Exploring Islam in a New Light

Exploring Islam in a New Light PDF Author: Abdur Rab
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780982586716
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 458

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Book Description
This book is a bold, modern, and in-depth vision of Islam solely according to the Quran. This Islam is spiritual, humane, and scientific, far from a fanatic and militant image it carries in the West. It is an impassioned call to understand Islam solely in Quranic terms and to reform practiced Islam, distorted by Hadith-based ideas.

Exploring Islam

Exploring Islam PDF Author: Salih Sayilgan
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 1506468039
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
Exploring Islam is a comprehensive yet accessible introduction to the foundations of the Islamic faith, including its history, theology, and spiritual practice. The book also deals with issues such as jihad, the status of women, and the various sectarian divisions in Islam. Most distinctive about this work is its analysis of the lived experience of Muslims in modern American life. The book explores questions such as: - What are the foundations of Islam? - How do Muslims relate to and interpret the Qur'an? - Who is the Prophet Muhammad? - What does Shari'a law really mean? - What are the major themes of Islamic theology? - What are the theological and political issues that led to divisions among Muslims? - Do Muslims and Christians believe in the same God? - How do Muslims practice Islam in America? - What are the challenges and opportunities for American Muslims? In addressing these questions, Sayilgan offers readers a perspective that is scholarly, judicious, and engaging.

iMuslims

iMuslims PDF Author: Gary R. Bunt
Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Press
ISBN: 0807887714
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 375

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Book Description
Exploring the increasing impact of the Internet on Muslims around the world, this book sheds new light on the nature of contemporary Islamic discourse, identity, and community. The Internet has profoundly shaped how both Muslims and non-Muslims perceive Islam and how Islamic societies and networks are evolving and shifting in the twenty-first century, says Gary Bunt. While Islamic society has deep historical patterns of global exchange, the Internet has transformed how many Muslims practice the duties and rituals of Islam. A place of religious instruction may exist solely in the virtual world, for example, or a community may gather only online. Drawing on more than a decade of online research, Bunt shows how social-networking sites, blogs, and other "cyber-Islamic environments" have exposed Muslims to new influences outside the traditional spheres of Islamic knowledge and authority. Furthermore, the Internet has dramatically influenced forms of Islamic activism and radicalization, including jihad-oriented campaigns by networks such as al-Qaeda. By surveying the broad spectrum of approaches used to present dimensions of Islamic social, spiritual, and political life on the Internet, iMuslims encourages diverse understandings of online Islam and of Islam generally.

An Introduction to Islam in the 21st Century

An Introduction to Islam in the 21st Century PDF Author: Aminah Beverly McCloud
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118273915
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 502

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Book Description
This engaging introduction to Islam examines its lived reality, its worldwide presence, and the variety of beliefs and practices encompassed by the religion. The global perspective uniquely captures the diversity of Islam expressed throughout different countries in the present day. A comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, and global introduction to Islam, covering its history as well as current issues, experiences, and challenges Incorporates key new research on Muslims from a variety of countries across Europe, Latin America, Indonesia, and Malaysia Central Asia Directly addresses controversial issues, including political violence and ‘terrorism’, anti-western sentiments, and Islamophobia Explores different responses from various Islamic communities to globalizing trends Highlights key patterns within Islamic history that shed light upon the origins and evolution of current movements and thought

No god but God (Updated Edition)

No god but God (Updated Edition) PDF Author: Reza Aslan
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ISBN: 0812982444
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 386

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Book Description
A fascinating, accessible introduction to Islam from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Zealot and host of Believer FINALIST FOR THE GUARDIAN FIRST BOOK AWARD In No god but God, internationally acclaimed scholar Reza Aslan explains Islam—the origins and evolution of the faith—in all its beauty and complexity. This updated edition addresses the events of the past decade, analyzing how they have influenced Islam’s position in modern culture. Aslan explores what the popular demonstrations pushing for democracy in the Middle East mean for the future of Islam in the region, how the Internet and social media have affected Islam’s evolution, and how the war on terror has altered the geopolitical balance of power in the Middle East. He also provides an update on the contemporary Muslim women’s movement, a discussion of the controversy over veiling in Europe, an in-depth history of Jihadism, and a look at how Muslims living in North America and Europe are changing the face of Islam. Timely and persuasive, No god but God is an elegantly written account that explains this magnificent yet misunderstood faith. Praise for No god but God “Grippingly narrated and thoughtfully examined . . . a literate, accessible introduction to Islam.”—The New York Times “[Reza] Aslan offers an invaluable introduction to the forces that have shaped Islam [in this] eloquent, erudite paean to Islam in all of its complicated glory.”—Los Angeles Times Book Review “Wise and passionate . . . an incisive, scholarly primer in Muslim history and an engaging personal exploration.”—The New York Times Book Review “Acutely perceptive . . . For many troubled Muslims, this book will feel like a revelation, an opening up of knowledge too long buried.”—The Independent (U.K.) “Thoroughly engaging and excellently written . . . While [Aslan] might claim to be a mere scholar of the Islamic Reformation, he is also one of its most articulate advocates.”—The Oregonian

Journey into America

Journey into America PDF Author: Akbar Ahmed
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0815704402
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 546

