A Peoples' History of Islam?

[Kukulofori]

Has the history of Islam been analysed from a marxist perspective?

[Black Dagger]

What period of Islamic history are you interested in? What facets?

[Kukulofori]

Any and all of it. It's a tall enough order already without getting into specifics, plus I don't actually know enough about Islamic history to ask for them.

[Devrim]

It is a huge subject. It is like asking for a history of Christianity in its entirety.

Devrim

[Honggweilo]

Maybe "Between Two Worlds - Roots of a Freedom Fight" by Dyab Abu Jah Jah? Secular leftwing panarabist immigrant sociologist in belgium which has writen alot about islamic history and class struggle within it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyab_Abou_Jahjah

[Kukulofori]

Thanks.

I found something on Wikipedia article on Bahrain:


In 899 AD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_era), a millenarian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millenarian) Ismaili (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ismaili) sect, the Qarmatians (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qarmatians), seized the country and sought to create a utopian society based on reason and the distribution of all property evenly among the initiates. Really? More info on this?

[amandevsingh]

It is a huge subject. It is like asking for a history of Christianity in its entirety.

Devrim

LOL, actually, the comrade did ask for that:
http://www.revleft.com/vb/history-christianity-t115173/index.html?t=115173&highlight=revolutionary+life

[Ismail]

Shia Islam has had a fairly revolutionary tradition. In the 1300's for example there were various Shia Republics in Central Asia. Similar progressiveness can be said for the Bektashi in Albania and Turkey.

While I cannot help you too much with medieval history, a look into Ali Shariati's writings give a good glimpse into Islamic Socialism.

[Devrim]

Shia Islam has had a fairly revolutionary tradition. In the 1300's for example there were various Shia Republics in Central Asia. Similar progressiveness can be said for the Bektashi in Albania and Turkey.

I don't think that religion can be 'progressive' today. The Bektaşi in Turkey though are pretty much mixed in with the Turkish folk religion Alevism, and not really recognisable as a separate group.

Devrim

[Ismail]

I don't think that religion can be 'progressive' today. The Bektaşi in Turkey though are pretty much mixed in with the Turkish folk religion Alevism, and not really recognisable as a separate group.I was talking about the 1800's and early 1900's, such as the Bektashi involvement in the Albanian independence movement.