends to corrupt people and lead them to commit evil acts. Zakat is an excellent means of keeping this love under control and to foster the spirit of selflessness instead of selfishness..."

"Islam has forbidden people to demand positions of political leadership, and it has imposed the principle of consultation; but rather than setting out in detail how these principles are to be put into practice, Islam is flexible enough to allow the intelligentsia of each age to determine the details."

"Islam is very flexible regarding the details of political organisation... although the Holy Quran and the Sunnah do not contain any explicit permission to appoint a Caliph only for a certain period of time, there is also nothing to be found that forbids doing so."

"There is no possible benefit in a movement that attempts to establish Islam by breaking the laws of Islam."