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Exploring the mission of two communities.David W. Shenk examines Islam and Christianity at their deepest spiritual, cultural, and communal levels.Shenk explores the similarities and differences found in Isaac and Ishmael, Jesus and Muhammad, the Bible and the Qur'an, Jersusalem and Medina, and the Eucharist and the Hajj.284 pages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Two Communities and Mission at Stake
Christian community and Muslim community are both missionary movements in a constant competition. Each community tries to win the other. It seems that their mission target is the same, however, the ways each community see this mission to be realised is drastically different. To understand the mission of these two communities, convergences and divergences must be identified. A Muslim or a Christian wants to know the reasons behind and how to bridge them to develop credible and trusting relation.
The uniqueness of this book is that David W. Shenk is both a biblical Anabaptist theologian and Islamic scholar; in addition, he has a long rich experience of mission and dialogue with Muslims. Therefore, this book is one of the best that can provide adequate information for both communities to learn from each other.
Through this book David tried to establish comparison and contrast ground between Muslim nation, which he called 'Ummah' and the Christian church and specifically that based on Anabaptist theology. Mostly we see the convergences in general and superficial aspect of the two communities, however, when addressing the divergences we start falling into a very deep differences in terms of theological and missiological grounds.
Shenk brought Muslim contribution into this book i.e. voices, ideas, opinion, and theology through anecdotes and dialogues he had held whether was in a formal and informal settings. In deed, Muslim nation, and Christian church have very different journeys. Sometimes it is correct to say that they are in opposite directions.
The comparison and contrast of these two different journeys is made in various historical, theological, and missiological areas. These areas are: the history of the beginning and the growth of each community, creation, the Sons of Abraham (Ishmael-Isaac), leaders (Mohammed-Jesus), Scriptures (The Qur'an- The Bible), revelation (Tanzil-revelation), power (Hijra-The Cross), holy cities (Medina-Jerusalem), God (Tawhid-Trinity), pilgrimage (The Hajj-The Eucharist), ways to apply mission (Shari'a-The Holy Spirit), Prayer (Salat-Fellowship), and Global Mission (The Umman-The Church).
As an area of convergence Muslims and Christians agrees on the existence and oneness of God, and Abraham as the father of both faiths. Any step forward will encounter so many distortions and misunderstanding that need to be identified and corrected. Best correction made for Christians and Muslims is about the divinity of Jesus the Messiah. It is correct to say that Jesus the messiah is God; but it is incorrect to say God is Jesus the messiah. The difference is explained very well, opening a door to Muslims to remove some of their preconceived theological ideas about Jesus Christ in the Bible.
One ultimate divergence in the mission journeys of the two communities is about the power of God. Both Islam and the Gospel celebrate the power of God. Islam proclaims that all-powerful God cannot suffer for us. The Gospel proclaims that all-powerful God has chosen to suffer for us. Moreover, we see through history that mission journey in Islam often carried through power of the sword and human strength. While the Gospel always goes deeply into the heart of the people through the power of the Holy Spirit. This bring another crucial question about the truth. We can suppose that if the truth is a truth, therefore, it does not need to be placed or won over by power or force into people. This raises more questions such as: does truth need assistance of coercive power? What happens in the soul of a person when he "believes" in submission to power that is imposed?
There are other issues the author supposed to bring into the presentation. For example, the principle of abrogation in the Qur'an versus the claim of corruption in the Bible should be addressed. For instance, the Qu'ranic verse 2:256 has been abrogated by the verses of war. Therefore, using this verse to show that Islam is tolerant towards other faiths is irrelevant. In addition, sometimes the reader wants to have a clear-cut answers to questions such as: Is the Qur'an the word of God? Can Christian accept the prophet hood of Mohammed? Is the God in the Bible same as the God in the Qur'an? Can Muslim Nation be saved through the mission of the Qur'an? With complete understanding to the author's respect to the Muslim Scripture, these questions are considered seriously important if we want to explore the mission of the Muslim community.
The high faith position of David W. Shenk as a believer and a witness to Jesus is very impressive through out the book.
This book is excellent for Muslim people to compare their faith, test the identity of their God, and help them to rethink their commitment to Islam.
The world religion teachers' weather in academic or church setting, missionaries, and all Christians who have questions about Islamic religion would find the material in this book very interesting. It is a summary of a well-done mission experience on how to approach Islam and it comes from a well-founded Anabaptist theology. ... Read more

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Here is a tale set on the Path of the Heart, a beautifully written mystical adventure wherein a modern-day Sufi Master sends seven companions on a perilous quest for the greatest treasure of the ancient world - King Solomon's ring. The legendary seal ring is said to control the Jinn, those terrifying demons of living fire, and in seeking it the companions discover not only the truth of the Jinn, but also the path of Love and the infinite mercy of God. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Three Mysticisms, One God
First: Visuals.I am reminded of what a teacher of mine, Niyi Osundare, Yorubic Nigerian poet, told me his father once remarked:"We eat with our eyes before we put the food in our mouths."How very true. Your visual beauty of the cover and the textual pen and ink drawings call at once to the spirit to partake.

