Some of the tomes of Bernard Lewis (1916-)
In the lead up to Christmas 2015 I shall try remember to post some of my older essays:
Bernard Lewis was always respectful of Islam as a religion, but also had important things to say about Islamic revivalism. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11 people of (almost) all political persuasions in America were desperate for his insights. However, by 2004 the PC Brigade had regained control of the mainstream and intelligent discussion of the subject became mostly taboo in polite society. And yet there is no way forward except addressing the conclusions of Bernard Lewis. We remain in a cul de sac. In 2011, Lewis published his marvellous memoir, Notes on a Century, and I gave it a long review: http://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2012/10/bernard-lewis-and-the-dangerous-creed-of-freedom/
