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The War for Islam

Bernard Lewis is justly regarded as the world’s premier living authority on the history of the Middle East and the Arab world; any further praise of his work, therefore, is superfluous. But not so fast: In his new book, The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror (Modem Library, 184 pp., $19.95), Lewis meets, with his customary excellence, the particular needs of a new generation of readers. In the current confrontation between the U.S. and Islamist terrorists, the average educated citizen is confronted with competing explanations of the religion the killers claim to represent: Is Islam a “religion of peace,” or is it an essentially terroristic creed?

About the Author

Michael Potemra

Michael Potemra was a literary editor for National Review.

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The War for Islam

Bernard Lewis is justly regarded as the world’s premier living authority on the history of the Middle East and the Arab world; any further praise of his work, therefore, is superfluous. But not so fast: In his new book, The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror (Modem Library, 184 pp., $19.95), Lewis meets, with his customary excellence, the particular needs of a new generation of readers. In the current confrontation between the U.S. and Islamist terrorists, the average educated citizen is confronted with competing explanations of the religion the killers claim to represent: Is Islam a “religion of peace,” or is it an essentially terroristic creed?