Second: Phraseology. It reads like the best of your Tradition as I have experienced it. Khayyaam, and of course Arabian Nights come to mind. But of course it is graced with poetic and philosophic quotes which are so rich and poignant in themselves, that one wishes to linger there. Magically, or miraculously, or just bc. your own spirit is enflamed, they completely connect with the story somehow. Then neither detract nor inflate.They enhance and permeate as an apertif a meal. Or an essential oil the incense.

Third: Religious thought.I agree with the following assessments by your reviewers: It "challenges readers to read between the lines"Mohuuddin.It is "didactic without being preachy" Burris. I like the synopsis explique: "self realization woven delicately throuh the intricate strands of relgion".

Fourth:Relevance. I noticed that most reviewers were Arabic, some Christian. I didnot notice any Jewish names, [I have noticed rabbis now on your page since this writing!]. Perhaps they sensed a slur, perhaps, more likely, the two traditions which would most likely align with this through mystical application--the Hassids and the Orthodox. Though warm and exhuberant in centroplex, the Hassids are very self -enclosed in my experience. Orthodox would I imagine consider themselves defiled.This is not just a Jewish idiom.

I met a wonderful gentleman in a N.O. rainstorm here, wandering with only an umbrella to protect himself and his wife from a pre-Katrina cataclysmic thunderstorm brewing such as he more than likely had no anticipation of the magnitude. I had been to Mass. I had a miraculous photo of the crucified Face of Christ. In course of our conversation, in which I warned him to take shelter, I gave him a copy of this photo. He was from "Persia" as he said --Iran. It was at a politically loaded time. We were two (three) wandering souls in the desert of this Earth, destined by Allah's Divine mercy to meet. He called me, asked to meet and discuss what this photo meant and the Passion of Christ.

We met in the library several times and discussed mutual beliefs and religious concepts. He kept the photo, but could accept no Bible or rosary--against his faith. He wanted to give me a copy of the Koran and prayer beads--which I would have willingly accepted, but unfortunately he left before we could reconnect. It was my anguish to see the bombs heading towards his people, the sacred caves, the holy land graced by many mystics' feet and watered by tears and blood. I prayed often that the photo would not put him in peril in Iran. I prayed with tears that none of his family would suffer from an unholy war of terror or counter-terror.. I prayed that my people (U.S. or Israel) would not take innocent lives in retribution.

One interesting thing he said to me (this marks the Universality of Spiritas the quote from Khalil Gibran states).I had shown him a pamphlet of Sister (now canonized Saint)Faustina of Poland--the Mercy of God. It had a photo of her.Before we parted, he admonished me (He always asked me in preface, "Are you holy?" and I would reply, "Me? No, I am a poor sinner!")"If you go there, every day, every day, every day (he pointed to the Catholic Church across from which we had met) you will be like her (pointing to Faustina). [i.e. "you will be 'saint'.] I kissed the ground of my religious soil that the All Holy had sent this man across the Seas to tell me such.

So, Master Karchmar: A poor sinner ofJewish-descent (Levi house) and a Catholic Carmelite tertiary finds your fanciful Master of the Jinn exquisite, traditional, vivacious, fantastic, and a prayer of incense to the Unspeakable Name. No defilement of my religious thought, but rather a beautiful and wondrous confirmation of all I hold sacred in the mystical tradition of my teachers: St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa d'Avila and St. Therese de Lisieux. It is an Ode to Divine Love and its Living Flame. It is charmingly told as a Rings Fairy Tale. No doubt my beloved Tolkien stole his Promoethean fire from your Traditions!The rascal. It has its message as Lord of the Rings had its message. Both come from the Great Wisdom and the Divine Heart of Radiant Love.

