The Looming Tower opens in 1948 with a man named Sayyid Qutb, the Minister of Education for the Egyptian government, his literary criticism of the government forcing him to exile to America; few, if - any – know the influence he will have, and the events his ideas and experiences will set in motion. He is described as such that he is a confused young Muslim, deciding whether or not to hold on to his Islamic faith. He resolves to strictly adhere to Islamic values, after the degeneracy of the west; their sex crazed lives, their modesty being nothing more than a façade, even seeing the church as lascivious. In his letters to home, he lamented over the material shallowness of the west, yearning for a meaningful interaction beyond money and lust.
…show more content…
When he returns to Egypt, Qutb denounces publically the American way of lie, stating that progressivism infecting the women of the west would be the death of all that is good and decent. While these events in Qutb’s personal life was occurring, unrest was brewing in Egypt. The British administration backing King Farouk of Egypt grew increasingly unpopular, leading to the Egyptian Revolution in 1952. Qutb during this time had come into contact with the Muslim Brotherhood, discussing on Jihad against the British. The now President of Egypt Gamal Abdul Nasser saw Qutb and the Brotherhood as threats to a peaceful diplomatic ending of British occupation of Egypt. Thus, he declared the Brotherhood a terror group and illegal. In response to this, an assassination attempt was made on the President’s life by the group. Qutb was arrested and charged with aiding in the conspiracy to assassinate the president. During his time in prison, Qutb published 2 books that would go on to influence Islam in the Middle East for decades to come. His books called for a rejection of western values, and the only way civilization – and humanity – could be saved was through a purist stance of Muslim …show more content…
The center of this suburb revolved around the Maadi Sport’s Club. Ayman and his family never became members of the Maadi club which caused Ayman to be sheltered from the power and status of being a member. Ayman’s father Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri and mother Umayma Azzam had a great influence in his life. Growing up with a devout family, Ayman Zawahiri had choices on what career he would want to pursue in his life. His father’s side of the family was dedicated mostly to the medical profession as his mother’s side was mostly political. Ayman’s great uncle, Mohammed al-Ahmadi al-Zawahiri had been the rector of al-Azhar, the thousand-year-old university in the heart of Cairo, which is still the center of Islamic learning in the Middle East. And, Ayman’s maternal grandfather, Dr. Abdul Wahhab Azzam, was the president of Cairo University and the founder of King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. At an early age Ayman was taught about Sayyid Qutb’s character, purity and torment. The effects of learning about Qutb were seen as early as Ayman’s teen years. As Ayman and his brother Mohammed were walking home, they were offered a ride home from the vice president of Egypt, Hubsein al-Shaffei, who had been a judge when Qutb was imprisoned. Ayman responded to al-Shaffei telling him, “We don't want to get this ride from a man who
When he returns to Egypt, Qutb denounces publically the American way of lie, stating that progressivism infecting the women of the west would be the death of all that is good and decent. While these events in Qutb’s personal life was occurring, unrest was brewing in Egypt. The British administration backing King Farouk of Egypt grew increasingly unpopular, leading to the Egyptian Revolution in 1952. Qutb during this time had come into contact with the Muslim Brotherhood, discussing on Jihad against the British. The now President of Egypt Gamal Abdul Nasser saw Qutb and the Brotherhood as threats to a peaceful diplomatic ending of British occupation of Egypt. Thus, he declared the Brotherhood a terror group and illegal. In response to this, an assassination attempt was made on the President’s life by the group. Qutb was arrested and charged with aiding in the conspiracy to assassinate the president. During his time in prison, Qutb published 2 books that would go on to influence Islam in the Middle East for decades to come. His books called for a rejection of western values, and the only way civilization – and humanity – could be saved was through a purist stance of Muslim …show more content…
The center of this suburb revolved around the Maadi Sport’s Club. Ayman and his family never became members of the Maadi club which caused Ayman to be sheltered from the power and status of being a member. Ayman’s father Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri and mother Umayma Azzam had a great influence in his life. Growing up with a devout family, Ayman Zawahiri had choices on what career he would want to pursue in his life. His father’s side of the family was dedicated mostly to the medical profession as his mother’s side was mostly political. Ayman’s great uncle, Mohammed al-Ahmadi al-Zawahiri had been the rector of al-Azhar, the thousand-year-old university in the heart of Cairo, which is still the center of Islamic learning in the Middle East. And, Ayman’s maternal grandfather, Dr. Abdul Wahhab Azzam, was the president of Cairo University and the founder of King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. At an early age Ayman was taught about Sayyid Qutb’s character, purity and torment. The effects of learning about Qutb were seen as early as Ayman’s teen years. As Ayman and his brother Mohammed were walking home, they were offered a ride home from the vice president of Egypt, Hubsein al-Shaffei, who had been a judge when Qutb was imprisoned. Ayman responded to al-Shaffei telling him, “We don't want to get this ride from a man who