Yitzhak Nakash's Books

The Shi'is of Iraq

By: Yitzhak Nakash

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Shi'is of Iraq provides a comprehensive history of Iraq's majority group and its turbulent relations with the ruling Sunni minority. Yitzhak Nakash challenges the widely held belief that Shi'i society and politics in Iraq are a reflection of Iranian Shi'ism, pointing to the strong Arab attributes of Iraqi Shi'ism. He contends that behind the power struggle in Iraq between Arab Sunnis and Shi'is there exist two sectarian groups that are quite similar. The tension fueling the sectarian problem between Sunnis and Shi'is is political rather than ethnic or cultural, and it reflects the competition of the two groups over the right to rule and to define the meaning of nationalism in Iraq. A new introduction brings this book into the new century and illuminates the role that Shi`is could play in postwar Iraq.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

339

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691190445

ISBN 13

9780691190440

Reaching for Power

The Shi'a in the Modern Arab World

By: Yitzhak Nakash

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Reaching for Power

The Shi'a in the Modern Arab World

By: Yitzhak Nakash

As the world focuses on the conflict in Iraq, the most important political players in that country today are not the Sunni insurgents. Instead, they are Iraq's Shi'I majority--part of the Middle East's ninety million Shi'I Muslims who hold the key to the future of the region and the relations between Muslim and Western societies. So contends Yitzhak Nakash, one of the world's foremost experts on Shi'ism. With his characteristic verve and style, Nakash traces the role of the Shi'is in the struggle that is raging today among Muslims for the soul of Islam. He shows that in contrast to the growing militancy among Sunni groups since the 1990s, Shi'is have shifted their focus from confrontation to accommodation with the West. Constituting sixty percent of the population of Iraq, they stand squarely at the center of the U.S government's attempt to remake the Middle East and bring democracy to the region. This groundbreaking book addresses the crucial importance of Shi'is to the U.S. endeavor. Yet it also alerts readers to the strong nationalist sentiments of Shi'is, underscoring the difficult challenge that the United States faces in attempting to impose a new order in the Middle East. The book provides a comprehensive historical perspective on Shi'ism, beginning with the emergence of the movement during the seventh century, continuing through its rise as a political force since the Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1978-79, and leading up to the Iraqi elections of January 2005. Drawing extensively on Arabic sources, this comparative study highlights the reciprocal influences shaping the political development of Shi'is in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Lebanon, as well as the impact of the revival of Shi'ism on the larger Arab world. The narrative concludes with an assessment of the risks and possibilities arising from the assertion of Shi'I power in Iraq and from America's attempt to play an increasingly forceful role in the Middle East. A landmark book and a work of remarkable scholarship, Reaching for Power illuminates the Shi'a resurgence amid the shifting geopolitics of the Middle East.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

247

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1400841461

ISBN 13

9781400841462

The Shi'is of Iraq

By: Yitzhak Nakash

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Shi'is of Iraq

By: Yitzhak Nakash

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

339

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691190445

ISBN 13

9780691190440

Reaching for Power

The Shi'a in the Modern Arab World

By: Yitzhak Nakash

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Reaching for Power

The Shi'a in the Modern Arab World

By: Yitzhak Nakash

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

247

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1400841461

ISBN 13

9781400841462

The Life and Teachings of Hillel

By: Yitzhak Buxbaum

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Life and Teachings of Hillel

By: Yitzhak Buxbaum

The Life and Teachings of Hillel provides the most comprehensive treatment ever published of one of the greatest figures in Jewish tradition. Yitzhak Buxbaum weaves together the various stories about Hillel along with his teachings and sayings to develop this ground-breaking portrait, shedding new light on Hillel's illustrious career, fascinating life, and profound teachings. Hillel is one of the most important and popular of the talmudic sages, yet he is mostly known only in the context of two or three popular stories told about him. Such stories as teaching the 'Golden Rule' of Torah 'while standing on one foot,' and his saying, 'If I am not for myself, who will be for me, and if I am for myself alone, who am I,' have eclipsed a more complete view of Hillel's influence and significance. In the rabbinic tradition, there is much debate between the teachings of the school of Hillel and that of his contemporary, Shammai. Hillel is often seen as the more tolerant, softer teacher, with his teachings representing what we consider 'normative' Judaism. Often, the traditions passed down to modern times are a result of the rabbis' reconciliation of the two schools, so that Hillel's pure teachings have been lost. The Life and Teachings of Hillel separates out Hillel's teachings and looks at them independently of Shammai's. Studied on their own, it becomes evident that Hillel was actually much more radical and 'hasidic' than is commonly thought. While he is known for representing the gentler, more loving side of Judaism, in this work his pious radicalism is also apparent. Readers will be charmed and fascinated by Hillel's fiery gentleness. The Life and Teachings of Hillel offers new information about a radiant religious figure, and it also recovers a side of Jewish tradition that has been lost to most people.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

390

Publisher

Jason Aronson, Incorporated

Published Date

ISBN 10

0742565874

ISBN 13

9780742565876

Book's by Yitzhak Nakash

The Shi'is of Iraq

The Shi'is of Iraq

Reaching for Power

Reaching for Power

The Shi'is of Iraq

The Shi'is of Iraq

Reaching for Power

Reaching for Power

The Life and Teachings of Hillel

The Life and Teachings of Hillel

Username

Password

Username

Password

Password again

Birthday

Email