SAYYID QUTB (1906-1966) is widely regarded as the leading proponent of
Islamic fundamentalism in the twentieth century. Born in a small village
in rural Egypt, Qutb started out as a novelist and a poet before
beginning to write critically of the government on both social and
religious grounds. He later became a key member of the Muslim
Brotherhood, editing their journal and producing fierce polemics against
the diminishment of traditional Islamic virtues throughout the Muslim
world. In 1954, after a failed assassination attempt on Egyptian leader
Gamal Abdel Nasser, Qutb and many other members of the Brotherhood were
arrested. He spent most his last decade of life in prison, where he
continued to write until his execution in 1966.
In this volume, Yvonne Haddad traces Qutb's development from nationalist
to Islamist to revolutionary. Examining the evolution of his thinking,
she assesses whether the two years he spent in America inspired his
beliefs or merely entrenched existing views. Considering his legacy,
including his formative influence on core members of the Taliban and
al-Qaeda, she explores how his works have been read and interpreted in
different ways to produce a balanced picture of a highly controversial
figure.
