I had the honor to be taught about the Islamic world by someone who was taught by Lewis. He was sort of my intellectual grandfather. I’d take one Lewis for a thousand Saids. Dr. Lewis came to hear my last presentation a few years ago. At the end he congratulated me and we shook hands. It was one of the proudest moments of my life.
Bernard Lewis, a preeminent scholar of Middle Eastern history whose work profoundly shaped Western views of the region — including fears of a “clash of civilizations” — but also brought scorn from critics who considered his views elitist and favoring Western intervention, died May 19 at an assisted-living facility in Voorhees, N.J. He was 101.
THE ABYSS BECKONS! 