It took a Sufi to give me something for which I sought--the interconnections of 3 Mysticisms. I could not get this from the Kabal bc. I have had no training in Judaism (from my maternal grandfather) having been raised Catholic. I find it part of the Divine comedy that He sees fit to transfer a dose of that wondersome mythology and a good shot of faith-elixir from Arabic eloquence. I am eternally grateful.

Shalom, Pax Christi,
Mignon M.Fahr T.O.Carm.
(M.M.Fahren)

Heart-Pounding Adventure with a Spritual Chaser
This was a wonderful book that I didn't expect to enjoy as much as I did. I'm not a religious person and know next to nothing about the Sufi religion. This book stands alone as a wonderful adventure story in the same vein as "Lord of the Rings." The characters are real and unforgettable and the book is hard to put down. I really enjoyed it and came away with a greater understanding of the author's spiritual path. One of my surprise favorite reads of 2009.

An Inward Journey!!
This book will capture young hearts and take them on a spiritual journey. Throughout the book one gets the feeling of reflecting into one's inner self. Would love to see this book transported to Hollywood....what a spectacular movie it would make!! My sincere prayers and wishes for success to Irving Karchmar!

Pleasantly digestible way to take in some heavy duty stuff!
I really enjoyed this book. It is the first time I read a sufi novel and it is a great counter point to all the very scholarly and/or very mystical books on the subject that aren't always easy to integrate. I recommend this book for anyone who has in interest in sufism.

Deeply profound
As I was contemplating a draw to the Sufi Way, my friend and brother, Irving Karchmar's Master of the Jinn presented myself.It's rich intertwining of Sufi and Jewish sources touched my soul.With a wonderful twist, it grabbed me and nourished me.

While I belong to a different Order of Sufis, this book helped awaken the courage to answer the call and be who I really am.It is about ONENESS in the Supreme Reality, many call God, alhamdulillah! ... Read more

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In a well-known hadith, Muhammed advises Muslims that, "On the Day of Resurrection, you will be called by your names and the names of your fathers; so keep beautiful names." Inspired by the teachings of Islam, names fulfill the cherished ambitions of a true Muslim. In The Dictionary of Muslim Names, Salahuddin Ahmed provides a helpful and substantive guide to common and less-common Muslim names. This lively and informative dictionary lists the original Arabic, Persian, or Turkish spelling, as well as a precise English transliteration. The names' meaning and bearing on Islamic heritage or world history are referenced, along with historical figures who bore the name-an Imaam, a Sultan, a saint-and accompanying illustrations.

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Customer Reviews (4)

Not worth the money
This book is not worth the money. You can find most of the names listed free in internet sites..

Finally...(but see my edit in 2010)
Finally a good book of Muslim names.Gives, name, meaning and how to pronounce.Good quality binding and therefore durable as you pass it from one person to the next!

EDIT (June 2010)...my review above was from 2003. Now I agree with some reviewers that there are a number of websites that provide the same (or better) info on-line....no need to buy.

Questionable
In the book description, I have seen the prophet's name is taken without any respect. It should be noted that any Prophet's name should be taken with peace be upon him(PBUH). Let it be Jesus (peace be upon him) or prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him). If a book misses this then the book is of no use to us.

Excellent reference for the new muslim parent.
The comprehensive and authentic approach offered by this book isunparallel to any other that I have seen. Full marks go to the author, whohas included many Quranic/Arabic/Persian muslim names for both boys andgirls.This book is a must if you are a new parent, and consequentlypulling your hair out trying to think of a suitable muslim name for yournewborn. Further reference to the meaning of these names make this text agood read even for the general public. Do you know what your name means?Certainly a book to be passed on with inhertance! ... Read more

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A greatly expanded classic of questions and answers regarding the Islamic world, with color photographs enhancing every page. The original booklet has been in great demand in schools and other social institutions around the world. Several million copies were requested by the U.S. school systems for use in a packet about Islam and the U.S. Airforce, distributed during the Gulf War. Since the recent tragedies in New York and Washington, D.C., professors and lecturers in high schools and universities through the U.S. have requested it by the hundreds.

