Arabs

by Mark Allen

Book Overview

- Essential reading for anyone interested in the Middle East today.
- The perfect antidote to prejudice, ignorance and racial injustice.

The level of noise about the Arab world has been steadily rising. In the pastfifteen years outsiders have twice sent armies to war in the Middle East-to liberate Kuwait from Saddam and then to overthrow him in Iraq. Chronic strife has also afflicted Algeria, Sudan, Lebanon and, by extension, Syria. Palestinians...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0826494021
• ISBN13: 9780826494023
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Continuum
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 7.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Perfect for a novice

If the extent of your knowledge of Arabian culture is confined to Lawrence of Arabia and what you see on the nightly news [typically encompassing the following three things 1) Middle Easterners sitting in cafes smoking hookas 2) big protests 3) big explosions], then this book will be informative for you, as it was for me. A previous reviewer was right in saying that the political chapter meanders a bit, but on the whole I found the book very useful and interesting. I read with particular interest the points on the interrelatedness of religion, family, tribe and state, as well as the inherent problems presented by democracy in Arab society. It is also worth noting that the title is "Arabs", not "Extremists" or "Islamists". This book is not about "why they hate us" nor "why they are evil." It highlights differences without passing judgment.