This isn’t rocket science, this is follow the dots of logic.
To understand Sayyid Qutb, you have to understand the rudimentary knowledge (basics) of Islam 101. Believing in the koran and other Islamic texts without any influence from western thought (and other non-Islamic philosophies), will lead the believer into the realm of Islamic fundamentalism, or in other words, basic Islam 101.
NOTE: Sam Harris: The only problem with Islamic fundamentalism are the fundamentals of Islam.
Qutb Fooled ‘Em?—Understanding Sayyid Qutb’s Mainstream Islamic Weltanschauung
July 20th, 2013 by Andrew Bostom |
Eric Trager, in his July 17, 2013 Wall Street Journal book review of Sayyid Qutb: The Life and Legacy of a Radical Islamic Intellectual, by James Toth, is to be commended for insisting Qutb’s views not be whitewashed.
Although I shared Trager’s sentiments in this regard, it was plain that Trager had a fundamental misconception of the mainstream, traditionalist Islamic rootedness of Qutb’s ideas
The following are some examples of Trager’s criticisms (in italics) of Toth, followed by my own correctives (as bullets):
“Mr. Toth mistakes the internal logic of Qutb’s writings for reason and fails to note that they rest on a series of bigoted premises.”
- Qutb was a bigoted Muslim traditionalist applying the “logic” of mainstream Islam
“He [Toth] insists that Qutb’s vision constitutes ‘a viable alternative to a Western-derived modernity.’”
- Qutb’s Weltanschauung is in fact a traditionalist Islamic alternative worldview.
“Mr. Toth concedes that Qutb was an ‘unabashed adherent of patriarchy’ and had a profound hatred of Christians and Jews, against whom Qutb declared jihad because they ‘distorted God’s word and deviated from God’s path.’ Qutb also raged against ‘errant Muslims,’ who, he said, should likewise be targeted for violence because they are ‘domestic enemies.’ Qutb’s ultimate goal was imposing a very controlling interpretation of Shariah, or Islamic law, which he said can be applied to ‘all aspects of life.’”
- Again, these are traditionalist Islamic views, based upon repeated Koranic statements (such as Koran 1:7 & 2:75, 2:79, 3:78, 4:46; re: Jews and Christians), and the fact that Sharia is totalitarian and does apply to “all aspects of life.” (See my copiously documented “Sharia Versus Freedom” on the intrinsic totalitarian nature of the Sharia)
Let me illustrate my contention with a very concrete comparison between Qutb’s ideas, and those of a mainstream Egyptian legist, who was a contemporary of Qutb.
