 When Worlds Collide: Exploring the Ideological and Political Foundations of the Clash of Civilization
by James Donovan
List Price: $34.95
Hardcover: 280 pages
ISBN: 0742558568
Publisher: Rowman & LIttlefield Publishers
Publish Date: August, 2007
A review by Major John Nawoichyk
In his book When Worlds Collide: Exploring the Ideological and Political Foundations of the Clash of Civilization, DR Gene Heck provides an in depth analysis to prove that Islam, in either it’s classical or Wahhabist forms, is not the root cause of terrorism. Rather, it is the bastardization of the religion that has set the conditions for the current terrorist issue. In order to do this, Heck breaks his study down into three main areas. First, he provides a background discussion on Islam and the sources of modern Middle East terror. Next, he shows the political evolution of extremist Islam, including a discussion on the development of Wahhabism and the extremist perversion of it. Finally after exploring the historical and religious issues surrounding the evolution of terrorism, he explores an in depth discussion of the potential cures for the issues surrounding problems within the Middle East. There are several critical reasons for the success of this book. First, Heck provides the reader clear and easily understandable definitions of key terms and issues. Secondly, he continuously provides critical contextual references both religious and historically. His effective use of transitions allows the reader to follow the themes throughout the book. Although he strongly supports his thesis, the reader would have benefited from a glossary to serve as a reference and maps to put the discussions in context. This book is a must read for anyone who wants a more complete understanding of the issues surrounding modern terror and its relation to Islam, as well as potential solutions to those problems.
DR Heck has over 30 years of experience and studying the Middle East and Islam, which proves critical in his understanding of the understanding of Middle Eastern terrorism. His 20+ years as a U.S. Army Military Intelligence Officer, including tours in Ethiopia, Turkey, and Jordan, provide the authoritative background to discuss the militancy surrounding terror. In addition to his military expertise, DR Heck is a subject matter expert and advisor on both political and economic issues. He owns his own economic and consulting business in Saudi Arabia, and has served as an advisor to the Saudi Arabian Government and numerous businesses within the region. His skill in mastering the Arabic language and amount of time in the Middle East give him the perfect experience set to lead the reader to a complete understanding of how the perversion of Islam provided the roots for today’s terror, not Islam itself.
The exploration of Islam and the sources of modern Middle Eastern terror set the stage for the reader to understand the critical military, religious and academic issues surrounding the evolution of modern terror. In this section, he addresses two main issues. First, he lays out the historical context of the Islamic Code of Conduct in the context of the Quran and its historical application. In order to do this, Heck compares the current Geneva Code Convention and that as applied in Islam. Specifically, he addresses the definitions of legitimacy, proportionality, distinction, and the general principles of war. He continually puts these issues in the context of what is written in the Quran and how it has historically been applied. For example in the discussion of legitimacy of war, he quotes Surat al- 17:16 that states “We send a commandment to its folks who live at ease, and if after they commit abomination therein, so the Word (of punishment) has effect for it, and We annihilate it with complete annihilation.” He then goes on to explain that Islam requires a call for peace prior to an act of war, providing the legitimacy for the action. In addition, he supplies the reader four additional examples within the Quran in order to further clarify the Islamic Code of Conduct. Heck provides the same detailed discussions for all aspects of the Islamic Code. Heck provides historical examples from military actions such as the wars for the expansion of Islam and the Crusades. After establishing the background, he transitions to the establishment of the Wahhabist Sect of Islam and the evolution of extremist Islam.
