Second Review of What Went Wrong

Lewis, Bernard.  What Went Wrong?. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

             In the last few years the world has seen a great deal of mutual animosity surface from the Middle East and the West. Previously, especially in America, the history of these two rivaling civilizations seems to have faded from the world population’s conscious.  After the September Eveleth terrorist attack on America that came from the Middle East, most Westerners responded in shock and began to ask why, and where, such hostility stemmed from.  Bernard Lewis’s book What Went Wrong?, though written before the attacks, offers some explanation to them. Through examination of a long, dynamic history between the West and Middle East the author offers the understanding that currently as the West begins to ask what went wrong in the Middle East, the Middle East has been asking themselves the same question for some time now.

                        Lewis begins the story of Islam by introducing the reader to the age of Islamic grandeur and the turning point that marks its decline.  The author honors Islam’s many centuries long standing as a superior civilization, in comparison to the rest of the world, by listing Islam previously as  “a world civilization, polyethnic, multiracial, international, and one might even say intercontinental.” However, Lewis tells, that the West manages to far surpass Islam to the point where Islam is unable to even remotely catch up. In lieu of this reality, the author aims to resolve how it is that, as Europe was experiencing a technological, medical, religious, and cultural revolution; Islam stagnated and regressed so naively.

  Lewis explains that after the Islam became more conscious of its fall, Middle Easterners sought explanations to not only “What Went Wrong?” (title) is not the only question that Lewis presents on behalf of the Middle Easterners,  for he also presents a few other questions as well.   Questions like “What are we doing wrong,” (25), “Who did this to us?” (153), and “What are they doing right?” (25) are also very important questions that Lewis brings to light.  It is these questions that are derivative of the Islamic split personality that started to ensue.  The people that asked the questions  “What are we doing wrong,” and “What are they doing right?” (25) were most likely the ones that looked to them selves for the ability to find and solve the problems that were leading to the decline of Islamic society. Some of them even started traveling to, and even living in, the West in order to better understand why Western culture was so successful and domineering when compared to there own.  Western teachers were invited to come teach at Ottoman schools and eventually Ottoman students were encouraged to go and study in western schools.  All these changes marked a huge turning point in the eastern world.  For most of Islamic history prior to the Treaty of Carlowitz Muslims viewed the Western and Christian world as behind and bellow their own.  Being that Islam is based on teaching that take place after those of Christ, Muslims generally viewed Christians as unenlightened and there for not worth learning from.  Additionally, they figured that any good thing that Christianity had going for itself the Muslims already had.  Even, though, with this mind set as the historical past many Muslims still found it important to learn from their European neighbors.

            The other question of “Who did this to us?” (153) was much different, but no less significant than “What are we doing wrong,” (25).   As the Muslims found that they were suffering a decline, the answer to the question “Who did this to us?” (153) found many sources both external and internal.  The external source was, of course, the western world.  Westerner found many ways of oppressing and taking advantage of the Middle Easterners.  One way was by flooding the market with cheap imports from the American colonies such as coffee and sugar (50) while others were as simple as good old fashion military conquest. (18)  It is this Western answer and the animosity that accompanied it that was most likely the true cause of the September Eleventh attack. 

            There was, though, also the inward answer to the question “Who did this to us?” (153). As many Muslims were looking for the answer to the question “What are they doing right?” (25) they started to implement many of the Western ideas in, what some would call, mislead attempts to modernize the Arab world.  There was Western reform in the military (134), the slave trade (92), and in the way that the government was run. (99)  Many Muslims saw these reforms as an attempt to westernize the Muslim world as opposed to modernize it.  Naturally, in this case, those Muslims that were attempting, and in may cases succeeding, to westernize the enlightened Arab people were seen as doing more harm than good.   The best example of this can be seen in the attempt to move into the realm of secularism.  Although Christianity has a history of separation of church and state with its development within the Roman Empire, Islam does not have any such history.  Mohammad was arguably his own Cesar as he established political, religious, and personal success within his own life time.  Mohammed then not only became the religious leader, but also the political leader and he established the word of God as the unquestionable law of the land.  The Western idea that men can make their own laws was seen as blasphemy to good practicing Muslims.  Still, though, some Muslims in the attempt for modern reform thought it was important to secularize in order to secure the future of the Muslim world.  It was naturally then these westernizing Muslims that had many fingers pointed their way when the question “Who did this to us?” (153) was asked.

            The solution to the problem, then, was to revert back to tradition.  They thought that they were being punished for venturing away from the true faith, although this still did not solve the problem that if they were being punished then the Westerners were being rewarded.  This is where Lewis does his best to try and solve the riddle.  Lewis seems to stick to the theory that there is no one correct answer to the question what went wrong.  Instead there are several answers and each of them are as valid as the last.  From the Muslim mistreatment of women, to the attempt to look to the West to help stop there cultural dissention the list goes on.  One of Lewis’s most prominent ideas, though, seems to be the Muslim decline when it came to innovation and the Western ability to increase innovation.  The Middle East, unlike the West, had no renaissance and there for all the benefits of the enlightenments that came with the renaissance were foreign to the Middle East.  It is almost as thought the Middle Easterners became to smug in the thought that they were much better than the Western Christians.  It then becomes interesting that the two major answers that the Muslims presented of ‘we need to modernize’ and we need to revert back to the true way’ more or less coincide.  It is true that the needed to revert back to the old ways, but the catch is that the old ways were ways in which they used to be much more innovative then they currently are.  In essence both questions and both answers are appropriate in order to solve the problem of cultural decline.  Revert yes, but revert back to innovation.

