My last #readtheworld21 and #aprilinarabia review for the month. This book is exactly why I am grateful for this kind of challenge. I had bought this quite a while ago, but it was stagnating on my shelves. I am certainly interested in the topic, but really, when are you ever in THE MOOD to read about why things are so broken in the Middle East? . . This was both incredibly educational but sometimes frustrating, as it seemed to assume a bit more familiarity with the region than I started with. But it’s a massive subject, and the book gives so much context and history already, it can’t be expected to fully explain every little thing. . . The basic premise, though he never explains it this way, is that there needs to be separation of church and state in the Middle East. Under the Ottoman empire, many religious communities coexisted more or less peacefully. It is Pelham’s argument that the post-World War Western compulsion to split all these communities up exacerbated differences and turned arguments over doctrine into arguments over land. The middle section documenting the modern reality of terrorism, religious persecution, and genocide is difficult to read, but the book ends with uplifting examples of people turning toward peaceful coexistence. . . I do wish it had spent a little more time establishing the tolerance and peacefulness before the breakup of the Ottoman empire, but there is lots of suggested reading in the back to fill in any gaps. An interesting read! . . #holylands #nicolaspelham #columbiaglobalreports https://www.instagram.com/p/B_nQ-vyA0ps/?igshid=1lp2wtxdjae20
