The Western narrative of world history largely omits a whole
civilization. Destiny Disrupted tells the history of the world from
the Islamic point of view, and restores the centrality of the Muslim
perspective, ignored for a thousand years.
In Destiny Disrupted, Tamim Ansary tells the rich story of world
history as it looks from a new perspective: with the evolution of the
Muslim community at the center. His story moves from the lifetime of
Mohammed through a succession of far-flung empires, to the tangle of
modern conflicts that culminated in the events of 9/11. He introduces
the key people, events, ideas, legends, religious disputes, and turning
points of world history, imparting not only what happened but how it is
understood from the Muslim perspective.
He clarifies why two great civilizations-Western and Muslim-grew up
oblivious to each other, what happened when they intersected, and how
the Islamic world was affected by its slow recognition that Europe-a
place it long perceived as primitive-had somehow hijacked destiny.
With storytelling brio, humor, and evenhanded sympathy to all sides of
the story, Ansary illuminates a fascinating parallel to the world
narrative usually heard in the West. Destiny Disrupted offers a vital
perspective on world conflicts many now find so puzzling.
