Although this book has been illuminating about nascent dissident movements and figures in the Islamic world. I think it is full of wishful thinking and over-interpretation of some positive anti-extremism trends.

The author tries to build a case that modern Muslims are increasingly going against extremism and tries to point out signs of this. She is simply over optimistic. As the saying goes "one swallow does not make a spring", and the proverbial Arab Spring was this little sad swallow coming before its time.

The Author spoke at length about Iran, Egypt, Iraq, and Yemen and even mentioned some "developments" in Afghanistan. Conspicuously absent from this book, however is any attempt to look at Syria. It was mentioned in one sentence in passing. Perhaps because the unfolding events there demonstrate the exact opposite of what she was trying to prove. The autocratic regimes winning the day through the alarming rise of extremist ideology.

The book taught me a few things about isolated and small movements against the tide of Islamism. At some other time this could have been enough to reassure a less engaged western mind. But it is much less convincing for someone who lived in the Islamic world or even for someone enlightened enough and living in this turbulent age. We need a lot more than a sprinkling of dissents to make extremism decline for good.


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Not very often do you get read history in the making. Wright's work is a firsthand look into the Arab Spring of 2011. Wright goes beneath the surface to understand the motivations of the populace. A large part of the nonviolent uprising has to do with changing the narrative of the Islamic faith from religious fanatics and battling peacefully against propped up autocrats, but internal jihad, day-to-day struggles is also fueling this nonviolent uprising. Human rights--civil rights, women's rights, and gay rights--come against fighting conservative religious fanatics and corrupt despots, while managing to maintain a balance of peaceful, respectful, religious principles in a globalized world. The United States, and the rest of the West, has for once come up with a consistent foreign policy and stick to it. Can't preach democracy one minute, and in the same breath, aid and abet dictators and think no one in the world is going to find out, connect all the dots, and post them on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
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A fascinating snapshot of what is happening now in the Middle East. Highly recommended. ( )

A fascinating snapshot of what is happening now in the Middle East. Highly recommended. ( )

This book comprises several parts. The first, about 100 pages or so, summarizes the Arab Spring movements that ousted long-time rulers in Tunisia and Egypt, and is exactly that: a good recap of what happened in those countries, with glances at some if their neighbors. The second part of the book was much more interesting to me, a review of cultural and social changes going on across the Muslim world that add up to a repudiation of extremist violence. As Wright tours us through Islamic hip-hop, comedy, televangelism and more, she refutes stereotypes and outlines an emerging Islamic pop culture that will seem both familiar and strange to American readers. ( )

The Middle East is in a shockwave. A tidal wave of youth has overturned much of the old order, fighting with words against the authoritarian regimes of the past. They do not seek a regression to radical beliefs. As America is not the Ku Klux Klan or Tim McVeigh, the Middle East is not Al Qaeda. They want peace, freedom, human rights, better living conditions.

You learn to sympathize with the uprising people. Their worries and thoughts about life become yours. The book is anecdotal and upbeat in turns, and frightening in others. Poets and rapstars and comedians and citizens fight, a counter-jihad in the cause of freedom, as countless others have died.

A necessary and enlightening book. ( )

Outstanding and very timely book. Wright is a journalist who has reported from the Middle East since before the Iranian Revolution, and her knowledge of the region has both depth and breadth. Only someone this knowledgeable could have produced a book with this much information on the events of the Arab Spring within months, and can speak to Muslim culture as well as politics and current events.

One of the most important takeaways from the book is that the Muslim world is so young, with large percentages of the population being under 30. Another is that the Muslim world and the Arabic world are no longer the same - of the five countries with the largest Muslim populations, none are ethinically Arab. Yet another is that while most Muslims have turned away from the violent extremists, they have not become secular. Many are redefining the religion to better fit the freedoms they desire, including free speech, democracy, and women's rights, but are still faithful.

The first part of the book discusses pro-democracy events in Tunisia, Egypt, and Iran. The second part discusses how culture is changing and how things like poetry, hiphop music, and comedy are part of the counter-jihad movement. The third part discusses Arab Spring events in other countries, the U.S. reaction, and recomendations for future U.S. policy. Excellent and highly recommended book. ( )

The author accurately describes the book as having "counterintuitive themes". She does a good job in trying to describe all of the different forces at play in the Middle East today. The problem is that things are changing so rapidly in the Middle East that even though the book was published this year (2011), there are already some inaccuracies. ( )