Baker, Raymond William. Islam Without Feat: Egypt and the New Islamists.Baker, Raymond William. Islam Without Feat: Egypt and the New Islamists. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press The Harvard University Press is a publishing house, a division of Harvard University, that is highly respected in academic publishing. It was established on January 13, 1913. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. , 2003. Hardcover $29.95. Baker argues that the New Islamists are the best bet for Egypt to get out of its deep political, social and economic crisis. The Wassatteyya (centrist) trend that the New Islamists represent allows them to bring forth an interpretation of the Qur'an and Shari'a that accepts modernity. Baker discusses thoroughly the New Islamist views on culture, society and politics. He shows how the Wassatteyya trend of Islam has no fear of the West or modernity contrary to the Islam with fear that the extremists follow. The Wassatteyya of the New Islamists allows for ijtihad (interpretation of the sacred texts), something that the extremists do not allow. Baker depicts the extremist views as the mirror image of the simplistic sim·plism n. The tendency to oversimplify an issue or a problem by ignoring complexities or complications. [French simplisme, from simple, simple, from Old French; see simple "good versus evil" views of the Bush II Administration. The New Islamists accept multiple interpretations of the Qur'an and Shari'a. Consequently, they accept multiple views on culture, society and politics. They are pacifists and gradualists. They condemn To adjudge or find guilty of a crime and sentence. To declare a building or ship unsafe for use or occupancy. To decide that a navigable vessel is a prize or is unfit for service. violence and opt for reform. They also believe that non-Muslims have a place in a Shari'a-based society. The New Islamist thought and positions resonate res·o·nate v. res·o·nat·ed, res·o·nat·ing, res·o·nates v.intr. 1. To exhibit or produce resonance or resonant effects. 2. with the public, especially the young. New Islamist intellectuals believe in a dialogue of civilizations instead of a clash. While they are not fearful of the West, they are critical of its current policies toward the Muslim world The term Muslim world (or Islamic world) has several meanings. In a cultural sense it refers to the worldwide community of Muslims, adherents of Islam. This community numbers about 1.5-2 billion people, about one-fourth of the world. . Be that as it may, it is important to realize that the New Islamists are not opposed to capitalism, but to U.S. (and western) domination of global processes. However, capitalism is at the heart of the U.S. global imperial project. Furthermore, the New Islamists struggle "to create the moral and intellectual foundations of a more fully realized Islamic community Noun 1. Islamic Community - a clandestine group of southeast Asian terrorists organized in 1993 and trained by al-Qaeda; supports militant Muslims in Indonesia and the Philippines and has cells in Singapore and Malaysia and Indonesia " (p. 272). However, a peaceful Islamic community based on the Shari'a, but tolerant of non-Muslim minorities is not the same as a democratic society that practices the separation of church and state
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