Now enlarged to book-size, it includes a section on the family, with special attention given to understanding the perceived gender differences, beginning with God's creation of men and women and describing the varied roles of women throughout Muslim history (workers outside the home, business owners, saints). Another section, "Islam and World Peace" clarifies topics such as holy war and martyrdom. And there are further sections from the Qur'an and Hadith, or Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. Other pertinent essays by recognized scholars are included to give the reader a comprehensive and clear understanding of Islam and the Muslim peoples who make up one-fifth of the world's population. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Buying copies for friends, relatives and co-workers
Finally, a book uninfluenced by ideology.This book, like so many from Fons Vitae, gives an unbiased view of religious beliefs.The book is quick and concise.Winter and Williams are careful to point out that cultures within Islam vary from country to country, and give a few examples of differences within Islamic denominations.This book is not about Wahhabi Islam, nor about the perverted beliefs of Osama bin Laden.It is an attempt to dispel the widespread ideology that bin Laden's perverted beliefs are held by many Muslims by giving a general overview of the vast majority of Muslims.

The True Islam is the Islam that is Practiced Today
This book is premised on a terrible fallacy. The author attempts to present Islam as a religion of peace and tolerance, relying on passages from the Quran and other ancient Islamic texts.

The first problem, of course, is that the Quran, like most religious texts and astrological forecasts, is replete with vague and contradictory passages that can be cited by anyone for just about anything, and is frequently cited by critics of Muslim to creach conclusions diametrically opposed to those of the author Winter.

More fundamentally, what the Quran says is utterly irrelevant. The Quran means whatever the majority of Muslims today think it means. What is relevant is the Islam that is in actual practice today--the beliefs and politics of Muslims worldwide in 2005.

Polls show that more than 90% of the populations of Palestine and Pakistan believe the 9/11 attacks were justified by the United States' policies toward the Muslim world in general and Palestine and Israel in particular. The percentages are almost as high in most other heavily Muslim countries. These are hardly the beliefs of a peaceful and tolerate religion.

However noble its roots (which is subject to question), Islam today bears little resemblance to the Islam of centuries ago, having been hijacked and perverted on a world-wide scale by the Saudi-backed Wahabbism and the brainwashing of children, and creation of psychotic assassins, in the madrassas--the so-called "religious schools"--started and funded in many Muslim countries by the Saudis.

What kind of religion can create hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of cold-blooded psychotic killers? Not one of peace and tolerance.

People like this author Winter love to dismiss the Muslim terrorists and their millions of supporters and apologists as an alleged "extremist" or fringe group. They are indeed extremist, but they most assuredly are not a fringe group. To the contrary, they represent the vast majority of Muslims worldwide today. Sadly, the peaceful and tolerant Muslims--and there are many--are a small and decreasing minority.

A good read. Very informative. And very true.
Mr T. J. Winter is a highly accomplished scholar and internationally recognized translator of Islamic texts. In this book he has produced an open and informative description of real Islam as practised by the vast majority of its adherents.

This book should be welcomed by intelligent non-muslims (and uninformed muslims for that matter), who prefer *not* to be informed solely by the loud cries of the violent and misguided minority. (In the same way that an intelligent observer of Chritinianity would not want to form their opinion of it on the basis that Hitler and Mussolini were Catholics and that they were partially supported by the Vatican).

To the reviewer (Seth J. Frantzman) who said that people who really want to understand Islam should read the Quran instead of this book: one can only reply that a) any intelligent and unbiased reader who really manages to deeply read the Quran will at once be understand the beauty of Islam, and b) Mr Frantzman's statement the Quran enjoins people to "beat your wife" is a complete fabrication. It is, however, sadly typical of the detractors of Islam that they attempt to use the force of lies and fear to undermine it. Note that the reviewer did not say which chapter and verse this line can be found (the common practise when quoting from the Quran), simply because the line does not exist in the Quran.

But anyway, this is a very good book. To be read by open-minded individuals who want to understand.

Scholarly yet approachable
Written by well-known Western scholars from Cambridge University and the College of William and Mary, this book presents the basic elements of the faith such as the Five Pillars and the Muslim view of Jesus and Mohammad.The book also goes into some detail about gender issues, marriage and family, and the laws of warfare in Islam and directly addresses controversial issues such as women's rights, polygyny, and the validity of terrorist acts according to Islamic law.Furthermore, it presents the orthodox view of Islamic law as it has been maintained for centuries by the vast majority of classical Islamic scholars, not a watered-down liberalized version that has no relation to the past nor that of the small extremist, non-law-abiding minority which usually makes the headlines.

The book also offers the reader a peek into the incredibly diverse cultures of Muslims -- from Taiwan and China, to Central Asia, to Africa, to Bosnia and Denmark, and to the US (among many others) -- through stunning National Geographic-calibre photographs which by themselves are worth the price of admission.The book also goes beyond the usually boring list of basic by relating colourful anecdotes about Muslim warrior-queens and other leaders, particular mosques, and gorgeous arts & crafts from around the Muslim world.

