Download or read book The Many Faces of Islam written by Nissim Rejwan and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "An evenhanded introduction to the questions and dilemmas facing Islam in the modern world. A wealth of source-texts by the best writers on the subject, Moslem and Western alike."--Sasson Somekh, Tel Aviv University Written in a style easily accessible to both students and general readers, The Many Faces of Islam offers a wide range of perspectives on modern Islamic culture and religious practice. Seeking to dispel the perception that Islamic fundamentalism and extremism represent Islam in its entirety, Nissim Rejwan surveys the issues and provides numerous excerpts from modern writers and scholars, Muslim and non-Muslim, summarizing the many problems and dilemmas facing contemporary Muslims. Rejwan argues that to view Islam as uniform and all of a piece invites confusion and miscomprehension. The rich sampling of readings amplifies the summary discussion and demonstrates the surprising variety of Islamic concepts and practices. Issues include the uniqueness of Islam, the decline of the Islamic establishment, the impact of modernity, misunderstandings of Islam, Islam and the Dhimmis, the fundamentalist revival, and more. With a novel, topical approach to his subject, Rejwan widens the view of Islam from radicalism to the culture as a whole. His combination of topical summary and illuminating, balanced texts will provide a useful resource for students of Islamic culture and, for general readers, an insightful, balanced, and engaging introduction to a poorly understood but increasingly important civilization. Nissim Rejwan is a Research Fellow at the Harry S Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Among his nine previous books are Arabs Face the Modern World: Religious, Cultural, and Political Responses to the West (UPF, 1998) and Israel's Place in the Middle East: A Pluralist Perspective (UPF, 1998), winner of the 1998 National Jewish Book Award in Israel studies. He is currently writing his memoirs of Baghdad, where he was born and grew up.

Download or read book The Many Faces of Political Islam written by Mohammed Ayoob and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2009-12-21 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Analysts and pundits from across the American political spectrum describe Islamic fundamentalism as one of the greatest threats to modern, Western-style democracy. Yet very few non-Muslims would be able to venture an accurate definition of political Islam. Mohammed Ayoob's The Many Faces of Political Islam thoroughly describes the myriad manifestations of this rising ideology and analyzes its impact on global relations. "In this beautifully crafted and utterly compelling book, Mohammed Ayoob accomplishes admirably the difficult task of offering a readily accessible yet nuanced and comprehensive analysis of an issue of enormous political importance. Both students and specialists will learn a great deal from this absolutely first-rate book." ---Peter J. Katzenstein, Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. Professor of International Studies and Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Teaching Fellow, Cornell University "Dr. Ayoob addresses the nuances and complexities of political Islam---be it mainstream, radical, or militant---and offers a road map of the pivotal players and issues that define the movement. There is no one as qualified as Mohammed Ayoob to write a synthesis of various manifestations of political Islam. His complex narrative highlights the changes and shifts that have taken place within the Islamist universe and their implications for internal Muslim politics and relations between the world of Islam and the Christian world." ---Fawaz A. Gerges, Carnegie Scholar, and holds the Christian A. Johnson Chair in International Affairs and Middle Eastern Studies, Sarah Lawrence College "Let's hope that many readers---not only academics but policymakers as well---will use this invaluable book." ---François Burgat, Director, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Institute for Research and Study on the Arab and Muslim World (IREMAM), Aix-en-Provence, France "This is a wonderful, concise book by an accomplished and sophisticated political scientist who nonetheless manages to convey his interpretation of complex issues and movements to even those who have little background on the subject. It is impressive in its clarity, providing a badly needed text on political Islam that's accessible to college students and the general public alike." ---Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development, University of Maryland, and Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution Mohammed Ayoob is University Distinguished Professor of International Relations with a joint appointment in James Madison College and the Department of Political Science at Michigan State University. He is also Coordinator of the Muslim Studies Program at Michigan State University.

