Islam Between East and West Paperback – January 1, 1993

'Islam Between East and West' is a masterful exploration of Islamic thought that bridges the divide between spiritual tradition and modern intellectual inquiry. Written by Alija Izetbegović, the former president of Bosnia and a deeply reflective thinker, this book is more than a political or theological treatise—it is a philosophical meditation on what it means to live authentically in a world torn between materialism and blind religiosity. Izetbegović presents Islam as a comprehensive worldview that transcends the dualities of East and West, faith and reason, spirit and matter. Drawing from history, science, philosophy, and religious tradition, he articulates a vision of Islam rooted in moral freedom, human dignity, and divine purpose. Timely and timeless, this book is essential reading for those seeking to understand Islam not only as a religion, but as a dynamic force in shaping human civilization and personal meaning.

This is a great philosophical work, starting with the beginning of humanity, the human original idealism, the difference between Darwin and Michelangelo, and how there is no evolutionary explanation, nor there can be, for strictly human phenomena like art, aesthetics, ethics, and religion, because they belong to the subjective world of the human being, while science (and the theory of evolution) deals only with external phenomena. Mr. Izetbegovic makes a very useful distinction between culture and civilization: culture deals solely with the domain of the human, of our individual, personal, unique experience of life and its dramas and riddles, while civilization is the product of science, the result of our attempt to dominate nature, and therefore will always be zoological. Only humans consistently engage in activities that are not just for utility and function, but for the principle of it, or for the aesthetic experience. “There are three degrees of reality known and possible in our world: matter, life, personality. Science deals only with the first, art with the last.”The internal and the external worlds are two parallel lines that never cross philosophically, but they are both found together in the human being, so we inhabit two worlds at the same time. More than half of the book deals with the differences between the two world views representing the two worlds: the religious and the materialistic, elegantly showing that ideas such as human dignity, human freedom and responsibility, equality among people, and tolerance can only come from the religious perspective. Materialism means determinism, which means humans are not free and only subjects to their environment and natural development, which means they cannot be equal from that perspective, and there is no human to speak of, just a perfect animal.The second part of the book explains how Islam, consciously and intentionally, reconciles these two world views, showing how this reconciliation is evident in every part of the Muslim faith. “Islam here (in this book) is the name of a method rather than of a ready-made solution and means the synthesis of opposite principles.”Talking about the “mandatory Muslim charity”, Izetbegovic says: “The goal of Islam is not to eliminate riches, but to eliminate poverty.” This is a clear jibe at communism, who were “very successful” at eliminating riches. In terms of law and its spiritual origins, Izetbegovic states: “The touchstone of the legality of any social system is the way it treats its opponents and minorities. The power of the strong is a fact, not the law. The law stars where the limitation of this power begins and where it has taken the stand of the weak as opposed to the benefit of the strong.”At the end of the book he mentions another third way between materialism and religion, the Anglo-Saxon one. He gives many examples of English philosophers successfully reconciling materialism and religion.By Roumen Bezergianov, author of "Character Education with Chess"

Great book from a great Muslim leader who spent his life till the last moment trying to defend Muslims terrorized by orthodox church followers ( the real terrorists) in Balkan.

An entertaining read, the author is well educated and drives his points in an articulate way.

A must read - referred to by professors of Islamic studies internationally, this work served as Alija Izetbegovic's doctoral dissertation and has become a foundational text for understanding the sociopolitical, cultural and intellectual challenges that Muslims face to this day.

Great book but difficult to read

Must read the book. The best description of political Islam and most in-depth description of Islam written in english.

I had this book for a long time but I didn't read it because I thought I had an idea what he is going to talk about just from looking at the title of the book. I was so wrong, I finished reading it this morning. Oh .. Man .. It's not what I thought, it's completely different than the title of the book. This book is good for all it's not writing for Muslims only nor to spread the word about Islam. It's a deep understanding of our life and mind sets. Read it you won't be disappointed