Heck provides the reader a clear evolution of the use of Islam by extremists. Throughout the discussion, he shows that even the most puritanical sect of Islam, Wahhabist introduced by Muhammad Abid Al-Wahhabi in the 1700s, did not stray from the base concepts of the Islamic Code of Conduct. For example, he uses the development of the paramilitary force by the Muhammad Saud and Wahhabi as a means of showing how they guided their actions in accordance within the Islamic Code of Conduct. He then contrasts this with how the Islamic Extremists perverted Islam to justify their own goals. Specifically, he shows the progression of extremism from the Muslim Brotherhood to the current development of the Al Qaida network. Within this discussion, he follows Osama bin Laden’s evolution from a member in good standing within Saudi Arabia to persona non-grata and leader of a worldwide terrorist organization by falsely perverting the precepts of Wahhabism. He proves that “for while many jihadists may be, to some degree, Wahhabi, only a very small portion of Wahhabis are jihadists.” He goes on to show how Western influence played a major role in the development of the extremist groups.
Throughout his discussion on the political evolution of Islam, the author lays out the role that Western Governments played in the rise of militant Islam. In his discussion on the evolution of the Muslim Brotherhood, Heck shows how the British Government supported their evolution in an attempt to gain power within Egypt. He then goes on to show the reader how the United States played the same role in the development of Al Qaeda while working to undermine the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Through his examples, he clearly shows that concept “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” does not normally have positive long term results. After discussing the historical evolution of extremist Islam, Heck offers potential solutions to problems within the Middle East.
Heck supplies the reader with an insightful look into potential solutions to the rise of militant Islam and the issues within the Middle East. Most interestingly, Heck shows how the United States version of Democracy cannot be “cookie cutter” applied to other nations. Historically, this is a concept that many of the senior leaders in the United States must come to grips with. He lays out that, in the case of the Middle East, this concept is further complicated by the tenants of Islam. As Heck lays out, Muslims believe that God is the only sovereign ruler, which contradicts the basic separation of Church and State as prescribed in Democracy. Heck provides several practical discussions on how an adaptive version of Western Democracy and Capitalism could solve many of the economic and social issues that support the growth of Islamic extremism. Finally, Heck provides a clear and concise synopsis in the epilogue.
In the epilogue, the author wraps his discussion into several easy to understand conclusions. He provides several lessons learned on how the world can win the Global War on Terror, including ten critical lessons to counter global terror. Heck includes brief historical examples of how they have worked in the past, such as King Hussein’s actions during “Black September” in 1971. The key to victory, as laid out by Heck, clearly depends on the mutual understanding of others’ beliefs and value systems. Failure in achieving this level of understanding will continue to result in the overall failure in the Global War on Terror. Heck is able to bring all of these concepts together through his clear and concise writing style.
The clear definitions, easy transitions and effective use of contextual references are crucial to the readers understanding of the thesis. For example, Heck’s description of jihad as the lifelong struggle to be a devout Muslim allows the reader to put the often misunderstood term into context. Other examples of his ability to clearly define terms and concepts include the discussions on Wahhabism, the Muslim Brotherhood and Kuffar. In addition to defining the terms, he places them in historical context allowing the reader to clearly understand the concepts. Finally, the clear structure and smooth transitions provide the organizational setting for the reader to fully grasp the ideas presented. The four appendixes and the detailed notes section provide further details to the concepts presented. Although well structured, the lack of maps and glossary cause a slight distraction to the reader.
In order to help the reader better understand the concepts and references, Heck should have included maps and a glossary as reference tools. Throughout the book, Heck references specific locations that the average reader would not easily identify. Specifically, he discusses the areas within Saudi Arabia that extremists used as a base for operations after being forced out of Egypt. In each of case, maps would provide a visual reference for the reader. The addition of a glossary would provide a reference to clarify the terms used. Although the maps and glossary would assist the reader in understanding the concepts, it does not significantly distract from the readers understanding of Heck’s concepts.
DR Heck, in his book When Worlds Collide, clearly shows that the perversion of Islam by militant extremist provide the roots of today’s global terror, not Islam itself. As he so concisely puts it, “most present-day terrorists are intolerant fundamentalists Muslims and proudly offer themselves to the world as such.” Through his explanations of the basic concepts, definitions and historical perspective, Heck provides the reader, no matter what their level of expertise on the Middle East, an in depth analysis on the current issues with global terrorism and the Middle East. Anyone who wants to further explore the issues within the Middle East should read this book.
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