Pursuit A Novel

Days after September 11th, President Bush urged Americans not to see the impending war as a war against Islam, but rather as a political straggle against terrorism. But as Bernard Lewis says, "for bin Laden and those who follow him, this is a religious war, a war for Islam and against the United States, the greatest power in the world of the infidels." In The "House of War," Bernard Lewis, America's leading historian of the Middle East, turns to history to answer the most critical question we face today: is this a clash of civilization, an intractable ideological face-off like the Cold War? What are the roots of Muslim rage and why did Osama bin Laden call for holy war against the United States.

Over time, with the decline of Islamic power and the rise of the West, Muslims interpreted the Koranic injunction of "jihad" to mean not just a straggle for God, but actual armed straggle against all "infidels" in defense of Muslim power. As Bernard Lewis explains, to the Muslim mind, the world was conceptually divided into two houses: the "House of Islam" where Muslim government and law prevails, and the "House of War" ruled and inhabited by infidels, most notably Christians, and now, more than ever, Americans.

Why has America become "the Great Satan" to the Middle East? How does Al Qaeda reconcile terrorism with basic Islamic principles of peace? To what event did bin Laden refer in his October 7th videotape when he cited the "humiliation and disgrace" inflicted upon Islam eighty years ago? And what has been the role of Saudi Arabia, ostensibly our ally, in promoting anti-Americanism and extremism throughout the Islamic world? Bernard Lewis examines the historical record to answer thesequestions and to trace the rise of terrorism under the guise of holy war. "For Osama Bin Laden, " Lewis notes, "2001 marks the resumption of the war for the religious dominance of the world that began in the seventh century. For him and his followers, this is a moment of opportunity." The "House of War" is a must-listen, a concise and timely study that helps us understand the events of September 11th and America's War on Terrorism in light of Middle Eastern history.