Download or read book The Many Faces of Political Islam Second Edition written by Mohammed Ayoob and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2020-01-03 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Analysts and pundits from across the American political spectrum describe Islamic fundamentalism as one of the greatest threats to modern, Western-style democracy. Yet very few non-Muslims would be able to venture an accurate definition of political Islam. Fully revised and updated, The Many Faces of Political Islam thoroughly analyzes the many facets of this political ideology and shows its impact on global relations.

Download or read book Faces of Muhammad written by John Tolan and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2025-03-04 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Heretic and impostor or reformer and statesman? The contradictory Western visions of Muhammad In European culture, Muhammad has been vilified as a heretic, an impostor, and a pagan idol. But these aren’t the only images of the Prophet of Islam that emerge from Western history. Commentators have also portrayed Muhammad as a visionary reformer and an inspirational leader, statesman, and lawgiver. In Faces of Muhammad, John Tolan provides a comprehensive history of these changing, complex, and contradictory visions. Starting from the earliest calls to the faithful to join the Crusades against the “Saracens,” he traces the evolution of Western conceptions of Muhammad through the Reformation, the Enlightenment, and the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and up to the present day. Faces of Muhammad reveals a lengthy tradition of positive portrayals of Muhammad that many will find surprising. To Reformation polemicists, the spread of Islam attested to the corruption of the established Church, and prompted them to depict Muhammad as a champion of reform. In revolutionary England, writers on both sides of the conflict drew parallels between Muhammad and Oliver Cromwell, asking whether the prophet was a rebel against legitimate authority or the bringer of a new and just order. Voltaire first saw Muhammad as an archetypal religious fanatic but later claimed him as an enemy of superstition. To Napoleon, he was simply a role model: a brilliant general, orator, and leader. The book shows that Muhammad wears so many faces in the West because he has always acted as a mirror for its writers, their portrayals revealing more about their own concerns than the historical realities of the founder of Islam.

Download or read book The Many Faces of Faith written by Richard R. Losch and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2002 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Designed to introduce general readers to the great diversity of religion that exists today, this fascinating and very useful book provides short descriptions of the beliefs and practices of the world religions and the denominational branches, of Christianity. Now in paperback.

Download or read book The Many Faces of Adam and Eve written by Bernard F. Batto and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2022-02-17 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contrary to popular opinion, the story of Adam and Eve is not confined to the book of Genesis. It has roots in prebiblical myth and continued to evolve long after the Bible was completed. Bernard F. Batto traces the development of the Adam and Eve story from its origins in Mesopotamian myth to its reformulation in Genesis and beyond--including its expansion in Jewish epigraphs such as 1 Enoch and the Life of Adam and Eve, and its place in Christian innovations such as the apostle Paul's thesis that Christ is a second Adam, and in the thinking of church fathers such as Irenaeus, who held that Christ recapitulates all humankind in himself, and Augustine, whose doctrine of original sin interprets the Adam and Eve story. Batto also examines gnostic teachings about a heavenly Adam and an earthly Adam, and surveys rabbinical attempts from the Talmudic period to find hidden meanings in the Genesis story. Islam's emphasis on Satan's role in seducing Adam and Eve is also discussed, and the book concludes with Milton's unforgettable retelling of the Adam and Eve story in Paradise Lost. Batto's goal is not only to reveal the many faces given Adam and Eve throughout history, but also to understand the divergent cultural and theological factors powering this long, evolving tradition.

Download or read book Rabi a From Narrative to Myth written by Rkia Elaroui Cornell and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2019-01-03 with total page 483 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rabi‘a al-‘Adawiyya is a figure shrouded in myth. Certainly a woman by this name was born in Basra, Iraq, in the eighth century, but her life remains recorded only in legends, stories, poems and hagiographies. The various depictions of her – as a deeply spiritual ascetic, an existentialist rebel and a romantic lover – seem impossible to reconcile, and yet Rabi‘a has transcended these narratives to become a global symbol of both Sufi and modern secular culture. In this groundbreaking study, Rkia Elaroui Cornell traces the development of these diverse narratives and provides a history of the iconic Rabi‘a’s construction as a Sufi saint. Combining medieval and modern sources, including evidence never before examined, in novel ways, Rabi‘a From Narrative to Myth is the most significant work to emerge on this quintessential figure in Islam for more than seventy years.

