Philosophy and Science in the Islamic World by C. A. Qadir Review by: Ziauddin Sardar Middle East Journal, Vol.

44, No. 1 (Winter, 1990), p. 159 Published by: Middle East Institute Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4328090 . Accessed: 01/05/2012 00:21
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BOOK REVIEWS * 159

em/Muslimwomen that lacks balanceandperspective. Barbara K. Larson, Associate Professor of Anthropology,Universityof New Hampshire Philosophyand Science in the Islamic World, by C.A. Qadir.New York and London:CroomHelm, 1988. Distrib. Routledge, London. 191 pages. Notes to p. 208. Index to p. 218. $67.50. One looks to the late C.A. Qadir's book with high expectations. The author was professor of philosophy at the University of the Punjab for president decades and served as the long-standing of the Pakistan Philosophical Congress. He belongedto a generationof philosopherswho laid the Muslimthoughtin the foundationof contemporary Indian subcontinent and who were fortunate enoughto engagein directdebatewith Muhammad IslamicphilosoIqbal, the father of contemporary phy. Indeed, Qadir was an expert on Iqbal's thought and held the title of "Iqbal Professor." Unfortunately,Philosophy and Science in the Islamic World does not live up to these expectations; it is a mediocre work that provides a pedestrian, territory. unoriginalsurvey of all-too-familiar There is not much "science" in the book, rather there is a general discussion of knowledge and philosophyin Islam, followed by a ratheroutdated descriptionof the basic thought and concerns of such philosophical schools of early Islam as the Mutazilites,the Asharites,and the early Sufis. The reader requiringa more thorough and insightful analysis of classical Muslimphilosophywould do texts as Oliver muchbetterto look at such standard Leaman's excellent An Introductionto Medieval Islamic Philosophy, where the true excitement of the conflict of ideas between various schools of thoughtis broughtto the fore. The most disappointingchapters in the book relate to contemporary philosophicalthought.Qadirbeginsthe chapterentitled"The Renaissanceof Philosophical Knowledge in the Islamic World" with Ibn Taymiyah(d. 1328)and a few pages later concludes with such contemporary figures as Seyyed Hossein Nasr, FrithiofSchuon,andMartin Lings. Althoughthe mysticalcult led by Schuonis Iqbalis not includedin Qadir's cited, Muhammad list of noted Muslimphilosophers.The next chapter on "ContemporaryPhilosophicalThought in Muslim Lands" begins with Afghani and Abduh and is followed by Qadir'sown friends, including such bureaucratsand lawyers as Muhammad Ajmal and A. K. Brohi. Qadir'slist of contemporary philosophersends with himself;the authordevotes more pages to himselfthanto philosopherssuch as Ibn Khaldunand Ibn Taymiyah. 1. Cambridge: UniversityPress, Cambridge 1985.

An unsuspectingreader could be forgiven for concludingthat true philosophicalspeculationhas escaped Muslim civilization and that what masMusqueradesas philosophyin the contemporary limworldis little morethanan unconnectedramble in the world of ideas undertaken by mediocre writers. Nothing could be furtherfrom the truth; and the late presidentof Pakistan'sPhilosophical Congresswould have much to explain. ZiauddinSardar is the author of Explorationsin Islamic Science. Syria, 1945-1986:Politics and Society, by Derek Hopwood. London and Boston, MA: Unwin Hyman, 1988. xiii + 184 pages. Chron. to p. 186. Append.to p. 187. Bibl. to p. 190. Index to p. 193. $45.00cloth. $14.95 paper. For those who have experienced the dearth of materialon Syriain English,ProfessorHopwood's latest book could certainlyfill this gap. There are simply few good introductorybooks on Syria's history and politics. Hopwood provides useful informationon culture,education,people, and society in three of the book's nine chapters. This is a vital necessity for Americanreaders who, regrettably, are confronted with a national media that paints Syria in an extremely negative light, dismisses accomplishmentsin Syrian culture, and neglects the positive aspects of domestic politics and foreign policy. Hopwood's chapter on the Syrian economy is satisfactory and supplies five more years of data than other studies of its kind. The chapterson Syrianpolitics and foreignaffairs, however, are not as thoroughor as interpretiveas they mightbe. Hopwood's discussion of the political scene, perhapsbecause of excessive caution on his part, does not capturethe tumult,nuances,color, drama or, indeed, the significanceof much of post-World War II Syrian politics. Most of the important conflicts among nationalists, communists, Baathists,Islamists,and secularistsare absent, as are those between Syria and Israel, the Palestinians, andthe Lebanese. The differencesamongand between Sunni, Shi'i, Alawi, and Druze also cannot be found. Withoutmentionof the politicaland cultural presence of these groups, the modem historyandpoliticsof Syriais not fully understandable. The authoralso does not pay sufficientattention to Syria's relationshipwith Iraq, Iran, or the other Arab countries. Finally, this reviewer questions the significanceof 1945as a startingdate for modem Syrian history as comparedto 1947, the date of the firstBaathCongressand its firstconstitution (April 1947). RobertOlsonis the authorof The Ba'th and Syria, 1947-1982.