The Politics of Islamic Resurgence Through Western Eyes: A Bibliographic Survey By Ahmed Bin Yousef and Ahmad AbulJobain. Springfield, IL: United Association for Studies and Research, Inc., 1992, 199 pp.

Abstract

This bibliography covers articles in jownals and daily newspapers,
books, conference papers, and dissertations published in western languages
(mainly English) during 1970-92. The attempted coverage of articles
published in daily newspapers and conference papers, the last to be
thought of and difficult to cover, is in itself admirable. However, while
the limitation of "Through Western Eyes" is suitable for the three introductory
chapters, it is not so for the bibliography, as most of the literature
cited is written by non-Muslims. In fact, only roughly one quarter (368)
of all works cited (1405) are written by Muslims. This raises a question
about the objective, although the compilers declare that it seeks to "present
the Western intelligentsia-scholars, politicians, journalists-with
Muslim comment and a bibliographic collection of Western articles that
have tackled the issue of Islamic revival" (p. ii).
The book is divided into two parts: three introductory chapters and
the actual bibliography. The first part was written by the compilers individually
"to provide substantive analysis as essays that reflect Muslim responses
to the precarious relationship with the West ... [and they] aim
at crystallizing the frequently distorted image of political Islam and the
lslamic revival" (p. ii).
Chapter one, "The Western Pen: A Sword in Disguise?," deals with
western media bias and the consequent distortion of Islam through a)
reproducing photos that appear as covers of such famous magazines as
The Economist and Time and b) using slanted titles (i.e., "The Sword of
Islam" and "Muhammad's Militants: Spreading Islam by the SwordAgain")
and special semantics (i.e., "fear," "impose," and "purge" as well
as "fundamentalist network" and "wealthy fundamentalist businessmen")
to propagate paranoia about Islam. The chapter highlights, through quotations
from various sources, fabricated stories, subjective opinions, and
general unfamiliarity with Islam and tends to condemn western authors
and journalists for their role in formulating people's opinions. It concludes
that "Islamic 'fundamentalism' is an all-encompassing term. It is ...