About the Author:
Saleem Ahmed was born in India, raised in Pakistan, and now lives in Hawaii. He considers all three his home. He earned his M.S. degree in Geology at the University of Karachi in 1961 and his doctorate in Soil Science from the University of Hawaii in 1965, on a scholarship awarded by the East-West Center. The other degree he obtained in Hawaii was his wife, the former Carol Matsumoto, nicknamed Yasmin (after her Japanese middle name, Yasuko). Returning to Pakistan in 1965 with Yasmin, Saleem first taught soil science at the University of Karachi, then spent the next eight years with the Esso Pakistan Fertilizer Co., Ltd., with his last position as Technical Services Advisor. As an agronomist, Saleem was intimately associated with the first phase of research and development leading to Pakistan's Green Revolution. Saleem spent the next 22 years with the East-West Center, Honolulu, led their Botanical Pest Control project, and introduced to Hawaii South Asia's neem tree (renowned for its pharmaceutical and safe pest-control properties). Currently he works as a financial specialist. Dismayed by how some Muslims were maligning Islam, Saleem started studying the Quran and hadeeh during the Iranian hostage crisis (1979-80). His findings led to the publication of his first book on Islam, Beyond Veil and Holy War: Islamic Teachings and Muslim Practices with Biblical Comparisons (2002). Encouraged by the positive response he received from moderate Muslims and non-Muslims and simultaneously dismayed by the more recent extremist Muslim actions via suicide bombings and disruption of life in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and elsewhere, Saleem was prompted write this second book. With the general support he has received for the founding of the Pacific Institute of Islamic Studies (PIIS), we should expect other books from him and colleagues investigating other aspects of Muslim life, including interfaith thinking and action. Saleem's diverse writings include: Scrabble(R) Word-Building Book, co-authored with his wife and both daughters (Pocket Books, Simon & Schuster, 1991); Handbook of Plants with Pest-Control Properties, co-authored with Michael Grainge (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1988); and Agriculture-Fertilizer Interface in Asia: Issues of Growth and Sustainability (Oxford & IBH Publishers, New Delhi, 1995). He has contributed chapters to several professional publications, including the National Research Council's book Neem: A Tree for Solving Global Problems (National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1992). Saleem periodically teaches courses on Islam and Financial Planning at the University of Hawaii's Outreach College and elsewhere in the community. His multi-cultural outlook inspired him to conceive of the Association for Promoting South Asian Culture (Milun), and the All Believers Network (Belnet), both of which are active community groups in Hawaii. He currently also hosts Interfaith Conversations, a program on interfaith dialogue, on Olelo, Hawaii Public TV (Channel 49/52). Very much a people person, Saleem enjoys learning about others and trying to see the world from their perceptions of reality.
Review:
The importance of Saleem Ahmed's book is that he tries to create a third space outside of apologist interpretations of Islam (Islam is non-violent, all those who commit violence in the name of Islam are to be disowned) and antagonistic orientalist interpretations (Islam is violent and a danger to the West). This third space is contextual and temporal. For Ahmed, Islam must be read contextually and historically, instead of as frozen categories from the distant past. To his great credit, his work will make unconscious believers and orientalists unhappy. In this third space, Ahmed upholds the divinity of the Prophet and recovers his humanity, seeing him as living in real conditions, facing challenging strategic conditions. But the Prophet was guided by the divine. This is the core of Islam a direction, a guidance, instead of acontextual utterances that can be used by petty leaders to gain short term political gains while losing sight of the broader issues the planet faces. Ahmed's Islam can and will, I believe, play a pivotal role in creating a new future. This new future has to be global, green, based on gender partnership, challenging the limits of capitalist ideology and foundationally spiritual. Islam is central to this new future. Ahmed goes deep into detail, going verse by verse through the war verses and the peace verses. He shows the historical context of these verses, and asks us to use our mind to discern whether particular verses have universal application or are they situational. This toughness of thinking allows us to go through the mixed signals that the Quran gives and come through to the other side. Islam thus becomes an important personal and planetary resource a way forward. Ahmed's scholarship is not limited to textual analysis: as a member of the Hawaii based All-Believers Network, he seeks to practice and create the future he wishes for. We are fortunate to have Dr. Ahmed's book with us, as a guide to Islam and to our shared futures. Professor Sohail Inayatullah Tamkang University, Taiwan, University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia. --Book's Foreword
