Kirkus Reviews
May 2010
FAITH MISPLACED;
The Broken Promise of U.S.-Arab Relations: 1820-2003
SECTION: NONFICTION
A sage, evenhanded look at the souring of a once-promising relationship.
Makdisi (History/Rice Univ.; Artillery of Heaven: American
Missionaries and the Failed Conversion of the Middle East, 2008, etc.)
reaches back to the early Protestant missionary work in the Holy Land
to underscore the positive, benevolent model of America to which Arabs
were first exposed. The establishment of a mission in Beirut by
evangelicals Pliny Fisk and Levi Parsons was one of the first American
attempts to "reclaim" the biblical lands and convert the Muslim
communities.
Though it failed — the Americans were "culturally deaf and arrogant"
— they instilled their values of education (especially for girls),
anti-colonialism and altruism. With the inauguration of Syrian
Protestant College in 1866 — the precursor to the American University
of Beirut — the idea of converting souls had gently transformed into
a more secular vision of tolerance and scientific inquiry. American
humanitarian efforts for Greek independence and Armenian refugees of
Turkish genocide rendered the United States as a promised land, and
Arab emigration to America increased, giving rise to a rich tradition
of exile, or mahjar, literature. In his 14 points, Woodrow Wilson set
out "an inspiring new template for the world," which included
self-determination for the remnant peoples breaking away from Ottoman
rule, a vision that was later cited by Palestinian leader Yasser
Arafat in his famous 1974 UN speech. So what happened? In a word,
Israel. While numerous recent books delve more deeply into the
Arab-Israel crisis of the modern era, Makdisi maneuvers through this
minefield with a steady hand. He pinpoints a pivotal moment during the
Suez Crisis, when American president Eisenhower rebuked the imperial
powers and Israel for attacking Egypt, and America still held the
moral card — before capitulating to Cold War and oil interests.
Ultimately, the author is optimistic that relations can improve when
Americans begin to shed biases about and ignorance of Arab culture and
history.
A work of impressive clarity and scholarship.
Publication Date: 6/22/2010 0:00:00
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Stage: Adult
Star: 1
ISBN: 978-1-58648-680-8
Price: $28.95
Author: Makdisi, Ussama