Islamic Society in Practice.

• Author: Al-Taie, Ali

Reviewed by Ali al-Taie

Not a few social scientists in recent decades have done field work on Arab-Islamic society and culture. What they have found in the process has enforced the principle of cultural relatively in the benefit of international understanding and the growth of social science. A product of such a philosophy, methodology, and function, Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban's Islamic Society in Practice is a solid recent example. This fresh thoughtful "academic and personal" account is warmly welcomed.

The anthropologist-author says, "Islam, as lived and practiced in everyday life and society, is the focus of this book" (p. 2); and accordingly she examines several phenomena in Egypt, Sudan, and Tunisia. The author gives a theoretical account of "the five pillars of Islam," and as a participant-observer for five years, evaluates the related attitudes and conduct of the individual Muslim and the state, and finally analyzes the "tension from within and without" that contemporary Islamic communities experience.

While tackling "Islamic values and social practice," the author notes that, "the truth is that very little is known about the basic values underlying Muslim society ..." (p. 44). She then focuses on such values as generosity, hospitality, honor, sharing, association, and appreciation for 'ilm, "knowledge," among Arab Muslims. In light of the Qur'an, which is replete with verses and phrases valuing knowledge, the author writes: "The point is stressed in oft-recited Hadith from the Prophet Muhammad that the ink of the writer is more precious than the blood of the warrior" (p. 45).

In addressing "family, community, and gender relations," the author indicates that 'ayla, ahl, (or usra), "family," "is everything" in Islamic society and culture (p. 61). In this context, the roots of female modesty in Islam are attributed to "the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi" as well as to ancient Christian and Judaic customs. She notes, "while the West finds it easy to condemn patriarchy in Arab and Islamic society," few Westerners see it as a continuation of their own code and tradition (p. 76). "Dressing in conservative Islamist fashion," she says, "adds a measure of protection for women ... [and that] the so-called glass ceiling, much commented upon in the United States as blocking women's achievement ..., has not been a barrier in these nations" (pp. 77, 83).

Acknowledging that "Arab culture and the Arabic language have played major roles in the shaping of...