"The late Columbia University professor Edward Said, author of the 1978 book
Orientalism, accused Lewis of “demagogy and downright ignorance,” and
more recent critics have accused him of fanning the flames of Islamophobia. But
he is a prophet to his tight circle of admirers, which includes influential
policymakers, many of whom served in the administration of President George W.
Bush. They include former Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld, Defense Policy Board Chair Richard Perle, Undersecretary of
Defense Douglas Feith, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and National
Security Council for Near East and North African Director Elliott
Abrams.
“Bernard Lewis is the great Orientalist of our time, and we shan’t see the likes of him again,” says Fouad Ajami, senior fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institute. Ajami, who was born and raised in Lebanon, describes himself as a “self-appointed disciple” of Lewis. The two have been close since Ajami’s days at Princeton some 35 years ago and Ajami gushes freely about his mentor. “His ability to track Islam’s journey over the 70 years of his career and really see the deeper currents of Islam—that is his genius. He is able to bridge the gap between scholarship and modern affairs and make a seamless connection between the past and the present.” " (thanks Matthew)
“Bernard Lewis is the great Orientalist of our time, and we shan’t see the likes of him again,” says Fouad Ajami, senior fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institute. Ajami, who was born and raised in Lebanon, describes himself as a “self-appointed disciple” of Lewis. The two have been close since Ajami’s days at Princeton some 35 years ago and Ajami gushes freely about his mentor. “His ability to track Islam’s journey over the 70 years of his career and really see the deeper currents of Islam—that is his genius. He is able to bridge the gap between scholarship and modern affairs and make a seamless connection between the past and the present.” " (thanks Matthew)
