Middle East historian Lewis passes away

Washington, May 20

Historian Bernard Lewis, whose influential books shaped generations of Middle East scholars but whose views stirred fierce passions, died at an assisted living facility on Saturday. He was 101.

Lewis, who was born in London, was a Cold War hawk, a strong pro-Israel Jew, and influential among White House and Pentagon planners of the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq. 

His books included ‘The Arabs in History’ (1950), ‘The Emergence of Modern Turkey’ (1961), and ‘The Crisis of Islam’ (2003). Critics, however, derided what they said was his Eurocentric ‘clash of civilisations’ view of the Middle East. — PTI