Download or read book The Many Faces of Christ written by Michele Bacci and published by Reaktion Books. This book was released on 2014-03-15 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thanks to current portrayals of Jesus of Nazareth, we are apt to think of him as having long hair and a short beard. But, the holy scriptures do not describe Christ’s physiognomy, and his representations are inconsistent in early Christian and medieval arts. How did this long-haired archetype come to be accepted in the late ninth century as the standard iconography of the Son of God? To answer this question, The Many Faces of Christ examines the complex historical and cultural dynamics underlying the making and final establishment of Christ’s image between late antiquity and the early Renaissance. Taking into account a broad spectrum of iconographic and textual sources, Michele Bacci describes the process of creating Christ’s image against the backdrop of ancient and biblical conceptions of beauty and physicality as indicators of moral, ascetic, or messianic qualities. He investigates the increasingly dominant role played by visual experience in Christian religious practice, which promoted belief in the existence of ancient documents depicting Christ’s appearance, and he shows how this resulted in the shaping of portrait-like images that were said to be true to life. With glances at analogous progressions in the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, and Taoist traditions, this beautifully illustrated book will be of interest to specialists of Late Antique, Byzantine, and medieval studies, as well as anyone interested in the shifting, controversial conceptions of the historical figure of Jesus Christ.

Download or read book Post Islamism written by Asef Bayat and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-05-28 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At least since the Islamic revolution of 1979 in Iran, political Islam or Islamism has been the focus of attention among scholars, policymakers, and the general public. Much has been said about Islamism as a political and moral/ethical trend, but scant attention is paid to its ongoing development. There is now a growing acknowledgment within the scholarly and policy communities that Islamism is in the throes of transformation, but little is known about the nature and direction of these changes. The essays of Post-Islamism bring together young and established scholars and activists from different parts of the Muslim World and the West to discuss their research on the changing discourses and practices of Islamist movements and Islamic states largely in the Muslim majority countries. The changes in these movements can be termed 'post-Islamism,' defined both as a condition and a project characterized by the fusion of religiosity and rights, faith and freedom, Islam and liberty. Post-Islamism emphasizes rights rather than merely obligation, plurality instead of singular authoritative voice, historicity rather than fixed scriptures, and the future instead of the past.

Download or read book The Future of Islam written by John L. Esposito and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-02-04 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John L. Esposito is one of America's leading authorities on Islam. Now, in this brilliant portrait of Islam today--and tomorrow--he draws on a lifetime of thought and research to sweep away the negative stereotypes and provide an accurate, richly nuanced, and revelatory account of the fastest growing religion in the world. Here Esposito explores the major questions and issues that face Islam in the 21st century and that will deeply affect global politics. Are Islam and the West locked in a deadly clash of civilizations? Is Islam compatible with democracy and human rights? Will religious fundamentalism block the development of modern societies in the Islamic world? Will Islam overwhelm the Western societies in which so many Muslim immigrants now reside? Will Europe become Eurabia or will the Muslims assimilate? Which Muslim thinkers will be most influential in the years to come? To answer this last question he introduces the reader to a new generation of Muslim thinkers--Tariq Ramadan, Timothy Winter, Mustafa Ceric, Amina Wadud, and others--a diverse collection of Muslim men and women, both the "Martin Luthers" and the "Billy Grahams" of Islam. We meet religious leaders who condemn suicide bombing and who see the killing of unarmed men, women, and children as "worse than murder," who preach toleration and pluralism, who advocate for women's rights. The book often underscores the unexpected similarities between the Islamic world and the West and at times turns the mirror on the US, revealing how we appear to Muslims, all to highlight the crucial point that there is nothing exceptional about the Muslim faith. Recent decades have brought extraordinary changes in the Muslim world, and in addressing all of these issues, Esposito paints a complex picture of Islam in all its diversity--a picture of urgent importance as we face the challenges of the coming century.

