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Muslims and the West: Quest
for "Change" and Conflict Resolution,
ISBN 0-7618-1652-6
Mahboob A. Khawaja, Ph.D.
(Specializes in strategic studies with keen interests
in comparative civilizations, change and development, conflict resolution
and author of recent publication: Muslims and the West: Quest for
Change and Conflict Resolution, Maryland, U.S.A. 2000).
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The book attempts to offer a
proactive "vision" for political “change” and
planned reformation throughout
the Islamic world. According to Samuel
Huntington (The Clash of Civilizations
and Remaking of the World Order), the
West needs "ennobling enmity"
to survive and dominate others. Conflict
manufacturing is a trade as
well as a foreign policy agenda priority.
Despite decolonization, Muslim
societies continue to be obsessed with
foreign "thinking" models, neo-colonial
political institutions/structures,
and conflict management agendas.
The term "Islamic Fundamentalism" is a word
often laden with negative connotations
in today's global mass media. Based
on an in-depth study of Islamic
Thinking, the author analyzes today's global
conflicts in light of the framework
of the Islamic Civilization. Islam is
unity - Oneness of God, humanity
and the universe. The Western societies
enjoin varied notions of "civilizations",
self-conflicting freedoms and
overwhelming materialistic structures/systems
devoid of the originality of
"thinking", unity and 'spiritualism'.
When European flourished in ignorance,
Muslims had the leadership in
knowledge, science and civilization in
Al-Andulsia (Spain). What went
wrong with the Muslims? How could we
revitalize the role of Muslim
Ummah as a Super Power encompassing the
"Originality of Islamic Thinking"
and to make a difference in global
affairs? For Muslims,
the need for a "Navigational Change" is urgent and
desperate. Muslims and the West
both seem to aspire for "change" in
different ways and for varied
reasons. I have effectively addressed the
question of what "change" means
to the West and to Muslim society, and the
difficulty of finding "meeting"
grounds for the two civilizations. A
stimulating and thought-provoking
read, Muslims and the West will interest
academic scholars, students
of political science, peace and conflict
resolution, foreign policy planners/researchers
as well as Muslim policy
makers. Some of the contents
include: Muslims and the West; What is Islamic
"Fundamentalism"?; Why
Fear Islam Where Civilizations Meet; From
Rationality of Islamic Thinking
to Islamic Political Imagination;
"Fundamentalism" and International
Mass Media; Global Peace-Making or
Conflict-Keeping and the Muslim
World; Quest for "Change": Leaders or the
Masses?; Quest for "Change":
Perceptions, Issues and Conflict Resolution.
Over the decades, I have been
actively pursuing the goals of Islamic unity,
establishment of public institutions,
"change", peace and conflict
resolution in many international
journals/magazines including: The Muslim
World League Journal, The Message;
Radiance; Foreign Affairs and World
Politics. Since 1998, many leading
publishers in North America showed
interest in the manuscript but
insisted on changing the Islamic perspectives
to suit the secular taste and
their foreign policy agendas. On my part, such
a compromise was unthinkable.
The University Press of America, Maryland, has
published the original text.
To order the book, please contact the publisher
directly at toll free phone
-1-800-462-6420 / fax: 1-800-338-4550/ website:
www.univpress.com/ mailing address:
15200 NBN Way, P.O. Box 191, Black Ridge
Summit, PA 17214-0191 U.S.A.
For any additional information,
I can be reached at e-mail:
mahboobkhawaja@hotmail.com.
May Allah (SWT) bless
you.
Sincerely,
Mahboob A. Khawaja, Ph.D.
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