This book will not be useful to people like the previous reviewer, Mr. Seth Frantzman from Israel, who seek to confirm their stereotypes and demonize an entire faith for their own political purposes.Judging from his review, it is not even clear that he read the book, as it answers virtually all of points he raises even in its slim form.Yes, there are modesty laws for men, and in traditional Muslim societies men cover their heads as well.No, the burka (covering one's face) is not required by law -- it is a cultural phenomenon, and it is not worn by the overwhelmingly vast majority of Muslim women.Covering the face is actually prohibited in Mecca.The Dar al-Islam/Dar Al-Harb distinction is a medieval distinction, and it refers to the places where Muslims may freely practice their faith and where they may not-- meaning that virtually the whole world today is considered Dar al-Islam.I could go on, but you'd be much better off having Cambridge scholars explain it to you... buy this book!

A great piece of propoganda work
This book is one huge piece of propoganda, not objective in the least bit, misleading in most parts, and outright fabrications exist in others.Let us look at a few topics.The book claims Islam is a religion of world peace.This is only accurate in the sense that the Qu'ran orders its followers to kill the entire non-beleiving world, then there is World peace, the world is divided into two parts by the Quran, the Dar Al-Harb(the world of war) and Dar al-Islam/Salaam(world of islam/peace).SO within the muslim world, between muslims, in theory there is peace. BUt in the rest of the non-muslim world there is only the command to kill.This can be deduced by anyone reading the Koran.

The second major lie is the position of women in the islamic world.This book pretends that women are 100% equal in all muslim countries and that the Koran gives equality to women.If the Quran gives equality then why does Surah 4:34 say "beat your wife".Once again this myth coneveyed in this book can be easily put aside by reading an accurate translation of the Quran or by learning Arabic.If women are equal in Islam then why do they by law have to wear burkas and Abbayas, whereas men have no such modesty laws applied to them?THis book doesnt begin to answer this obviosu question.

Anyone interested in being brainwashed, in getting a lovely rosy and fake picture of Islam should read this book, anyone wanting their children to convert to Islam should definetly pick this up.If you are interested in Islam it is more worthwhile to read the Quran.

Seth J. Frantzman




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MySearchLab provides students with a complete understanding of the research process so they can complete research projects confidently and efficiently. Students and instructors with an internet connection can visit www.MySearchLab.com and receive immediate access to thousands of full articles from the EBSCO ContentSelect database. In addition, MySearchLab offers extensive content on the research process itself—including tips on how to navigate and maximize time in the campus library, a step-by-step guide on writing a research paper, and instructions on how to finish an academic assignment with endnotes and bibliography.­

For the second half of a two-course sequence in Muslim history, Islamic Civilization, and religious studies courses on Islam.

The history of the predominantly Muslim world is examined within the context of world history. It examines political, economic, and broad cultural developments, as well as specifically religious ones. The themes of the book are tradition and adaptation: It examines the tensions between the desire of Muslims to maintain continuity with their legacy and their recognition of the need to adapt to changing conditions.

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Customer Reviews (1)

Beyond Sharî'a, Jihad and Fatwâs
John Bowen started his career as a specialist of Indonesia, doing fieldwork and writing books about the balance between legal and Islamic norms in Southeast Asia. He has now transformed himself into an astute observer of Islam in modern France. His book on Why the French Don't Like Headscarves remains to date the best study on the public debate that led to the banning of "ostentatious religious signs" --i.e., Islamic head coverings worn by Muslim girls, in the secular space of French public schools (other essays on the same issue, here and here, are more militant in style, but simply don't match his scholarship).

In his writings, Bowen develops an "anthropology of public reasoning", highlighting the ways in which people deliberate and debate in public settings in order to seek areas of broad agreement in a pluralistic society. In Can Islam Be French, he explores the development of mosques and of Islamic schools and institutes and, simultaneously, the Islamic reasoning that sustends and suffuses these institutions. His focus, he writes with tongue-in-cheek humor (considering the moral panic that these Islamic notions elicit in the Western public), is on a "broad middle group of Muslims who do not wish to renounce the possibility of just war (yes, jihad) and do wish to remain true to Islam's norms (yes, sharî'a) and who do tune in to scholarly opinions (yes, fatwâs) and who, all the while, live ordinary, nonterrorizing lives."

