-
Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment
- A Global and Historical Comparison
- Narrated by: Simon Barber
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Inside the Soul of Islam: A Transformative Guide to the Love, Beauty and Wisdom of Islam for Spiritual Seekers of all Faiths
- By: Mamoon Yusaf
- Narrated by: Mamoon Yusaf
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this profound yet highly accessible book, practicing Muslim Mamoon Yusaf provides a vital introduction to the essential teachings of Islam. In each short chapter, he focuses on a core teaching from the Quran, such as loving kindness, resilience, gratitude, and forgiveness, and shares his unique insight into how these teachings can lead to spiritual evolution in anyone, regardless of their beliefs, religion, or background.
-
-
Wonderful Book!
- By April N. Baskin on 03-01-20
By: Mamoon Yusaf
-
Secrets of Divine Love
- A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam
- By: A. Helwa
- Narrated by: A. Helwa
- Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Secrets of Divine Love is the number one international best-selling book on Islam that draws upon spiritual secrets of the Qur’an, ancient mystical poetry, and stories from the world’s greatest prophets and spiritual masters to help you reignite your faith, overcome your doubts, and deepen your connection with God. Through the use of scientific evidence, practical exercises, and guided meditations, you will develop the tools and awareness needed to discern and overcome your negative inner critic that prevents you from experiencing God’s all-encompassing love.
-
-
Best Audiobook I have ever heard!
- By LiveLaughLove on 05-06-21
By: A. Helwa
-
Lost Enlightenment
- Central Asia's Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane
- By: S. Frederick Starr
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 25 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lost Enlightenment recounts how, between the years 800 and 1200, Central Asia led the world in trade and economic development, the size and sophistication of its cities, the refinement of its arts, and, above all, in the advancement of knowledge in many fields. Central Asians achieved signal breakthroughs in astronomy, mathematics, geology, medicine, chemistry, music, social science, philosophy, and theology, among other subjects.
-
-
What a wonderful find!
- By Julia on 11-10-13
-
Muhammad, the World-Changer
- An Intimate Portrait
- By: Mohamad Jebara
- Narrated by: John Pirkis
- Length: 14 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fusing details long known to Muslim scholars but inaccessible to popular audiences, Mohamad Jebara brings to life the gripping personal story of Islam’s founding prophet. From his dramatic birth to nearly being abducted into slavery to escaping assassination, Muhammad emerges as an unrelenting man on a mission. Surrounding the protagonist are dynamic women who nurture Muhammad; Jewish and Christian mentors who inspire him; and the enslaved individuals he helps liberate who propel his movement.
-
-
Great book, horrible narration for Arabic words
- By Ahmad Baik Hashem on 06-04-22
By: Mohamad Jebara
-
Making the Arab World
- Nasser, Qutb, and the Clash That Shaped the Middle East
- By: Fawaz A. Gerges
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 18 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2013, just two years after the popular overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian military ousted the country's first democratically elected president - Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood - and subsequently led a brutal repression of the Islamist group. These bloody events echoed an older political rift: the splitting of nationalists and Islamists during the rule of Egyptian president and Arab nationalist leader Gamal Abdel Nasser. Fawaz Gerges, one of the world's leading authorities on the Middle East, tells how the clash between pan-Arab nationalism and pan-Islamism has shaped the history of the region.
-
-
Highly informative and insightful
- By RedPharaoh on 01-03-19
By: Fawaz A. Gerges
-
Looking for the Enemy
- Mullah Omar and the Unknown Taliban
- By: Bette Dam
- Narrated by: Melita Cameron-Wood
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For 20 years, the Taliban was the number one enemy of Western forces in Afghanistan. But it was an enemy that they knew little about, and about whose founder and leader, Mullah Omar, they knew even less.
-
-
Very insightful
- By The Legend on 04-01-22
By: Bette Dam
-
Inside the Soul of Islam: A Transformative Guide to the Love, Beauty and Wisdom of Islam for Spiritual Seekers of all Faiths
- By: Mamoon Yusaf
- Narrated by: Mamoon Yusaf
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this profound yet highly accessible book, practicing Muslim Mamoon Yusaf provides a vital introduction to the essential teachings of Islam. In each short chapter, he focuses on a core teaching from the Quran, such as loving kindness, resilience, gratitude, and forgiveness, and shares his unique insight into how these teachings can lead to spiritual evolution in anyone, regardless of their beliefs, religion, or background.