As a non-Muslim reading this book I was struck by how little I knew about Islam. I also became aware that I was harboring a feeling of resentment that there seemed to be few moderate voices in the Islamic community speaking out against extremists. In reading this book I learned about Muhammad's spiritual journey and the events in his life from Mecca to Medina that helped shape Islam. It also helped me understand the challenges faced by Muslims whose moderate voices tend to be drowned out by the violence and noise made by the extremists. The problem is that both lovers of peace and makers of war can point to verses in the Quran that support their positions. Dr. Ahmed makes a convincing case when he argues that conflicting statements made in the Quran and supporting hadeeth can be understood by viewing the statements in the historical context in which they were written. In cases where Muhammad and his followers were under attack, passages supporting fighting appear. During times of quiet, verses encouraging peace are evident. Muslims are faced with the problem of deciding which of these sometimes conflicting verses to follow. Dr. Ahmed suggests that one way out of this dilemma is to view the earlier more defensive verses as superseded by later more progressive and compassionate verses. The debate on abrogation/superseding of verses in Islam is apparently not new, but it does take on an urgency as extremists grab global attention and foist their interpretation of the Quran on us all. Finally, Dr. Ahmed points out the Universality of God's message reflected in verses of the Quran. Shining a light on the compassionate and conciliatory passages in the Quran provides a great relief to those of us who have been bombarded with the opposite message. Belief in one Eternal Being and in living an upright life are elements common to all religions. By focusing on the commonalities rather than differences, we can all work together toward a more peaceful world. Judith V. Hepfer Honolulu, Hawaii. --Book's Foreword
Saleem Ahmed and I have very diverse backgrounds yet many similarities. He is a devout American Muslim originally from India and Pakistan. I was raised in a Christian environment originally from Oklahoma. He is definitely a person of words as an author and I am more a person of numbers having taught mathematics. Beyond those differences we are about the same age, although I have a couple of years on him; we each are married to the love of our life; we each have two daughters. I think we both see the value of being good over being politically correct, and we both see that wars are not the answer to religious and/or political conflicts. After reading Saleem's earlier book, Beyond the Veil and Holy War: Islamic Teachings and Muslims Practices with Biblical Comparisons, and talking to others who know him, I realized that I had met a man with a mission. Through his life's work, his sense of humor, his writings, his All Believers Network and his intense study of the Quran, he is determined to tell the real story of Islam, not that which the zealot extremists would have westerners believe. This is not a simple task. The media's sensationalism of suicide bombers by Islamic extremists is difficult to overcome yet I do not see him deterred. In this book you will see that Saleem is not afraid to bring to the attention of the reader the passages of the Quran that are war-like, those which he refers to as war verses. He explains the time and circumstances when such passages made sense. Likewise he references peace verses which show forgiveness, love and compassion of muhammad. The reader will get it all: the war passages and the peace passages. But it is the his numerous comments and introspections, if viewed with an open mind, that will effectively get his point across. Is Islam a religion of war or a religion of peace? He asks that the reader look beyond the interpretation of out of context passages used by extremists to justify their jihad behavior. It is obvious that he has studied the Quran diligently as well as researched the circumstances under which passages were written. Saleem's bold suggesiton that context-specific passages in the Quran were superseded by its passages having universal applicability, should encourage followers of other religions, especially Judaism and Christianity, to also view such context-specific passages in their sacred texts as being superseded by those having universal applicability. This is sorely needed to change the holier than thou attitude among followers of various religions into similar as thou attitude and thus help promote true peace. As president of the All Believers Network, Saleem puts a great deal of time and effort into working with lay people and leaders of all faiths who wish to participate in order to find commonalities among their beliefs. This is a testament to his true desire for peace and harmony in the world. I am proud to call Saleem my friend. Due to my experiences as a U.S. Marine during the Vietnam War, I definitely support alternatives to war. At a time when extremists would have us believe that we are at war with Islam, it is time for true Muslims of Saleem's caliber show us that this is not the case. Saleem is a living example of many Muslims who wish to live in peace through the teaching of Muhammad. Thank you, Saleem, for your work, your life, your friendship, and this book. Garry Prather Carlsbad, California. --Book's Foreword
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