Title: Extreme Intolerance & Poor Scholarship
Review: Qutb's book is a study in cultural chauvinism, filled with denigration of foreign cultures and religions. In a clash between tradition and modern, Qutb seeks refuge in reactionary rejection of the present and fantasies of some Golden Age that probably never was. He retreats to radical interpretations of the Quran, which he claims are the "original" ones, but which contradict the Quran itself. The Quran calls Jews and Christians, "People of the book". Qutb calls the 'jahili', barbarians. The Quran has five pillars: daily statement, daily prayer, Hajj, Ramadan, charity. Qutb replaces these with his favoirte, "jihad". Mohammed himself calls battle jihad "the small jihad", and prefers the "big jihad" of overcoming ones self. Qutb ignores this totally. So essentially, Qutb replaces the Quran with his own distorted reading of it, based on culture shock and bigotry, and has the audacity to call his own extremists views the "true" Islam.
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