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Book Description
Nearly seven million Muslims live in the United States today, and their relations with non-Muslims are strained. Many Americans associate Islam with figures such as Osama bin Laden, and they worry about “homegrown terrorists.” To shed light on this increasingly important religious group and counter mutual distrust, renowned scholar Akbar Ahmed conducted the most comprehensive study to date of the American Muslim community. Journey into America explores and documents how Muslims are fitting into U.S. society, placing their experience within the larger context of American identity. This eye-opening book also offers a fresh and insightful perspective on American history and society. Following up on his critically acclaimed Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization (Brookings, 2007), Ahmed and his team of young researchers traveled for a year through more than seventyfive cities across the United States—from New York City to Salt Lake City; from Las Vegas to Miami; from the large Muslim enclave in Dearborn, Michigan, to small, predominantly white towns like Arab, Alabama. They visited homes, schools, and over one hundred mosques to discover what Muslims are thinking and how they are living every day in America. In this unprecedented exploration of American Muslim communities, Ahmed asked challenging questions: Can we expect an increase in homegrown terrorism? How do American Muslims ofArab descent differ from those of other origins (for example, Somalia or South Asia)? Why are so many white women converting to Islam? How can a Muslim become accepted fully as an “American,” and what does that mean? He also delves into the potentially sticky area of relations with other religions. For example, is there truly a deep divide between Muslims and Jews in America? And how well do Muslims get along with other religious groups, such as Mormons in Utah? Journey into America is equal parts anthropological research, listening tour, and travelogue. Whereas Ahmed’s previous book took the reader into homes, schools, and mosques in the Muslim world, his new quest takes us into the heart of America and its Muslim communities. It is absolutely essential reading for anyone trying to make sense of America today.

A New Introduction to Islam

A New Introduction to Islam PDF Author: Daniel W. Brown
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118953487
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 433

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Book Description
Covering the origins, key features, and legacy of the Islamic tradition, the third edition of A New Introduction to Islam includes new material on Islam in the 21st century and discussions of the impact of historical ideas, literature, and movements on contemporary trends. Includes updated and rewritten chapters on the Qur’an and hadith literature that covers important new academic research Compares the practice of Islam in different Islamic countries, as well as acknowledging the differences within Islam as practiced in Europe Features study questions for each chapter and more illustrative material, charts, and excerpts from primary sources

Exploring the Qur'an

Exploring the Qur'an PDF Author: Muhammad Abdel Haleem
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1786731657
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 360

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Book Description
The teachings, style and impact of the Qur'an have always been matters of controversy, among both Muslims and non-Muslims. But in a modern context of intercultural sensitivity, what the Qur'an says and means are perhaps more urgent questions than ever before. This major new book by one of the world's finest Islamic scholars responds to that urgency. Building on his earlier groundbreaking work, the author challenges misinterpretations of particular Qur'anic verses from whatever quarter. He addresses the infamous 'sword' verse, frequently cited as a justification for jihad. He also questions the 'tribute' verse, associated with the Muslim state subjugating Jews and Christians; and the idea of Paradise in the Qur'an, often viewed by the West as emphasising merely physical pleasures, or used by Islamic fighters as their just reward for holy war. The author argues that wrenching the verses out of the context of the whole has led to dangerous ideologies being built on isolated phrases which have then assumed afterlives of their own. This nuanced, holistic reading has vital interfaith ramifications.

Rediscovering Genuine Islam

Rediscovering Genuine Islam PDF Author: Abdur Rab
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781495287176
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
Based on the author's earlier acclaimed work Exploring Islam in a New Light: A View from the Quranic Perspective, this compact volume with a new title seeks to provide a comprehensive, in-depth description of Islam in a bold new light through the lens of the Quran itself. The book presents a view of Islam that promotes tolerance, pluralism, and peaceful interreligious co-existence, justice, equality, compassion, and service to humanity – far too removed from a fanatic, militant, misogynistic, and cruel image in which it is so often portrayed in the West. The work is a blueprint for wide-ranging reforms in practiced Islam, not only in the arenas of sociomoral ethos and economic issues but also in various religious beliefs and practices. Its major focus is on how we can evolve spiritually – a subject that forms the core message of the Quran. It promotes human freedom, human rights, human initiative and enterprise, an exploitation-free free-market competitive economic system, a broad socioeconomic welfare mechanism to rid the world of poverty and deprivation, gender equality, and a humane justice system. A major contention of the book is that the Hadith is a major source of distortion of the message of the Quran. It provides a compelling critique of this literature. The message of the Quran, reinterpreted in the light of its worldview as well as taking account of the changing context and times, calls for radical reforms in marriage and divorce laws to make them more humane, especially to women. The book shows that there is no room for a criminal justice system that uses archaic, harsh shariah rules. Finally, the book suggests how we can bring about a revival of genuine Islam.

New Directions in Islamic Thought

New Directions in Islamic Thought PDF Author: Kari Vogt
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0857731653
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
This is an important and prestigious volume showcasing leading progressive Islamic thinkers. It includes new essay by controversial public intellectual and Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan. It offers strong appeal to policymakers and as well as students and scholars of religion and the Middle East.How are Muslims to reconcile their beliefs with the pressures and imperatives of the modern world? How should they handle the tension between their roles as private citizens and their religious affiliations and identities? This groundbreaking volume shows in what ways prominent Muslim intellectuals have themselves attempted to bridge the gap by recasting traditional Islamic notions in the light of contemporary understandings of equality, justice and pluralism. The contributors to the book examine the tradition that they seek to reform in relation to the human rights ethic of the modern world. The new wave of Islamic thinking which they represent emerges as multi-stranded rather than defined by a single trend or doctrine.Themes covered include a deconstruction of patriarchal interpretations of the Qur'an; the distinctions between universal and context-specific parts of Islamic texts; a re-contextualisation of Shari'a law; and a critique of religious jurisprudence, particularly where this impacts on matters of sex and gender. Old texts are re-interpreted through the lived situations of real people today. The result is an indispensable portrayal of progressive Islamic thought in the twenty-first century, which will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of religion, ethics and Middle East studies.