Recommended book review: Dr. N. Jabbour

another book from my seminary summer reading list:

subject: Notes on reading for CIU course ICS/MIS 6073, “Islam in the 21^st century”

with Dr. Nabeel Jabbour

submitted:     Aug 7th, 2013

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Jabbour, Nabeel. The Rumbling Volcano. Islamic Fundamentalism in Egypt.

Pasadena CA: Mandate Press, 1993, ISBN 0-87808-241-7, LC #BP64.E3J33. Available from William Carey Library.

BOOK Abstract

 Dr. Jabbour seeks to explain and evaluate the rise of fundamental Islam in Egypt over the past century and show how it affects not only politics in Egypt but throughout the Muslim world.  Being able to analyze the sources missed by most scholars in the West he attempts to understand the leaders of the movements from their point of view and then carefully draws conclusions of their social and religious power and weaknesses.  Written before current changes in the Middle East it gives helpful background and even somewhat predicts much of what has occurred since 2010.

BOOK Comment

1. Evaluate the book.  How do you agree and disagree with the author.

 I imagine Dr. Jabbour’s audience as businessmen, journalists, generals, diplomats, and students of the Mideast who need to understand the Al-Qaeda, Muslim Brotherhood, Salafist, Jihadi, Boko Haram, and similar Islamist movements that so trouble today’s political scene.  This book should be on the reference shelf of all such leaders, and they should be hoping for an update as events of this decade turn.  The focus is on Egypt, the biggest and most influential political and religious player in the Arab world, and it clearly shows how the country lurched through the decades of 20^th century political, economic, and religious evolution, Israeli conflict, bad governments, and passionate leaders, and prepped it for the calamities of the so-called Arab spring.

He called the assassination of President Anwar Sadat one of the most stunning in the century (Jabbour, 177). Well, perhaps it was for Egypt, but there have been many others sadly, also so stunning for their contexts.  Predicting a volcano erupting in Egypt soon, I would have liked him also to have shown how he expected the fundamentalist revolution to spread worldwide and become the moral and social impetus for much of the terrorism of today.

2. How did this book challenge your prejudices and your assumptions?

I much appreciated Dr. Jabbour’s plan of study that one must understand the fundamentalist from their point of view and try to know what drives and motivates them to do dastardly acts.  He seeks to interpret them by their own thinking and actions, and not merely by an outsider’s point of view.  Many leaders in the Muslim world are very intolerant of them, and Jabbour seeks to see why a Muslim government would not tolerate such thinking and action by fellow Muslims, something the Westerner is also much confused about.  This is an approach to learn and emulate.

3.  What lessons can be learned from this book?

The Western world, especially, can benefit from learning about the key players in the evolution of Islamic fundamental thought and action such as Ibn Taimiyya, Al-Banna, Qutb, Sariyya, Shukri, Faraj, Rahman, etc., all read by fundamentalists today, decades later.  He shows that a puritan emphasis of return to basics has existed since just after Muhammad the prophet in the teachings and actions of the Kharijites which inspire the fundamentalists today.  Such divisions are not just denominationalism, but deep divisions of approaches to the Qur'an and their concepts of action, the caliphate, and the domain of Islam.  The Shi'a branch is even affected, and the Iranian revolution has much inspired the fundamentalists later, also.

A committed Christian leader who knows Egypt, Dr. Jabbour also showed the effect of the movement on a church in the midst of a Muslim society.  God’s church can endure, and many groups have done well through the centuries in a minority context.  Sometimes, however, Christians can be targets in the socio-religious and political movements of the day, and the author shows that the true gospel of reconciliation in Christ can allow a faithful witness instead of a hunkering down and withdrawal from testifying of a gracious God.

4. How did this book impact your thinking, your convictions, and your life?

Normally Christian work in West Africa is not affected by such events thousands of miles away.  But in recent years globalization has brought not just cell phones but also fundamentalist thought to trouble even poor, small, Muslim MALI.  The recent civil war in 2011-2013 was much driven by the Al-Qaida movement, and much opposed by both the civilian and military government and the people.  Yet, many Malians were taken up by it, some joined the rebels, and some started to espouse these teachings (to their regret in some cases).  This book and the related class at CIU have helped me understand the roots of these groups and will help me in teaching once returning to Africa. 

