The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity. by Ali, Tariq - 2002.

London: Verso, 2002. First Edition, First Printing 1/4 cloth AS NEW in FINE DJ 8vo (6-1/2 x 8-1/4), 342pp including Index and Appendix: On the Israeli-Arab War. Unread, unmarked, unclipped, AS NEW in FINE (slight shelfwear) pictorial DJ with altered photograph on cover showing George W Bush with beard and turban. Book is 1/4 cloth red boards - white spine with red metallic type on spine. From the DJ picture on, Mr Ali demonstrates the current so-called "war on terror" to be a re-emergence of the Crusades -- a clash of religious points of view, with both sides having regressed to fundamentalist absolutist views, and with both sides refusing to publicly admit what the real issues are -- religious war and the spoils (oil, water, military bases, hegemony) that come from it. His perspective is obviously from the left (Mr Ali is editor of The New Left Review), but his points are well-taken. A brilliant work with enough arguments that ring true to make it a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate.