Publications
PLEASE NOTE: The following publications present a diverse set of political, cultural and social views with implications for the Middle East.
The opinions expressed in the following publications are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Council for Middle East Studies.
Anti-Zionism: Analytical Reflections
This collection of essays challenges the conventional wisdom that Israel is a peace-loving democracy and the perception that the continuing state of Middle East hostilities is due to intransigent Palestinians and rigid hostility of Israel’s Arab neighbors.
The Wind-Driven Reed, and Other Poems
Poems of home and exile presented in dual English/Arabic text.
The Israeli Connection: Whom Israel Arms and Why
This powerful story of intrigue and covert action reveals how Israel became the arms dealer and military trainer of last resort for everyone from Guatemala’s murderous military to Mobutu in Africa and the Shah of Iran.
Theodicy and Justice in Modern Islamic Thought: The Case of Said Nursi
This collection, edited by Ibrahim Abu-Rabi‘ (Ashgate, 2010), explores the theology and philosophy of the distinguished modern Muslim scholar and theologian Bediuzzaman Said Nursi [d. 1960].
Original Sins: Reflections on the History of Zionism and Israel
Many books in the West on Zionism and Israel published in the West are limited to slogans and counter slogans. Original Sins goes beyond the accepted parameters by re-examining the terms of the debate.
To Be an Arab in Israel
One of the few Palestinian-Israeli takes on the first ten years of the Israeli occupation. In this highly personalized account Fouzi El-Asmar tells the story of his life in Palestine.
For Zion’s Sake: The Judeo-Christian Tradition in American Culture
This book by Fuad Sha’ban explores the role of religion, especially religious extremism, in American culture. In particular, it examines the development of the Judeo-Christian tradition, its impact on America’s self-image, and the way it has influenced America’s attitude to the Arab World.
Islam in the Eyes of the West: Images and Realities in an Age of Terror
From the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in New York to the Madrid and London bombings of 2004 and 2005, the presence of Muslim communities in the West has generated security issues and major political concern.
Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel
This is a new edition of a classic and highly controversial book by Israeli scholar and peace activist Israel Shahak and American scholar Norton Mezvinsky that examines the history and consequences of Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel.
The Contemporary Arab Reader on Political Islam
Contemporary Islamism is a complex notion, encompassing a constellation of social, political, religious and ideological ideas that have evolved over the past two hundred years.
Islam Without Fear
For the last several decades an influential group of Egyptian scholars and public intellectuals has been having a profound effect in the Islamic world.
Cultural Cleansing in Iraq: Why Museums Were Looted, Libraries Burned and Academics Murdered
Why did the invasion of Iraq result in cultural destruction and killings of intellectuals? Convention sees accidents of war and poor planning in a campaign to liberate Iraqis.
A Religious Institution in Contemporary Syria: The Fatih Islamic Institute and Its Religious Scholars
This collection documents and theorizes the Fatih Islamic Institute in Damascus Syria, established in 1956 by Sheikh Muhammad Salih Farfour with the aim of developing Islamic education and fostering theological thought about contemporary Islamic issues.
Married to Another Man: Israel’s Dilemma in Palestine
In this book Ghada Karmi explains in analytic detail the difficulties which Israel’s existence has created for the Arab world, and why the search for a solution has been so elusive.
In Search of Fatima: A Palestinian Story
This compelling memoir relates Ghada Karmi’s childhood in Jerusalem, her family’s flight from Palestine to Syria then England after the 1948 Nakba, and coming of age in Golders Green, a largely Jewish, North London suburb.
The Empty Wagon
A comprehensive account and critical examination of the various Zionist schools of thought and their ideologies, The Empty Wagon provides a great deal of detailed information and novel analyses on the differences between Judaism and Zionism.
The book is divided into three sections: The first (214 pages) is a study of the traditional Orthodox understanding of Jewish identity, Eretz Yisroel (the land of Israel), war and pacifism, anti-Semitism, Messianic redemption, and other Judaic topics. The second section (446 pages)
One Islam, Many Muslims Worlds: Spirituality, Identity, and Resistance across Islamic Lands
By all measures, the late twentieth century was a time of dramatic decline for the Islamic world, the Ummah, particularly its Arab heartland. Sober Muslim voices regularly describe their current state as the worst in the 1,400-year history of Islam.
Return: A Palestinian Memoir
Having grown up in Britain following her family’s exile from Palestine, doctor, author and ICMES Board member Ghada Karmi leaves her adoptive home in a quest to return to her homeland.
The Failure of the Two State Solution: The Prospects of One State in the Israel Palestine Conflict
The book analyzes the history of the conflict in Israel/Palestine and its numerous peace initiatives, demonstrating how the current deadlock has been reached.