“Timely
… a readable primer, refreshingly witty”
Independent
Islam
is one of the world’s great monotheistic
religions. Islamic culture, spanning 1,500
years, has produced some of the finest achievements
of humanity. Yet the religion followed by
a fifth of humankind, including millions from
diverse ethnic backgrounds in the US and Europe,
is largely seen in the West in terms of fundamentalism,
bigotry and violence, a perception reinforced
by the terrorist atrocities in New York and
Washington in 2001 and subsequent outrages.
But the real message of Islam is very far
indeed from this picture, making it perhaps
the least understood religion in the world.
This
informative guide recounts the history of
Islam from the birth of Prophet Muhammad in
the 6th century to its status as a global
culture and political force today. Charting
the achievements of Muslim civilisation, it
explains the nature and message of the Qur’an,
outlines the basic features of Islamic law,
and assesses the impact of colonialism on
Muslim societies. Both timely and insightful,
Introducing Islam shows how Muslims everywhere
are trying to live their faith and are struggling
to shape new Islamic ideas and ideals in a
globalised world.
***
Ziauddin
Sardar is Professor of Postcolonial Studies
at City University, London, co-author of the
international bestsellers Why Do People Hate
America? and American Dream, Global Nightmare
(Icon, 2002, 2004) and a widely known author,
journalist and critic.
Zafar
Abbas Malik is the art director of Arts and
the Islamic World.
