Høigilt Jacob. Islamist Rhetoric: Language and culture in contemporary Egypt

Routledge, 2011. — xi, 200 p. — (Routledge Arabic Linguistics Series). — ISBN: 978-0-203-84177-8.This book is an attempt at making sense of Islamism in Egypt from a linguistic point of view. It started with the idea of analysing critically the discourses of liberal Muslim thinkers and their Islamist counterparts to study the way language is put to use by different ideologies. My interest in this subject stemmed from the fact that the current intellectual climate in both Europe and the Arab world is characterized by what might be termed a war of ideas (between Islamism and secularism, liberalism and neo-conservatism) where printed texts play an important role. In Egypt, these conflicts have attracted much popular attention and have involved universities, the press, the Ministry of Culture and the courts.Rhetorical analysis and the study of social reality
Rhetoric
Functional Grammar
Linking rhetoric, ideology and social positions
The Islamic field
The analytical method
Analytical tools
Some problematic analytical issues
Islamic ideology and the public sphere in Egypt
Three major groups within Egyptian Islamism
The ‘other the new Islamic intellectuals
The rhetoric of religious authority
The main thematic characteristics of Yusuf al-Qaraddwi’s books
Personal reference: hierarchy and conflict
Grammatical mood as a tool for prescribing Islamic practice and conveying authority
Style and authority
Definitions and exclusions as functions o f syntaxThe rhetoric of religious passion
The nature and content of Amr Khālid’s books
Reference: being in it together
Making piety easy
Mood and style: the primacy of feeling
The grammar of encouraging personal responsibilityThe rhetoric of religious polemics
Situating Muhammad Imāra in the Islamic field
The main thematic characteristics o f Muhammad Imāra’s books
Personal reference and the civilizational divide
Arguing for the reader
The grammar o f an authentic Islamic civilizationRhetoric and religious ideology
Rhetorical functions and rhetorical tools
Rhetoric and ideology in the Islamic field