-
-
Wonderful Book!
- By April N. Baskin on 03-01-20
By: Mamoon Yusaf
-
Secrets of Divine Love
- A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam
- By: A. Helwa
- Narrated by: A. Helwa
- Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Secrets of Divine Love is the number one international best-selling book on Islam that draws upon spiritual secrets of the Qur’an, ancient mystical poetry, and stories from the world’s greatest prophets and spiritual masters to help you reignite your faith, overcome your doubts, and deepen your connection with God. Through the use of scientific evidence, practical exercises, and guided meditations, you will develop the tools and awareness needed to discern and overcome your negative inner critic that prevents you from experiencing God’s all-encompassing love.
-
-
Best Audiobook I have ever heard!
- By LiveLaughLove on 05-06-21
By: A. Helwa
-
Lost Enlightenment
- Central Asia's Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane
- By: S. Frederick Starr
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 25 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lost Enlightenment recounts how, between the years 800 and 1200, Central Asia led the world in trade and economic development, the size and sophistication of its cities, the refinement of its arts, and, above all, in the advancement of knowledge in many fields. Central Asians achieved signal breakthroughs in astronomy, mathematics, geology, medicine, chemistry, music, social science, philosophy, and theology, among other subjects.
-
-
What a wonderful find!
- By Julia on 11-10-13
-
Muhammad, the World-Changer
- An Intimate Portrait
- By: Mohamad Jebara
- Narrated by: John Pirkis
- Length: 14 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fusing details long known to Muslim scholars but inaccessible to popular audiences, Mohamad Jebara brings to life the gripping personal story of Islam’s founding prophet. From his dramatic birth to nearly being abducted into slavery to escaping assassination, Muhammad emerges as an unrelenting man on a mission. Surrounding the protagonist are dynamic women who nurture Muhammad; Jewish and Christian mentors who inspire him; and the enslaved individuals he helps liberate who propel his movement.
-
-
Great book, horrible narration for Arabic words
- By Ahmad Baik Hashem on 06-04-22
By: Mohamad Jebara
-
Making the Arab World
- Nasser, Qutb, and the Clash That Shaped the Middle East
- By: Fawaz A. Gerges
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 18 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2013, just two years after the popular overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian military ousted the country's first democratically elected president - Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood - and subsequently led a brutal repression of the Islamist group. These bloody events echoed an older political rift: the splitting of nationalists and Islamists during the rule of Egyptian president and Arab nationalist leader Gamal Abdel Nasser. Fawaz Gerges, one of the world's leading authorities on the Middle East, tells how the clash between pan-Arab nationalism and pan-Islamism has shaped the history of the region.
-
-
Highly informative and insightful
- By RedPharaoh on 01-03-19
By: Fawaz A. Gerges
-
Looking for the Enemy
- Mullah Omar and the Unknown Taliban
- By: Bette Dam
- Narrated by: Melita Cameron-Wood
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For 20 years, the Taliban was the number one enemy of Western forces in Afghanistan. But it was an enemy that they knew little about, and about whose founder and leader, Mullah Omar, they knew even less.
-
-
Very insightful
- By The Legend on 04-01-22
By: Bette Dam
-
Why Nations Fail
- The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty
- By: Daron Acemoglu, James A. Robinson
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 17 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Brilliant and engagingly written, Why Nations Fail answers the question that has stumped the experts for centuries: Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty, health and sickness, food and famine?
-
-
Important themes, with blind spots
- By Ryan on 09-01-12
By: Daron Acemoglu, and others
-
Reopening Muslim Minds
- A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance
- By: Mustafa Akyol
- Narrated by: Neil Shah
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this book, Mustafa Akyol, senior fellow at the Cato Institute and opinion writer for The New York Times, both diagnoses “the crisis of Islam” in the modern world and offers a way forward. Diving deep into Islamic theology, and also sharing lessons from his own life story, he reveals how Muslims lost the universalism that made them a great civilization in their earlier centuries.
-
-
good book.