Sharî'a, jihad and fatwâs: these heavily loaded terms have entered the public debate in Western societies. Other Islamic notions are more limited to a group of Muslim scholars who are trying to configure a set of norms and institutions that would anchor Islam in France, while contributing to the global Ummah. The classic distinction between the dâr al-islâm and the dâr al-harb as two distinct geographical abodes opposing Islamic and non-Islamic settings, has been complemented by new notions such as the dâr al-da'wa and the dâr ash-shahâda, the realms of predication and of witnessing, more attuned to European societies in which Moslems form a minority.

Bowen particularly insists on what he labels the maqâsid approach--as in al maqâsid ash-sharî'a-- as the overall "objectives of God's revelation", a type of theological and legal reasoning that draws on a long tradition of thinking about the interest and welfare (maslaha) of Muslims that emphasizes the adaptation of norms to broader religious goals. This approach stands as a middle ground between those who suggest that Muslims living in secular places should be exempted from Islamic rules that otherwise would apply, and others who insist on keeping to the letter of the revealed texts. The author sees it as a promising way to reconcile Islamic jurisprudence with modern French society.

Bowen also opposes the "rule-book approach" of Islam, referring to the forbidden and the permitted (the harâm and the halâl) as fixed anchors for good Muslims to follow, and a more scholarly approach that urges Muslims to follow one of several established legal traditions or madhhab. Most Muslims originating from North Africa follow the Mâlikî tradition, named after the great scholar Mâlik ibn Anas (d. 795), but some other also refer to the Hanafî, the Hanbalî and the Shâfi'î schools of thought that are popular in other regions of the Muslim world. A third general approach to teaching Islam in France emphasizes a set of Islamic principles related to one another in a systematic way, borrowing from various traditions and from contemporary scholars such as Yûsuf al-Qaradâwî and the European Council for Fatwa and Research. Most groups, including the Tabligh or so-called Salafi, stay clear of politics. As a matter of fact, Muslim political demands operate within a Republican space, and they pursue the even-handed application of French laws (on schooling, religious freedom, houses of worship) and not for the development of shari`a-based laws.

Because the traditional Islamic institutions that define specific authorities are virtually absent from Europe, religious entrepreneurs have taken the place taken elsewhere by muftis, 'ulamâ and faqîhs. These Islamic public actors have developed various social institutions, particularly religious training centers, mosques, and Islamic associations. They differ along their degree of professionalization, their reliance on the use of Arabic or French as a medium of communication, and their emphasis on religious teaching as opposed to providing an Islam-friendly cultural atmosphere.Of particular relevance is the chapter devoted to an "Islamic Republican school", Ecole La Réussite in Aubervilliers, which provides an interesting case study on how a secular curriculum is being taught and reinterpreted in a Muslim school setting.

Questions that Muslims bring to public debates inevitably raise the issue of whether there should be distinctive Islamic norms for France (and by extension for Western secular societies). How should French Muslims live, work, marry, and sacrifice? And who has authority and legitimacy to comment on these decisions? Bowen explores these issues through particular debates, such as whether Muslims may take home loans at interest, how to negotiate across French laws and Islamic norms in the case of marriage and divorces, or how to provide for halâl food and ritual sacrifice during the festival of Îd al-adhâ.

In his conclusion, Bowen claims that Islamic spheres can coexist and thrive in the Republican space, and that the French secular tradition may be more amenable to religious pluralism than British or U.S. arrangements based on multiculturalism. Despite the social and moral objections wielded in France to the sort of Islamic ideas and institutions developed by Islamic public actors, he sees a potential convergence between the socially pragmatic styles of reasoning advocated by some French legal scholars and the maqâsid approach of religious objectives. These examples of pragmatic legal reasoning make use of accepted French social forms--legally registered associations, divorce by mutual consent, private agreements--to legitimate institutions that may be innovative in specific form (mosques, outdoor abattoirs, talaq divorce) but that legally and morally extend to Muslims those rights already secured by others in France.

