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How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror

by Reza Aslan

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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348775,228 (3.88)6
Politics. Religion & Spirituality. Nonfiction. HTML:A cosmic war is a religious war. It is a battle not between armies or nations, but between the forces of good and evil, a war in which God is believed to be directly engaged on behalf of one side against the other.
The hijackers who attacked the United States on September 11, 2001, thought they were fighting a cosmic war. According to award-winning writer and scholar of religions Reza Aslan, by infusing the United States War on Terror with the same kind of religiously polarizing rhetoric and Manichean worldview, is also fighting a cosmic war–a war that can't be won.
How to Win a Cosmic War is both an in-depth study of the ideology fueling al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, and like-minded militants throughout the Muslim world, and an exploration of religious violence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Surveying the global scene from Israel to Iraq and from New York to the Netherlands, Aslan argues that religion is a stronger force today than it has been in a century. At a time when religion and politics are increasingly sharing the same vocabulary and functioning in the same sphere, Aslan writes that we must strip the conflicts of our world–in particular, the War on Terror–of their religious connotations and address the earthly grievances that always lie behind the cosmic impulse.
How do you win a cosmic war? By refusing to fight in one.
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» See also 6 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 7 (next | show all)
I'm tired, so I refer you to Bruce Nagle's review of Oct. 20, 2009. I think he summarizes the book very well.
( )
  rsutto22 | Jul 15, 2021 |
No time for a real review, as usual. Short Version: Informative and well-written. Not an academic treatise, but instead written for those who follow the news closely, but would like a little more insight. Invaluable for presenting important distinctions typically glossed over in standard news and feature coverage (especially the difference between Islamism and Jihadism). ( )
  ralphpalm | Nov 11, 2019 |
This was a good review of recent history and the issues related to the rise of al-Qa'ida and the U.S. response. I'd like to see Aslan revisit his argument in the post-Arab Spring environment and the challenges the Muslim world is currently facing as some countries try to adopt democracy and Turkey grows more authoritarian under an Islamist party. I'll have to see what he's written lately. ( )
  3njennn | Nov 25, 2018 |
If one were writing for a creative writing course, this book would serve the purpose & it is quite creative...except that the author insists on being taken seriously. With its usual tripe about perceived grievances & illusory historical dreams, it becomes nothing more than propaganda literature attempting to pass itself off as true history rather than historical fiction. The author repeats gossip & rumors in order to paint a very different picture of who's innocent & who's guilty yet history stands against him as a glaring light exposing inaccuracies & dishonesty he writes. Like Michael Belisiles' Arming America, this book serves as an example of those whose "axes to grind" sounds like a nonmusical person attempting to pass himself off as a concert violinist. Maybe he should stick with creative writing as this is his forte. ( )
  walterhistory | Feb 7, 2015 |
I enjoyed this much more than his history of Islam, which was too boring to bother finishing. This has a stronger conceptual framwork that all the tidbits of history and anecdote serve to fill in with color. My thinking about political islam is much clearer now. Make sure you read the critical reviews of the book, though---there were many. ( )
1 vote leeinaustin | Jun 14, 2009 |
Showing 1-5 of 7 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (3 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Reza Aslanprimary authorall editionscalculated
Blanchette, Dana LeighBook Designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
de Courcy, HaythonCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Malhotra, SunilNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
PracherDesignsJacket Designsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Politics. Religion & Spirituality. Nonfiction. HTML:A cosmic war is a religious war. It is a battle not between armies or nations, but between the forces of good and evil, a war in which God is believed to be directly engaged on behalf of one side against the other.
The hijackers who attacked the United States on September 11, 2001, thought they were fighting a cosmic war. According to award-winning writer and scholar of religions Reza Aslan, by infusing the United States War on Terror with the same kind of religiously polarizing rhetoric and Manichean worldview, is also fighting a cosmic war–a war that can't be won.
How to Win a Cosmic War is both an in-depth study of the ideology fueling al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, and like-minded militants throughout the Muslim world, and an exploration of religious violence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Surveying the global scene from Israel to Iraq and from New York to the Netherlands, Aslan argues that religion is a stronger force today than it has been in a century. At a time when religion and politics are increasingly sharing the same vocabulary and functioning in the same sphere, Aslan writes that we must strip the conflicts of our world–in particular, the War on Terror–of their religious connotations and address the earthly grievances that always lie behind the cosmic impulse.
How do you win a cosmic war? By refusing to fight in one.

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