Holy terrors : thinking about religion after September 11 / Bruce Lincoln.
| Author/creator | Lincoln, Bruce |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2003. |
| Description | xi, 142 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Table of contents |
| Supplemental Content | Contributor biographical information |
| Supplemental Content | Publisher description |
| Subjects |
| Contents | The study of religion in the current political moment -- Symmetric dualisms: Bush and bin Laden on October 7 -- Jihads, Jeremiads, and the enemy within -- On the relation of religion and culture -- Religious conflict and the postcolonial state -- Religion, rebellion, revolution. |
| Review | "Holy Terrors examines the implications of September 11 for our understanding of religion and how it interrelates with politics and culture." "Lincoln begins with a dissection of the instruction manual given to each of the hijackers. In the evocation of passages from the Quran, we learn how the terrorists justified acts of destruction and mass murder "in the name of God, the most merciful, the most compassionate." Lincoln then offers a comparison of President Bush's October 7 speech announcing U.S. military action in Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden's videotape released hours later. Each speech, he argues, betrays telling contradictions. Bin Laden, for instance, conceded implicitly that Islam is not unitary, as his religious rhetoric would have it, but is torn by deep political divisions. And Bush, steering clear of religious rhetoric for the sake of political unity, still reassured his constituents through coded allusions that American policy is firmly rooted in faith." "Lincoln ultimately broadens his discussion further to consider the role of religion since September 11 and how it came to be involved with such fervent acts of political revolt. In the postcolonial world, he argues, religion is widely considered the most viable and effective instrument of rebellion against economic and social injustices. It is the institution through which unified communities ensure the integrity and continuity of their culture in the wake of globalization. Holy Terrors will become one of the essential books on September 11 and a classic study on the character of religion."--Jacket. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 109-137) and index. |
| LCCN | 2002007099 |
| ISBN | 0226481921 (cloth ; alk. paper) |
| ISBN | 9780226481920 (cloth ; alk. paper) |
| ISBN | 0226481956 |
| ISBN | 9780226481951 |