Sadiq Jalal Al-Azm takes the controversy and controversy raised by Salman Rushdie’s book “The Satanic Verses” in the late 1980s as a starting point to address what he calls “the mentality of prohibition and the logic of criminalization” among Arab thinkers, in a panoramic manner, and in other articles - added in later editions of the book - he addresses many of the issues Related issues, such as Orientalism, reverse Orientalism, concepts of cultural invasion, and authenticity. The writer dives behind the implicit meanings, trying to reach the essence, or the real motive behind the issues he discusses, and raises his voice loudly to argue and discuss the opinions of his fellow researchers and intellectuals: such as Edward Said and Adonis. The audacity makes these sober articles an important document of the discussions and dialogues that prevailed among Arab thinkers at that stage, even if one does not agree with any of them. What is important here is the celebration of free thought and debate based on diligence and knowledge.
Although the deep, passionate, and enjoyable discussions contained in this book provide many answers, they also stimulate many renewed questions that continue to trouble us and justify our need for readings of this kind.
“In this book, Sadiq Al-Azm wanted to analyze the causes of the defeat and theoretically propose a response to it, before he realized that, like many others, it was a recurring defeat, not resulting from “external conspiracies,” but rather from a persistent Arab inability, shared by both the peoples and the authorities. And this defeat The recurring nature that responds to every defeat with a new defeat is what makes the book retain its relevance. The defeat whose causes were explained is still continuing, the reasons it criticized are still present, and the mentality that justifies what cannot be justified is growing, growing, and active. However, the true importance of the book is not It consists in illuminating a historical tragedy, specific to time, but rather in the free critical approach, which explains human disappointments with human causes, without referring to a vague reference.” Faisal Darraj
“Before this book, virginal lovers were in our imagination as pure as angels, infallible as saints. Sadiq Jalal Al-Azm comes in this book to tear the mask off the faces of virginal lovers, and to reveal, with logic and deep philosophical thought, that they were, in reality, narcissists and lustful... Nizar Qabbani
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