“Meditative and unique; a lovely read for any spiritual person; Muslim or not.â€Â—Publisher's Weekly Few books in history have been as poorly understood as the Qur’an. Sent down in a series of revelations to the Prophet Muhammad; the Qur’an is the unmediated word of Allah; a ritual; political; and legal authority; an ethical and spiritual guide; and a literary masterpiece. In this book; one of the launch titles in Atlantic Monthly Press’ “Books That Changed the World†series; the distinguished historian of religion Bruce Lawrence shows precisely how the Qur’an is Islam. He describes the origins of the faith and assesses its tremendous influence on today’s societies and politics. Above all; Lawrence emphasizes that the Qur’an is a sacred book of signs that has no single message. It is a book that demands interpretation and one that can be properly understood only through its history. Bruce Lawrence’s work is a beautifully written and; in these increasingly troubled times; invaluable introduction to and exploration of the core sacred text of Islam.
#3931610 in Books Grove Press 2003-11Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 1.25 x 6.34 x 9.34l; #File Name: 080211752X400 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The Personification of the French Colonial Experience...By John P. Jones IIINeil Sheehan did it; and so did Barbara Tuchman. Both quite successfully in my opinion. Sheehan chose the life of John Paul Vann to personify so much of the American experience in Vietnam; in "A Bright Shining Lie"; Tuchman did the same with "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell; to examine the early relationship between China and the United States; in "Stilwell and The American Experience in China." Fergus Fleming chose two individuals who typified the forces behind the French colonial experience in North Africa: Henri Laperrine and Viscomte Charles de Foucauld. Laperrine was the military man; and De Foucauld was the ideologue; the sword and the cross as the title expressed it. I found Fleming's approach equally successful.Algeria was different; different from the colonial experience of any other European power; and it was different from any other colonial possession of France itself; including Vietnam. At the beginning of Algeria's war of independence; in 1954; 10% of the population of the country was of European origins; and they called themselves "Algerians." More so than even Britain's relationship with the "crown jewel of their empire;" India; France considered Algeria an integral part of metropolitan France; "the Hexagon." In large measure; this book explains the origins of this relationship. De Foucauld; like others who became religious ascetics; Thomas Merton; St. Augustine; St Paul; started by leading a full and worldly life. Laperrine was a straight line military man; who saw his opportunity for "glory." The story starts in 1880; and ends with the death of Laperrine in 1920 (De Foucauld died in 1916.)Key themes of the colonial experience are universal. It starts with ideologues; "religious men;" those who want to convert the natives to their way of thinking; be it bringing them "civilization;" as the French liked to put it; Christianity; as many others did; or; as we put it today; "democracy;" and "nation building." Inevitably; the ideologues run into trouble with some recalcitrant natives; and military intervention is the "only solution." Fleming states the obvious; missed by so many: "What only a very few French understood was that the people of North Africa honestly did not want to become French" (p 265). Or: "Circular arguments; false enticements; and a feeling that France was letting things slip; fuelled the imperialist urge (p 73). In terms of the personification of those urges; Fleming writes with incisive clarity: "Ever since the death of his parents; Foucauld had existed on a cocktail of impulse; innocence and optimism and had suffered the inevitable disappointments" (p 129).At this book has garnered a number of negative reviews. And unlike many such; these are thoughtful negative reviews. I simply disagree with their main premises. One is that since the principal characters are not sympathetic (and indeed; each is profoundly flawed); then the book is of limited merit. With that logic; Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" is utterly worthless. Another reviewer sad that Fleming's style was flat; but consider: "According to Tuareg mythology; God had created the world's mountains by throwing stones at the globe as it spun by. Eventually; tiring of the game; he had emptied his hand into the desert: the resultant jumble of rock was the Hoggar." Or; concerning Foucauld's "singular vision": "Today; cynics might call it the power of fanaticism. In medieval times it would have been called a halo" (p 237).Overall; I feel that Fleming has written an excellent historical account of an area and era that is not well-understood in the English-speaking world; and that he chose the right two men to "personify" the origins of the French push into the North Africa. It can be read for its own sake; certainly; but more importantly for an American reader; whose country is engaged in similar efforts today; it can be read for the parallels with events now. Concerning efforts to overcome the divisions caused by tribal loyalties or religion; consider: "The respect that Laperrine commanded was awesome. Shortly after Djanet; Herisson asked his Arab batman what he would do if there was holy war between the West and Islam. "Cut your throat;" the man replied. Herisson then asked him why he served France at all. His answer was that he did not serve France; he served men like Laperrine and Nieger; men who were warriors and who understood the Sahara."I'm pleased to give the book its first 5-star rating.12 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Disappointing Book From One Of My Favorite WritersBy Bruce LoveittI'd previously read; and enjoyed; both "Barrow's Boys" and "Killing Dragons." So; I fully expected to enjoy "The Sword And The Cross." Alas; it was not meant to be. The first hundred pages or so held my interest. After that; I just kept