In the end, the answer to the question raised in the book's title boils down to whether social pragmatism and value pluralism can prevail in the country of Rousseau and Voltaire. The author is moderately optimistic: "Recent French political rhetoric, he notes, is not promoting a convergence with Islamic norms and ideas", and we are, in a sense, witnessing a "tightening of the value-screw". But one should not grant too much importance to headlines and declarations. The type of Islamic public reasoning that Bowen documents does not attract much media attention, but may be of greater significance than the more visible controversies on veils and minarets. And the "reasonable accommodations" that form the basis of our common life among people living in differing conditions and with different beliefs may guarantee that such a common life endures.
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Winner of the National Reading Conference 2005 Edward Fry Book Award

Based on more than two years of fieldwork conducted in a Yemeni community in southeastern Michigan, this unique study examines Yemeni American girls' attempts to construct and make sense of their identities as Yemenis, Muslims, Americans, daughters of immigrants, teenagers, and high school students. All American Yemeni Girls contributes substantially to our understanding of the impact of religion on students attending public schools and the intersecting roles school and religion play in the lives of Yemeni students and their families. Providing a valuable background on the history of Yemen and the migration of Yemeni people to the United States, this is an eye-opening account of a group of people we hear about every day but about whom we know very little.

Through a series of intensive interviews and field observations, Loukia K. Sarroub discovered that the young Muslim women shared moments of optimism and desperation and struggled to reconcile the America they experienced at school with the Yemeni lives they knew at home. Most significant, Sarroub found that they often perceived themselves as failing at being both American and Yemeni. Offering a distinctive analysis of the ways ethnicity, culture, gender, and socioeconomic status complicate lives, Sarroub examines how these students view their roles within American and Yemeni societies, between institutions such as the school and the family, between ethnic and Islamic visions of success in the United States. Sarroub argues that public schools serve as a site of liberation and reservoir of contested hope for students and teachers questioning competing religious and cultural pressures. The final chapter offers a rich and important discussion of how conditions in the United States encourage the rise of extremism and allow it to flourish, raising pressing questions about the role of public education in the post-September 11 world.

All American Yemeni Girls offers a fine-grained and compelling portrait of these young Muslim women and their endeavors to succeed in American society, and it brings us closer to understanding an oft-cited but little researched population. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Book
I am a doctoral student in ed policy and use this book in my research...but, don't let THAT scare you!This book is an interesting read and well-written!If you think it's time for American educators to respond appropriately to religious minorities in our society, you will find this book helpful. ... Read more

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Lippman's study of the Muslim world--from its earliest roots to today's global power politics--includes crucial new material on the Islamic community today. There are also updated descriptions of internal politics in Syria, Egypt, Pakistan and other Islamic nations. Essential reading for both students and all who seek greater understanding of the world in which we live. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Short and Concise, but gives a beginner what they need
Realizing I knew nothing about Islam, I picked up this book in an attempt to become a bit more knowledgeable about the religion and current events.I was very surprised at how the religion began and what it has evolved to.

They call it the world's youngest religion as it post-dates Christianity. I did not realize the extent to which is is based on Judeo-Christian writings. Muslims in fact recognize prior writings of this faith as the word of God, though not God himself. As Lippman describes, Islam was the religion of the minority and the poor of the time. He shows why it had such wide spread appeal.

Lippman also discusses in detail how the violence that has come to be associated with this religion is not actually a part of the doctrine. He tells of the story of the hypocrites who find their root as posers of Muslim faith who were of a neighboring resentful tribe. He explains in these terms why the Jewish conflict has existed since that time, despite Muslim religion beginning with great respect for the doctrine of Jewish faith. He shows very clearly that, despite what has comet o be associated with Islamic faith, Muhammad did not persecute or clear the ranks of Hypocrites precisely because he did not want to set a precedent of blood bath.

It saddens me to read how similar Islamic religion, Christianity and Judaism are and yet they can not resolve conflicts that have existed for over a thousand years. You would think the peaceful side of each religion would prevail.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a very short read on a belief system held by a large population of the world.

Helped me to understand some of the turmoil
"Understanding Islam: An Introduction to the Muslim World" is a short history of the Islamic faith. Islam is similar to most religions in that it provides a divine book with rules for how to interact with other people. It varies in one major aspect. Islam teaches that its followers have the duty to oppose governments if they think that the government is in opposition to the religious beliefs. And they are required if able to take physical action, verbal action, or at the very least moral action. This belief makes for a destabilizing influence since like most religious there are several factions in Islam with opposing views. This problem has more gas dumped on the destabilizing fire because Islam does not recognize a distinction between church and state.

These beliefs helped me to understand some of the turmoil in the Middle East. But to blame Islam for all the problems there is like blaming Christianity for tight binding underwear. By which I mean that it is any easy scapegoat. Seems like a lot of Muslims are like most other religious people. They want life to run smoothly, follow their beliefs without reprisal for it, and to live in relative peace. But there is a loud minority that gets all the media attention much like people shooting abortion doctors or burning down Planned Parenthood centers.