            Although it is interesting that Lewis points out the fact that the Middle Easterners need to ask, and are asking, them selves several questions in the hopes of figuring out why their civilization declined and what they can do to remedy their situation, Lewis does not appear to point out the fact that Westerners should be asking them selves the same questions.  Instead of living in a world of condescending triumph over the success of western civilization in the past several centuries, perhaps the western world could understand that it is not without its own flaws.  If taken the historical context that the Middle East was at one time much more advanced, better organized, and more innovative than the West, it is not that hard to imagine that the West could one day suffer its own decline.  The Far East, for instance, is showing strong signs of innovation and development where as many may argue that the West is showing a decline in these two fields.  Conceivably if a trend is to develop the West may have to respond to a Far Eastern impact and no one can say how the West will respond.  The September Eleventh attack was, without a doubt, a slap in the face from the East to the West, but instead of Western eyes focusing on the Middle East with animosity and disgust, maybe they should see the attack for what it was; a frantic cry from a desperate people.  Furthermore, the West might just want to learn a lesson from the plight of the Middle Easterners and take steps to assure the survival of western innovation and development because the future of the western success is, by no means, certain.   Being that history is the only way to try and determine the future, it is important to notice that the one time dominate Middle Eastern society did suffer a decline and was replaced by the West.  This in mind, the West should understand that if it can happen to the East then it can happen to the West and one day the West might just find itself in a situation in which the only question it can ask itself is what went wrong.

            There was, though, also the inward answer to the question “Who did this to us?” (153). As many Muslims were looking for the answer to the question “What are they doing right?” (25) they started to implement many of the Western ideas in, what some would call, mislead attempts to modernize the Arab world.  There was Western reform in the military (134), the slave trade (92), and in the way that the government was run. (99)  Many Muslims saw these reforms as an attempt to westernize the Muslim world as opposed to modernize it.  Naturally, in this case, those Muslims that were attempting, and in may cases succeeding, to westernize the enlightened Arab people were seen as doing more harm than good.   The best example of this can be seen in the attempt to move into the realm of secularism.  Although Christianity has a history of separation of church and state with its development within the Roman Empire, Islam does not have any such history.  Mohammad was arguably his own Cesar as he established political, religious, and personal success within his own life time.  Mohammed then not only became the religious leader, but also the political leader and he established the word of God as the unquestionable law of the land.  The Western idea that men can make their own laws was seen as blasphemy to good practicing Muslims.  Still, though, some Muslims in the attempt for modern reform thought it was important to secularize in order to secure the future of the Muslim world.  It was naturally then these westernizing Muslims that had many fingers pointed their way when the question “Who did this to us?” (153) was asked.

            The solution to the problem, then, was to revert back to tradition.  They thought that they were being punished for venturing away from the true faith, although this still did not solve the problem that if they were being punished then the Westerners were being rewarded.  This is where Lewis does his best to try and solve the riddle.  Lewis seems to stick to the theory that there is no one correct answer to the question what went wrong.  Instead there are several answers and each of them are as valid as the last.  From the Muslim mistreatment of women, to the attempt to look to the West to help stop there cultural dissention the list goes on.  One of Lewis’s most prominent ideas, though, seems to be the Muslim decline when it came to innovation and the Western ability to increase innovation.  The Middle East, unlike the West, had no renaissance and there for all the benefits of the enlightenments that came with the renaissance were foreign to the Middle East.  It is almost as thought the Middle Easterners became to smug in the thought that they were much better than the Western Christians.  It then becomes interesting that the two major answers that the Muslims presented of ‘we need to modernize’ and we need to revert back to the true way’ more or less coincide.  It is true that the needed to revert back to the old ways, but the catch is that the old ways were ways in which they used to be much more innovative then they currently are.  In essence both questions and both answers are appropriate in order to solve the problem of cultural decline.  Revert yes, but revert back to innovation.

            Although it is interesting that Lewis points out the fact that the Middle Easterners need to ask, and are asking, them selves several questions in the hopes of figuring out why their civilization declined and what they can do to remedy their situation, Lewis does not appear to point out the fact that Westerners should be asking them selves the same questions.  Instead of living in a world of condescending triumph over the success of western civilization in the past several centuries, perhaps the western world could understand that it is not without its own flaws.  If taken the historical context that the Middle East was at one time much more advanced, better organized, and more innovative than the West, it is not that hard to imagine that the West could one day suffer its own decline.  The Far East, for instance, is showing strong signs of innovation and development where as many may argue that the West is showing a decline in these two fields.  Conceivably if a trend is to develop the West may have to respond to a Far Eastern impact and no one can say how the West will respond.  The September Eleventh attack was, without a doubt, a slap in the face from the East to the West, but instead of Western eyes focusing on the Middle East with animosity and disgust, maybe they should see the attack for what it was; a frantic cry from a desperate people.  Furthermore, the West might just want to learn a lesson from the plight of the Middle Easterners and take steps to assure the survival of western innovation and development because the future of the western success is, by no means, certain.   Being that history is the only way to try and determine the future, it is important to notice that the one time dominate Middle Eastern society did suffer a decline and was replaced by the West.  This in mind, the West should understand that if it can happen to the East then it can happen to the West and one day the West might just find itself in a situation in which the only question it can ask itself is what went wrong.

© All words and music written and owned by Shawn Nelsen.