HOLY WARRIORS
A fresh look at the face of extreme Islam
By Frog and Amy Orr-Ewing. Authentic. 117 pages
ISBN 1 95078 460 4
This is a small book which manages to cover a lot of ground. And it covers the ground well. Most importantly the book is readable, understandable. The title, however, is misleading. This is not primarily a book about jihad, but very largely a basic introduction to the world of Islam.
Chapter two, although titled Extreme Islam, is actually a helpful explanation of the term 'fundamentalism', firstly in Christianity and then in Islam, a brief look at jihad, and then a survey of the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood. Chapter four examines the place of women in Islam, with a provocative look at Muslim feminism (pages 65-71). There is also, here, at least a hint of the problem faced by strict interpreters of Islam. On the one hand they are faced by an admitted Western promiscuity, which has infiltrated much of the world, and which leaves women in fear of molestation and rape, on the other hand the denial to women of freedom of movement, education and employment.