The teacher requested these two statements, if true:
I have read the whole book from cover to cover. I did not read any of the book reviews on the internet.  My response and book review is based only on my reading of the book.

Mr. Gbagbo or Mr. Ouattera? What changes?

Open letter to Smyrna Ministries in response to their bulletin (below) for prayer:

Dear friends at Smyrna Ministries,
       We appreciate your ministry for the persecuted church, and we especially appreciate that you sent out a special bulletin about the tinder box situation in Cote Ivoire.   I was, however, somewhat surprised at the tone of your recent bulletin for prayer about Cote Ivoire.  I think Miss Kendal whom you quote has little cultural and historical understanding of the situation.  I believe we have no need to fear "Muslim political domination" in this country if Mr. Ouattara actually becomes the President. 

       My family and I live comfortably and safely in a 98% Muslim nation just north of Cote Ivoire as a Protestant missionaries (as members of UWM of Charlotte, NC), and we have as much if not more freedom of religion, press, and speech in this country than in the United States.  Cote Ivoire is already the same, and that would not change radically under a Ouattara government.  West Africa Islam is not Middle East Islam; the folk here, of many, many people groups, are not as deeply rooted in Islam, and their high value of hospitality precludes much argument about religion.  We never hear arguments about a changed Bible, that we Christians have three Gods, that we eat pork, that we drink alcohol, that we are promiscuous, etc.  Most are happy to discuss and listen to Bible stories and the gospel.  Please do not paint a picture of Islam as solely dangerous and radical.  We do realize there is horrible and much illegal persecution of believers in many Muslim lands, but know there is little in the countries of West Africa, except northern Nigeria.  Paint a picture rather that rather Muslims do see a deficit religion and see the need for stability and morality in their lives, that many Muslims are coming to Jesus, and that God is at work in even the Muslim nations of West Africa to build his church and His Kingdom.
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      Personally, I am an unrestricted missionary to similar Fulanis of the ones that persecute the church in Nigeria, but they would not do so here.  I’ve said many times over the years, “All my neighbors are Muslims,” and they are very friendly and would protect me and my family during political unrest. Even when our grade school and high school students were in the midst of rebellion in 2003 in Bouake city in the middle of Cote Ivoire they were never in personal danger because of being North American or Christian.  They were indeed evacuated from the war zone, but not because threats against themselves.
      
      The rebellion was over blocked elections and perceived oppression, not religious factions.  Leave it at that.  Don't polarize the situation into what it isn't.  It includes racial distinctions of peoples in the north and south who happen to be of different religions, but religion hasn't been the issue.  The northerners are traumatized too, fearing a return to oppression from the south and no change after years of struggle and much bloodshed.   

      Don't portray CI as a once Christian nation; it has never achieved well over 50% Christian.  Many of those who are named such are very nominal such as the large independent "Harris church" and the Roman Catholic Church which owns that huge, expensive, wasteful, and presumptuous cathedral built by a megalomania President.  It was not built by the hearts of evangelical believers in Jesus.  Evangelical churches are in every corner of CI, not only the south, and have flourishing ministries.  Muslims have flocked to CI from other poor nations around for the economic benefits and jobs, not to take over a "Christian" country.  Many of the immigrant Muslims are now solid members of good churches, PTL.  Many have moved to CI from Liberia and Ghana, too, but you aren't complaining about them also maybe becoming citizens, are you?  
     
      True, Mr. Gbagbo attends a church, from what I hear, a Protestant church in Abidjan, but we don't see a Christian testimony in his actions!  I understand also that he has two wives!   Do you know that Mr. Ouattara earned a doctorate in economics from Univ of Penn in Philadelphia in the 60s?  And he had the trust of CI's famous Christian founding President, as a young government minister in the late 80s to become CI's first Prime Minister?  Did CI suddenly become a majority Muslim nation then?  There was no talk of it then; there's no real talk of it now.  He is well qualified, he is stable; he is not a radical Muslim.  Many of my friends in these nations are returning home from CI because there is no economic hope there now.  Now 12 years of discord and rebellion and political shenanigans, mostly by Mr. Gbagbo, has left the country a shambles that needs unity and rebuilding.  Because of years of discord the cities of other nations such as Bamako, Cotonou, Ouagadougou, Accra, Dakar, even Lomé, etc., have boomed, and Abidjan will never regain its luster and proud place as the star of West Africa.  

