Reviews of Passion For Islam

"Caryle Murphy's careful reporting and cogent analysis present readers with an indispensable opportunity to understand how the variegated strands of Islam -- tolerant reformist traditions as well as militant anti-Western ones -- have taken root in the Arab world's most vital civilization."

Emran Qureshi in the Washington Post's Book World, December 8, 2002

"Well-chosen vignettes -- the terrorist, the Islamist lawyer dying in prison, the Islamist ideologue, the cynical secularist, the Coptic Christian, and others -- describe the confrontation between Islamists and the authoritarian state in Egypt. Murphy often presents incidents that can explain more than extended analysis could. For example, as she describes a faxed message (sent to a Western news office in Egypt) that decries the "loot plundered by senior officials from the toiling masses," she envisages the anonymous author as a formerly devout Marxist who had "become a devout Islamist without retooling his political slogans." Showing that in addition to extremists there are moderate Islamists and secularists, she indicates the possibility of an accommodation between state and society but has no illusions about that prospect. Her penultimate chapter moves to an overview of the Arab-Israeli confrontation and the need for a settlement there, adding yet another informed argument against those who maintain that the plight of the Palestinians can be decoupled from the issue of Islamists against the state in Egypt or elsewhere."

L. Carl Brown in Foreign Affairs, January/February 2003

"Caryle Murphy has made a major contribution to literature on the current status of the Islamic resurgence. Not only has she accurately assessed the status quo, she has identified the issue that will dominate the immediate future...The challenge is to create a modern Islamic discourse in which relevant content can be expressed in a meaningful framework. The need, as Murphy notes, is 'for Muslims who are unafraid of critical thinking'...This book would make an excellent text for introducing college students to Islamic world today."

Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, astronomer and President & Director of Minaret of Freedom Institute, Spring 2003

A sampling of amazon.com reader reviews:

"Murphy did a nice job of explaining how the struggle in Egypt today is a struggle between modernity- where the majority of Egyptians are comfortable- and extreme Islam- where there are a vocal minority. She writes about the Saudi attempt to influence the Muslim population towards a more fundamentalist view point. She also does a really good job of pointing out that Islamists are in some ways like our own politically active evangelical Christians. When she makes these comparisons, it is done in an objective way. Egypt has their own Christian population- the Coptics, who predate the Muslims. She also explains in the book how the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a major issue for Egyptians. The writing is good and it is a fast read. Since 9-11 it is important that we try to understand Islam as a world movement. This is another good step."

Customer Review, Amazon.com, January 1, 2008

"The author does a good job of describing the various participants in the movement, and explains the roots of the Muslim Brotherhood, the start of extremist Muslim thought in Egypt and the place Ayman al-Zawahiri got his start in politics, before he went on to become #2 in Al Qaeda...The result of the book is a clear picture of how Islamist thought, and extremism, have spread in Egypt, and why. I enjoyed this book a great deal, and thought that I learned a great deal from it. I would recommend if to almost anyone interested in the subject."

Customer Review, amazon.com, July 27, 2006

Link to online discussion with book author Caryle Murphy:

http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/zforum/02/sp_books_murphy112502.htm