9781859844571-the-clash-of-fundamentalisms

The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity

by Tariq Ali

Tariq Ali dissects both Islamic and Western fundamentalism.

The aerial attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, a global spectacle of unprecedented dimensions, generated an enormous volume of commentary. The inviolability of the American mainland, breached for the first time since 1812, led to extravagant proclamations by the pundits. It was a new world-historical turning point. The 21st century, once greeted triumphantly as marking the dawn of a worldwide neo-liberal civilization, suddenly became menaced. The choice presented from the White House and its supporters was to stand shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism or be damned.

Tariq Ali challenges these assumptions, arguing instead that what we have experienced is the return of History in a horrific form, with religious symbols playing a part on both sides: 'Allah's revenge,' 'God is on Our Side' and 'God Bless America.' The visible violence of September 11 was the response to the invisible violence that has been inflicted on countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Palestine and Chechnya. Some of this has been the direct responsibility of the United States and Russia. In this wide-ranging book that provides an explanation for both the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and new forms of Western colonialism, Tariq Ali argues that many of the values proclaimed by the Enlightenment retain their relevance, while portrayals of the American Empire as a new emancipatory project are misguided.

Paperback, 432 pages

ISBN: 9781859844571

April 2003

$16.99 / £10.99 / $23.99CAN

Other Editions

    Hardback, 344 pages

  • ISBN: 9781859846797

    April 2002

    $22.00 / £15.00 / $32.00CAN

Reviews

  • Ali’s style is vigorous, his narrative compelling, showing that the short-term, self-interested and oil-greedy policies of the British and Americans in such countries as Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Iran must make our much-vaunted ideals of democracy and equity seem like a bad joke.

    – Karen Armstrong, The Times

  • The Clash of Fundamentalisms is well worth reading ... it shows that the harshest critics of fundamentalism are often exponents of a rival fundamentalism.

    – John Gray, Independent

  • In this timely and important book, Tariq Ali puts the events of September 11 into sweeping historical perspective. As we have come to expect from him, he is lucid, eloquent, literary, and painfully honest, as he dissects both Islamic and Western fundamentalism.

    – Howard Zinn

  • It will not open doors at the White House because it makes for uncomfortable reading ... a wide-ranging and powerfully argued critique, that gives pause for thought.

    – Financial Times

  • ... urbane, highly intelligent and vividly written.

    – Richard Sennett, Times Literary Supplement

  • The book is an outstanding contribution to our understanding of the nightmare of history from which so many people are struggling to awake, and deserves serious engagement and consideration. Ali broadens our horizons, geographically, historically, intellectually and politically. ... His mode of history telling is lyrical and engaging, humane and passionate.

    – Anthony Arnove, The Nation

  • [Ali] finds little to distinguish between the organised violence of the United States  and that of those who oppose it ...

    – Sydney Morning Herald

Blog

A Survey of Verso's Responses to 9/11

Sparing no room for nuance, the magazine covers are all reminding us that the United States—and hence the planet—is set to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of 9/11, a day that not only changed the world and signaled the end of innocence and spawned a new greatest generation, but also launched a thousand new slogans with which to label that day, and inspired thousands of speeches intent on inspiring thousands more.

However, despite the horror, anger, uncertainty—and yes, for some, glee—from the damage inflicted on that momentous day, there remained, in the aftermath and up to now, a limited vocabulary within the mainstream with which to describe the events of that time and the trail of destruction that followed.

And since we aren’t anticipating a commemorative circuitous flight over the country on Air Force One with the President of the United States, we would like to offer an alternate journey—that is, a survey of Verso’s responses to 9/11:

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By Phan Nguyen / 08 September 2011 / post comment

Bin Laden's death: 'Why kill the goose?'

In the wake of various White House accounts of the killing of Osama Bin Laden, Tariq Ali comments on internal tensions within Pakistan—"the ally Americans love to hate"—for the Guardian, warning that "stories are changing rapidly, and nothing can be taken at face value." 

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By Sarah Shin / 05 May 2011 / post comment

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