Download or read book Sculpting the Self written by Muhammad Umar Faruque and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2021-08-17 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sculpting the Self addresses “what it means to be human” in a secular, post-Enlightenment world by exploring notions of self and subjectivity in Islamic and non-Islamic philosophical and mystical thought. Alongside detailed analyses of three major Islamic thinkers (Mullā Ṣadrā, Shāh Walī Allāh, and Muhammad Iqbal), this study also situates their writings on selfhood within the wider constellation of related discussions in late modern and contemporary thought, engaging the seminal theoretical insights on the self by William James, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Michel Foucault. This allows the book to develop its inquiry within a spectrum theory of selfhood, incorporating bio-physiological, socio-cultural, and ethico-spiritual modes of discourse and meaning-construction. Weaving together insights from several disciplines such as religious studies, philosophy, anthropology, critical theory, and neuroscience, and arguing against views that narrowly restrict the self to a set of cognitive functions and abilities, this study proposes a multidimensional account of the self that offers new options for addressing central issues in the contemporary world, including spirituality, human flourishing, and meaning in life. This is the first book-length treatment of selfhood in Islamic thought that draws on a wealth of primary source texts in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Greek, and other languages. Muhammad U. Faruque’s interdisciplinary approach makes a significant contribution to the growing field of cross-cultural dialogue, as it opens up the way for engaging premodern and modern Islamic sources from a contemporary perspective by going beyond the exegesis of historical materials. He initiates a critical conversation between new insights into human nature as developed in neuroscience and modern philosophical literature and millennia-old Islamic perspectives on the self, consciousness, and human flourishing as developed in Islamic philosophical, mystical, and literary traditions.

Download or read book Lifting the Veil written by IQ al Rassooli and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2012-06-11 with total page 749 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is based upon our YouTube series "Idiots Guide to Islam", of Q & A chapters that are listened to. It is fully complimented, with more details on our web site "www.inthenameofallah.org"The purpose of this book is to enlighten, step by step, an otherwise IGNORANT immense majority of humanity among both the so called Believers & Unbelievers about the FACTS & REALITYof the Cult of Muhammadan Islam.All references are based entirely upon the Arabic language of the Quran, Hadiths, Arab & Islamic histories.It analyses almost every concept, precept, thought, idea, expression and relevant verse of the Quran and contains extremely controversial and unusual statements and conclusions.By the time one has either read this book or listened to the series, one will become so knowledgeable on the Quran, Hadiths, Arab & 'Islamic' histories, to such an extent, that never again would one be fooled, deceived or misled regarding these subjects.

