Islam on the Street: Religion in Modern Arabic Literature

(Paperback)

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Islam on the Street deals with the popular side of Islam, as described not only in tracts and manuals written by Sufi shaykhs and Islamist thinkers from among the more militant groups in Islam, but also in writings by other, more secular thinkers who have also influenced public opinion. A scholar of Arabic literature, Muhsin al-Musawi explains the growing rift that has occurred between the secular intellectualthe forerunner of Arab and Islamic modernity since the late nineteenth centuryand the upsurge of Islamic fervor in the street, at the grassroots level, and what these secular intellectuals can do to reconnect with the masses.

Using some of the most important Arabic and Islamic poetry, prose, and fiction to come out of the twentieth century, Al-Musawi provides context for the complex images of Arab and Islamic culture given by the various social, religious, and political groups, providing the motivations. Readers interested in the influence of religion and secularism within modern Islamic Arabic literature will find that the author addresses the presence of Islam and Sufism in ways that secular commentators have been incapable of doing.

Reviews

This monograph is a unique and fascinating study of how the many aspects of modern trends in Islam find representation in modern Arabic literature. It combines literary and sociological investigation to explore the many ways that different trends in Islamquietist to militantfind literary representation. Exploring this little studied but highly important subject, Professor Musawi offers readings of works by modern Arab authors that are detailed, learned, insightful, and illuminating. The author also focuses on how writers addressed and impacted different types of audiences, both popular and specialist. This volume is sure to stimulate much additional study; its influence will be felt for years to come. -- Peter Heath, chancellor, American University of Sharjah
The subtlety and finesse with which al-Musawi analyzes and describes Arabic literary works sets this book apart from other discussions of modern Arabic literature and makes it of fundamental importance to any program of Arabic literature. Essential. * Choice Reviews *
In this delightfully written and ambitious work, Muhsin al-Musawi explores representations of Islam 'as viewed by the public and as it appears in modern Arabic literary production.' . . . A meticulously nuanced approach to representations of Islam allows al-Musawi to draw a dynamic and multifarious map of the modern Arabic literary field, one that compels a re-evaluation of the dynamics of its production, as well as-and perhaps more importantly-a reassessment of the institutions of its criticisms. * Journal of Arabic Literature *
This extremely rich study, based on an extensive knowledge of modern Arabic literature, presents a persuasive portrait of the ideological shifts that have governed this field over the past century. The critique of Arab secular modernism is refreshing and original, and the level of nuance and sophistication is largely unprecedented. A marvelous and comprehensive treatment of the culture of 'the street' in Arab countries. -- Carl Ernst, University of North Carolina

Author Bio

Muhsin al-Musawi is professor of Arabic literature at Columbia University.