An excerpt from Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes by Tamim Ansary. Tales of Persia’s Wondrous Past: The Shahnameh mourns the loss of Iran’s pre-Islamic civilization and all that falls prey to time. Francis Fukuyama on Iran, Islam and the rule of law: Islamic political movements have been one form of revolt against arbitrary government. All (Muslim) politics is local: A review of Beyond Terror and Martyrdom: The Future of the Middle East by Gilles Kepel and The Crisis of Islamic Civilization by Ali Allawi. A review of The Terrorist in Search of Humanity: Militant Islam and Global Politics by Faisal Devji (and more at Bookforum). Mute Muslims: Why doesn't the Islamic world speak up about the Uighurs? A review of Islam and Violent Separatism. From WPR, is the long-predicted decline of political Islam about to occur? From The Economist, in an ideological contest between radicals, populists and moderates, speaking out can still carry a heavy personal cost; we should love heretics, not kill them, says unconventional scholar Abdullahi an-Na’im; and wanted: Islam’s Voltaire, where freedom is still at stake. The erasure of Islam: Ziauddin Sardar on the shadow cast over Islamic culture by the Enlightenment. A review of From Fatwa to Jihad: The Rushdie Affair and Its Legacy by Kenan Malik.