- By Cliente de Kindle on 05-16-22
By: Mustafa Akyol
-
Islam Without Extremes
- A Muslim Case for Liberty
- By: Mustafa Akyol
- Narrated by: Bill Hensel
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A provocative manifesto for an interpretation of Islam that synthesizes liberal ideas and respect for the Islamic tradition. Persuasive and inspiring, Islam Without Extremes offers a desperately needed intellectual basis for the reconcilability of Islam and religious, political, economic, and social freedoms.
-
-
Insightful
- By Dragon Flyer on 01-22-15
By: Mustafa Akyol
-
MBS
- The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman
- By: Ben Hubbard
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
MBS is the untold story of how a mysterious young prince emerged from Saudi Arabia’s sprawling royal family to overhaul the economy and society of the richest country in the Middle East - and gather as much power as possible into his own hands. Since his father, King Salman, ascended to the throne in 2015, Mohammed bin Salman has leveraged his influence to restructure the kingdom’s economy, loosen its strict Islamic social codes, and confront its enemies around the region, especially Iran.
-
-
Suffers from 'Objective Journalism' Syndrome
- By Anonymous User on 05-09-20
By: Ben Hubbard
-
Black Wave
- Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry that Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East
- By: Kim Ghattas
- Narrated by: Kim Ghattas, Nan McNamara
- Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With vivid story-telling, extensive historical research, and on-the-ground reporting, Ghattas dispels accepted truths about a region she calls home. She explores how Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran, once allies and twin pillars of US strategy in the region, became mortal enemies after 1979. She shows how they used and distorted religion in a competition that went well beyond geopolitics. Feeding intolerance, suppressing cultural expression, and encouraging sectarian violence from Egypt to Pakistan, the war for cultural supremacy led to many events.
-
-
Unveiling the darkness of the Middle East
- By Matty D on 02-18-20
By: Kim Ghattas
-
The Nine Lives of Pakistan
- Dispatches from a Precarious State
- By: Declan Walsh
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Declan Walsh is one of the New York Times's most distinguished international correspondents. His electrifying portrait of Pakistan over a tumultuous decade captures the sweep of this strange, wondrous, and benighted country through the dramatic lives of nine fascinating individuals. On assignment as the country careened between crises, Walsh traveled from the raucous port of Karachi to the salons of Lahore, and from Baluchistan to the mountains of Waziristan. He met a diverse cast of extraordinary Pakistanis....
-
-
A Fascinating Look at a Troubled Country
- By Dipam on 07-11-21
By: Declan Walsh
Publisher's Summary
Why do Muslim-majority countries exhibit high levels of authoritarianism and low levels of socioeconomic development in comparison to world averages? Ahmet T. Kuru criticizes explanations that point to Islam as the cause of this disparity, because Muslims were philosophically and socioeconomically more developed than Western Europeans between the 9th and 12th centuries. Nor was Western colonialism the cause: Muslims had already suffered political and socioeconomic problems when colonization began.
Kuru argues that Muslims had influential thinkers and merchants in their early history, when religious orthodoxy and military rule were prevalent in Europe. However, in the 11th century, an alliance between orthodox Islamic scholars (the ulema) and military states began to emerge. This alliance gradually hindered intellectual and economic creativity by marginalizing intellectual and bourgeois classes in the Muslim world. This important study links its historical explanation to contemporary politics by showing that, to this day, the ulema-state alliance still prevents creativity and competition in Muslim countries.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
What listeners say about Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jerry G
- 04-22-22
Fascinating, important and narrated wonderfully
This is a great book. Professor Kuru does a masterful job of making it absolutely clear that Islam is not itself the cause of the underdevelopment, authoritarianism and violence that has seemed to characterize the Moslem world. It does so without being pedantic or obscure. He brings to life the vibrancy of the first four centuries of Islam in which philosophy and mercantilism led by far the Europe of the Dark Ages. He attributes the decline of the Islamic world after the 11th Century to the alliance between the ulama (the established interpreters of the Koran and hadith, educated in the madrasas) and the state. As he argues, this is not an intrinsic element of Islam but arose from particular historical conditions. He also points to a possible future where this alliance is replaced by democracy and freedom of thought and economic activity.
Mr. Barber's narration perfectly matched the clarity of Professor Kuru's text. Made walking or sitting on a park bench while listening a real pleasure. Highly recommendable.