The No-Nonsense Guide to Islam - Softcover

Davies, Merryl Wyn; Sardar, Ziauddin; Sardar, Zia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1859844545 ISBN 13: 9781859844540

Publisher: Verso, 2003

Synopsis

Even before 11 September 2001, Muslims were generally viewed in the West as enemies of “freedom” and “progress”. Yet there is far more to Islam than the stereotypical Occidental view. This No-Nonsense Guide looks at how Islam, a complex faith and civilization, can reconcile itself with the twenty-first century. Critically minded Muslims everywhere are rethinking and reformulating Islam as a contemporary moral and ethical force. Merryl Wyn Davies and Zia Sardar explain the Islamic worldview, examining the Qur’an and Islamic law (sharia), Islam in history, Islam’s relationship with the West and its contemporary nature. They analyse the struggle within the faith for a more humane and holistic interpretation of their religion; examine the issues surrounding women, democracy, and economic development; and suggest how we can all move forward after 9/11.

About this title

About the Author:

Merryl Wyn Davies, a writer and anthropologist, is a former BBC journalist. She is the author of Knowing One Another: Shaping an Islamic Anthropology and Introducing Anthropology. Zia Sardar is a writer, broadcaster, and cultural critic. His numerous books include Introducing Islam, The A to Z of Postmodern Life, and Islam, Postmodernism, and Other Futures: A Ziauddin Sardar Reader. Sardar and Davies co-authored the international bestseller Why Do People Hate America?

Review:

"The latest in the New Internationalist's excellent series of No-Nonsense Guides to all things is timely, as the peaceful and humane idealogy of the world's second-largest religion becomes dangerously obscured not only by widespread ignorance and misinterpretation, but also by the Muslims own drift away from the central tenets of the faith. The book examines the history and principles of Islam, how the faith which emphasised justice, creativity and tolerance, drifted from education to despotism and mediocrity, and what Islam could and should become in future." Observer, London My school library contains many books about Islam. However, no books explain the conflicts which have arisen... A teenage student investigating Islamic views as an issue, rather than a system of beliefs would have been very short of material before the addtion of this volume.' - School Librarian, UK "Sardar and Davies show what Islam has achieved; and what it is capable of achieving. They suggest how both Islam and the West can transform themselves to see each other as fully human and capable of laying the foundation for a just world order." - Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, Director of the Muslim Institute and leader of the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain "If you are thinking about a book on Islam for non-Muslims new to the faith, or a book for anyone seeking to make sense of the challenges faced by Muslims in 21st century, then this book bests both tasks." Amazon customer review

About this edition

• Publisher: Verso
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1859844545
• ISBN 13: 9781859844540
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 144