Holiest Wars: Islamic Mahdis, Their Jihads, and Osama bin Laden

by Timothy R. Furnish

Overview

The Mahdi, the rightly guided one, is the central messianic figure in Islam, explains Furnish (world history, Georgia Perimeter College), who will arrive near the end of historical time to usher in a worldwide Islamic state with the help of the prophet Jesus. Drawing from eight movements centered around a figure who was considered The Mahdi between 1130 and 1980 AD, he describes consistent features of the movement and resistance to it. To conclude, he asks who the next Mahdi will be. The study was his doctoral dissertation at Ohio State University. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313022548
Publisher:	Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated
Publication date:	06/30/2005
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	170
File size:	664 KB

About the Author

Timothy R. Furbanish teaches world history at Georgia Perimeter College. He learned Arabic while serving in U.S. Army Intelligence and received his doctorate in Islamic History from Ohio State University. His specialty is Islamic eschatology, particularly modern Mahdism—Islamic messianism—and how such beliefs have influenced revolutionary political thought in the Muslim world.

Table of Contents

What is Mahdism and Where Does it Come From?
Mahdist Movements Throughout History
Counter-Mahdist Rationales and Policies
The Virtual Mahdi Today
Modern Muslim Anti-Mahdists
Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

This is probably the single most important book in English on this topic.” —Evangelics Now

“While cautious about designating any currently visible Islamic fundamentalist as the next Mahdi, Furbanish argues that it is only a matter of time before Mahdism reemerges full-blown. And when that happens, all bets will be off and no rules will apply, inside or outside the Islamic community. It is a grim prospect - but one all too credible in the context of Furbanish's scholarship.” —MultiCultural Review

“Throughout the history of Islam, a number of revolutionary movements have emerged that were centered on a rightly guided one who was meant to lead the world to rightness. These movements were based on a branch of Islam known as Mahdism, a topic that Timothy Furbanish argues is overlooked in most discussions of the Middle East. Because of the potential of a Mahdist movement to create sweeping changes through violent means, Furbanish believes Mahdism to be a particularly applicable subject to the modern context of the Middle East. Furbanish addresses the origins of Mahdism, Mahdism throughout history, as well as the potential for a Mahdist movement in modern times.” —Middle East Jourbanal

“[P]rovides a perspective on Mahdism, a belief in a messianic figure in Islamic tradition who will unite all Muslims, and debates within the Muslim world on whether bin Laden is that figure.” —The Atlanta Jourbanal-Constitution

“Jews, Christians and Muslims will all profit from this book because it describes a tradition deeply rooted in all three religions and surprisingly relevant to the current geopolitical situation….[F]urbanish writes about Mahdism, the Islamic tradition that anticipates the appearance of a messianic figure who will purify and unite Islam, eradicate all socioeconomic injustices in the world and establish the Muslim faith as a universal religion. This idea is rooted in Judaism, is similar to Christian eschatological ideas and is hotly debated throughout the Muslim world….Most fascinating (and fearful) are his musings about Osama bin Laden's Mahdist potential, especially considering this sobering assertion: Muslim messianic movements are to fundamentalist uprisings what nuclear weapons are to conventional ones: triggered by the same detonating agents, but far more powerful in scope and effect.” —The Lexington Herald Leader/The Wichita Eagle/Birmingham News/The Dallas Morning

From the Publisher