reading for the sake of finishing the book. Not a pleasant experience. So; what happened? Mr. Fleming wanted to tell us about the history of the French colonial experience in Algeria and the Sahara. He chose to do this by primarily concentrating on two people: Charles de Foucauld and Henri Laperrine. Unfortunately; the first fellow was so bizarre that it was impossible to sympathize with him. He was a hedonist turned religious fanatic. He was a masochist. Where others travelled by camel in desert temperatures of 120 degrees farenheit; Foucauld chose to walk. He ate almost nothing. He refused to indulge himself with creature comforts. He longed for death. (I'm not guessing about this or playing armchair psychiatrist. Fleming quotes several times from Foucauld's journal concerning his lifelong deathwish.) Foucauld wanted to convert Moslems to Christianity and set himself up as an example of a person living a Christian life. However; he really had no interest in other people and longed for solitude. Not surprisingly; he failed to gain converts. Despite espousing Christian principles; he was very inconsiderate of his long-suffering manservant and he spent much of his lifetime gathering intelligence to pass on to the French military. Mr. Fleming quotes many people who looked upon Foucauld as a holy-man. It is clear that; in person; he possessed "a certain something" which caused people to look upon him that way. Unfortunately; it doesn't come across on the page. One gets only the impression of an egocentric; unhappy; and self-destructive "nut." We wind up not caring about what he does or what happens to him. With Laperrine we have a different problem. Not much is known about him and he wasn't big on self-publicity. Hence; he floats in and out of the narrative and we never get a handle on who he is and what he wants; other than that he wanted France to be successful in the colonization of the Sahara. One of Fleming's major themes is that the French really had no compelling reason to be in the Sahara. It was sort of; "well; everybody else has colonies; so we want some too...even if we are talking about thousands of miles of desert." At one point; Fleming enjoys writing about one "native notable" who agreed to go to France for a visit. Upon returning home to Africa; he was mystified as to why people who "had Paris" would want to come to the desert. Fleming's point is that there was no point - after the initial contacts; the French presence just sort of snowballed. The book is filled with numerous trips through the desert by the French military; as they try to prove to the Arabs and Tuaregs that they are in control. But; since the whole thing is so pointless; we wind up not caring about any of this. Frankly; it is monotonous and boring to read about. I am a Francophile; and Mr. Fleming is a very good writer; but I couldn't get worked up about any of this. I suppose that if you are French; this background to what became the "Algerian Nightmare" of the mid-20th century (a military quagmire with terrorist attacks; to boot) might be of some scholarly interest. Otherwise; for the general reader; I just can't recommend this book.4 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Uncharacteristically dullBy Jared MUsually; Fergus Fleming books make for very good reading; he writes in an accessible manner; and the enthusiasm for the subject matter shines through. This is what I have found about the previous books I have read by this author; Barrow's Boys and 90 Degrees North. However; this time; Fleming's knack for snagging me as a reader and pulling me into the story has deserted him. The Sword and the Cross; which should have been a riveting tale of Saharan exploration; ended up being dull and listless; and it was a relief to finally finish the book.The Sword and the Cross is nominally about two Frenchmen - Henri Laperrine; a career soldier; and Viscomte Charles de Foucald; once a Parisian layabout; but now a fanatical monk; having divested himself of all his world possessions and trappings; both men forging reputations in the Algerian desert. The backdrop to the tale of these two characters is set against the French colonization of Algeria; which later fell apart in the 1950s as Algeria sought independence from its French masters.It is an interesting premise to contrast the differing motivations behind the lead characters. Laperrine is a dedicated military man; who established a French Camel Corp to combat the native Taureg raiders in the desert. Foucald tried to spread Christianity through his wanderings of the desert; although he was remarkably unsuccessful; attracting only one member to his harsh order. Together; each man played significant roles in establishing the French colony; Foucald as a spy who provided intelligence on the leading Arab personalities; and Laperrine as the enforcer and soldier.Part of the problem for me with the book is that Foucald; as revealed through his writings and subsequent events; is actually a rather unpleasant character; given to constant bouts of moaning. It is extremely difficult to empathize with him through his self inflicted hardships. The enduring perception of the man is that it seems that he was closer to lunacy than to God. Not much is revealed about Laperrine as an individual; as there is nowhere as much literature about him as there is about Foucald. Another niggly aspect is the lack of plates in the book - although there are portraits of Foucald and Laperrine on the endpapers; there are no other photographic images provided which is a shame. There are a couple of maps for the reader covering the regions traveled.Whether it is the story itself; the characters (which I feel is the main failing); or the writing; The Cross and the Sword unfortunately does not capture and enthrall the reader in the same manner as Fleming's past books have. Despite this; the book is a useful addition to the history and exploration of Northen Africa. If you are interested in this subject; then you may still find The Cross and the Sword worthwhile reading. But if you are looking for an enjoyable and interesting story of human challenge and endurance; this is not it.