      We need to pray for peace.  We need to pray that the churches will be the lighthouses in a dark world.  We need to pray they will be the leaders in mediation of the political standoff.  We need to desperately pray there will not be another bloodbath with who knows who will emerge to lead.  Pray for God to build His church in the midst of constant political crises in the world,.  The gospel is the only hope for Africa.

God bless,
Rev. Jim Bowers

PS: You have two spellings of Mr. Ouattara's name.  BBC uses 'Ouattara'; you may also use 'Wattara' to help Americans say it right!  Put accent on the 1st syllable, not the second.

On Wed, Dec 8, 2010 at 8:20 PM, Smyrna Ministries International <smyrna@smyrnaministries.org> wrote:

Recent elections in the Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire) have threatened to bring war to the region and could result in Islamic rule.

 From 1960-1993, Muslims from neighboring regions immigrated into the country.  Muslims make up 38.6% of the official population and 70% of the foreign migratory workers.  Elizabeth Kendal of the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin points out that these immigrants comprise approximately 30 to 40% of the total population and, if they are naturalized, would make the country a majority Muslim nation.  In 2002 civil war broke out between the north (where most of the Muslims live) and the South (where most of the Christians live) over whether these immigrants should be naturalized. 

 Presidential elections have been delayed since 2005, but finally took place this October, with a second run-off election in November.  The Independent Electoral Commission announced provisional results in favor of one candidate, but Ivory Coast’s Constitutional Council announced results in favor of the other candidate.  Both candidates alleged fraud.  Although violence during the voting process reportedly led to at least three deaths, the United Nations is declaring the elections to have been free and fair.

 Elizabeth Kendal writes, “Elections were held on 28 November 2010, with both Gbagbo [a Christian from the South] and Ouattara [a Muslim from the North] claiming victory. The US, European Union and African Union have recognized Ouattara as the winner and called for Gbagbo to respect democracy and step down. Russia meanwhile is blocking a UN statement that would recognize Ouatarra, saying that this is not the UN's role. Ivory Coast's non-Muslims are traumatized, fearing that their homeland -- once the most prosperous 'Christian' nation in West Africa, home to the region's largest cathedral, home-base to most of West Africa's regional Christian ministries -- is about to come under Muslim political domination.”

Ask God to strengthen the church in the Ivory Coast and enable Christian ministries to continue to operate there.  Pray also that the millions of Muslims in the country will come to know the love and forgiveness of Jesus.

Smyrna Ministries International
P.O. Box 16474, Washington, DC 20041-6474, 540-554-8188

smyrna@smyrnaministries.org or www.smyrnaministries.org

politics in the pulpit: NOT a good idea!

Comment to Intercessors for America (IFA) in On Watch in Washington (OWIW) concerning blog on Oct 13^th ‘Talking Politics in the Church ( ifapray.org blog: Talking Politics in the Church )

I thank Mr. Kubal for some clarification of the current reason people think pastors aren't allowed to speak politics in church.  I actually agree with that 1950s rule of Senator Lyndon Johnson, but for entirely different reasons; and I don’t think the government needs to legislate it.  The government has no need to interfere with the free operation of religious institutions; of course taxes are not the only issue; free speech is far more important.

The pulpit, however, of the Lord Jesus Christ is His pulpit; it doesn't belong to any political party.  I was taught in church and in Bible College that preachers don't expound any political view from the pulpit, and that would mean in much of his speech and writing also.  In the pulpit they are to be neutral, period.

I am quite amazed that every election year this is violated, and we see TV clips of political candidates, all stripes, standing in pulpits; to the shame of the preacher who lets them!  By allowing this the preacher has endorsed the candidate; he's telling his people how to vote!  And what is worse, many of the candidates have no intention of really preaching the gospel; they're only there to be seen in public. Most aren't even believing Christians!  How could they explain the grace of God?  Are they there to correctly divide the truth of the Bible?

Whether the current US law accepts or not for preachers to give their political view is not the real issue.  I am very happy that Mr. Witherspoon of NJ spoke out for righteousness and justice and liberty from his pulpit in Revolutionary times, and that he worked in Congress to that end.  But did he endorse candidates from that same pulpit?  Did he denounce the king from it?  Did he tell his folk how to vote?  I see that he said the cause of America to fight revolution is just, but that is not quite the same.  

Written from Kayes, Republic of MALI, by a long serving American Protestant missionary.