Download or read book Islamic Societies in Practice written by Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "When Americans look at the Muslim world, they see a uniform culture (Arab) with a single language (Arabic) communicated through a uniform religious belief and practice (Islam). Fluehr-Lobban shows us how simplistic and mistaken this view is."--Library Journal "Islamic Societies in Practice is an eloquent, thought-provoking antidote to the American media's attempts to reduce the complexity of the Muslim world to 30-second sound bytes. Fluehr-Lobban proffers insights which are the result of an open mind and long-term field experience. She addresses the misconceptions which many Westerners have about the Middle East, not only with fact and historical content, but also with anecdotal material about her own experience there, an unbeatable combination."--Middle East Women's Studies Review "An accessible primer on Islamic society, providing a good historical overview with a focus on how Islam is practiced. . . . The author's descriptions of Islamic values and social practices, gender relations, and the tensions within the umma, or the world Muslim community, are effectively filtered through her own experience."--Publishers Weekly "A wonderful contribution to the field . . . a concrete set of images and stories that offer many opportunities for discussions of the politics of ordinary life, as well as the opportunities in the region for increasing democracy, greater human rights, and expanded women's roles."--International Journal of Middle East Studies Originally written in the wake of the Gulf War, this book introduced the West to everyday Arab-Islamic cultures and societies, humanizing the region and its people. It ventured behind the headlines to offer a positive, constructive view of Islam and Muslims, showing how Islam is lived and practiced in daily life. Now revised and expanded in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Islamic Societies in Practice embraces the breadth of global Islam with significant new material on Islam in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States, as well as the Middle East. New maps and illustrations are included, detailing the diversity and representation of Islam and Muslims throughout the world. Additional material includes discussions of male and female relations; folk Islam, popular expressions of faith, and the five pillars; Sufism, including the Turkish Dervishes; ethnic and racial differences in the Muslim world; Islamic law and the application of harsh punishments; political Islam and the future of the state in the Islamic world; and the many voices of progressive Muslims--feminists, human rights activists, and anti-extremist writers. Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban is professor of anthropology at Rhode Island College.

Download or read book The Many Faces of Political Islam Second Edition written by Mohammed Ayoob and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2020-01-03 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Analysts and pundits from across the American political spectrum describe Islamic fundamentalism as one of the greatest threats to modern, Western-style democracy. Yet very few non-Muslims would be able to venture an accurate definition of political Islam. Fully revised and updated, The Many Faces of Political Islam thoroughly analyzes the many facets of this political ideology and shows its impact on global relations.

Download or read book When Women Speak written by Moyra Dale and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The twentieth century should be remembered in missions as the time when women got lost. Over that time, the voices of women missionaries, leaders, and facilitators of new Christian movements were all too often excluded from missiological discourse and strategic mission discussion. It is hoped that this book signals a revival in the contribution of women to mission in a way that values what they have to offer.

Download or read book Islam and the Future of Tolerance written by Sam Harris and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2015-10-06 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A civil but honest dialogue...As illuminating as it is fascinating.” —Ayaan Hirsi Ali Is Islam a religion of peace or war? Is it amenable to reform? Why do so many Muslims seem to be drawn to extremism? And what do words like jihadism and fundamentalism really mean? In a world riven by misunderstanding and violence, Sam Harris—a famous atheist—and Maajid Nawaz—a former radical—demonstrate how two people with very different religious views can find common ground and invite you to join in an urgently needed conversation. “How refreshing to read an honest yet affectionate exchange between the Islamist-turned-liberal-Muslim Maajid Nawaz and the neuroscientist who advocates mindful atheism, Sam Harris...Their back-and-forth clarifies multiple confusions that plague the public conversation about Islam.” —Irshad Manji, New York Times Book Review “It is sadly uncommon, in any era, to find dialogue based on facts and reason—but even more rarely are Muslim and non-Muslim intellectuals able to maintain critical distance on broad questions about Islam. Which makes Islam and the Future of Tolerance something of a unicorn...Most conversations about religion are marked by the inability of either side to listen, but here, at last, is a proper debate.” —New Statesman

Download or read book Islam Observed written by Clifford Geertz and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1971-08-15 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In four brief chapters," writes Clifford Geertz in his preface, "I have attempted both to lay out a general framework for the comparative analysis of religion and to apply it to a study of the development of a supposedly single creed, Islam, in two quite contrasting civilizations, the Indonesian and the Moroccan." Mr. Geertz begins his argument by outlining the problem conceptually and providing an overview of the two countries. He then traces the evolution of their classical religious styles which, with disparate settings and unique histories, produced strikingly different spiritual climates. So in Morocco, the Islamic conception of life came to mean activism, moralism, and intense individuality, while in Indonesia the same concept emphasized aestheticism, inwardness, and the radical dissolution of personality. In order to assess the significance of these interesting developments, Mr. Geertz sets forth a series of theoretical observations concerning the social role of religion.