So, if you want a little history on Islam go for it. "Understanding Islam: An Introduction to the Muslim World" seemed fairly impartial and informative. But much like snow peas, I would have been just as happy with them on my plate as off my plate. Sweet peas are another story.

A great place to start your studies of Islam
This book was used as part of a class about understanding the Islamic world.It is a great place to start if you would like to be introduced to the basic concepts of the religion and the history.It is perfect for the lay-person who knows little or nothing about Islam.There is little bias in the book, though sometimes you can feel Lippman's admiration of certain aspects and his disgust at others.

A reader of this book could not say that he or she was educated in Islam, but a reader of this book would know enough to understand other books and sources.It also may point readers toward other areas of interest to study.

Islam Basics & Countries
Publsiher's Note: A little over thirteen centuries ago, the prophet Muhammad converted a few Arab desert tribes to the belief in a single god, Allah, thus founding the religion of Islam. Within a century, that belief had created one of history's mightiest empires - and today Islam continues to shape events around the globe. This comprehensive guide offers an informative and insightful introduction to Islam both as a religion and as a political-economic force. It tells the story of Muhammad - and the rise of Islam; outlines the sacred book, the Koran; explains "the five pillars of faith"; explores the interplay between religion and government; describes the differences that divide Islam; and, above all, shows the influence of Islam on world affairs. This SECOND revised edition provides crucial new material on the Islamic community today, including discussion of the Gulf War and the Salman Rushdie affair; the rise and ebb of fundamentalist fervor in Iran, Algeria, and elsewhere; and the relationships among different factions of the Islamic faith. There are also updated descriptions of internal politics in Syria, Egypt, Pakistan, and other Islamic nations. Complete with glossary, bibliography. and index.

Good Basics; Questionable Perspective
I agree with other reviewers that this is a good book (or tape) for understanding the basics of Islam. But if the book was, in fact, updated in 1995, one has to question the objectivity of the author, who says, e.g., of Wahhabism: "It is probably the most profound, and may yet prove to be the most beneficial, change that has supervened in Arabia since the preaching of Islam..." (p.153). ... Read more

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This is a study that digs deeply into this "other" slavery, the bondage of Europeans by north-African Muslims that flourished during the same centuries as the heyday of the trans-Atlantic trade from sub-Saharan Africa to the Americas. Here are explored--perhaps for the first time--the actual extent of Barbary Coast slavery, the dynamic relationship between master and slave, and the effects of this slaving on Italy, one of the slave takers' primary targets and victims.
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Customer Reviews (9)

Review
This book makes a very good attempt of analysing the scale and effect of Muslim slavery practised against the Europeans in the XV to XIX centuries.Although, as the author would be the first to accept, the data are culled from a variety of sources and are derived by correlating information, nevertheless it is more than enough to convince.

This is an important work as it rolls back the shutters of political correctness and gives an objective analysis of an important determinant of European history.Although Muslim slavery was relatively small compared to the wholesale transport of Africans to the New World (12 million), Davis has shown that approximately 1.25 million to 1.5 million Europeans were captured and enslaved by the Arabs and Ottomans.Most were men bound for the galleys; fewer were the women bound for the harems.Unlike the Pirates of the Caribbean whose aim was to steal treasure, Muslim piracy was targeted against people.Whole villages of Southern Europe were depopulated and trade and fishing became risky occupations.
This is a well written book and any student of Southern Europeaninternational relations would be well advised to read it.Christian Slaves, Muslim Masters: White Slavery in the Mediterranean, the Barbary Coast and Italy, 1500-1800 (Early Modern History)

Other slaves.
Much has been written about slavery in the Americas.The injustices and misery of the Black Africans will never be forgotten.However, there is little focus on other examples of "Mans inhumanity to Man".
Dr. Robert C. Davis, Professor of History at The Ohio State University, has brought another example to light.His documentation and research is vast.He tells how pirates of the Mediterranean and the Barbary Coast captured and enslaved a million or more whites from England, Europe and the Mediterranean countries from the year 1502, and continuedfor the next 400 years.
The stories in this book, peppered with researched historical facts, are very interesting and easy to read.Even more interesting is how this enslavement may well have changed the history of Europe.

politically incorrect history
This book covers the subject of a terrorist jihad, in the form of slavery, that took place by non-state agents for a period of 300 years. In that sense, it is applicable to the situation the Western world finds itself in again today. Davis provides throrough documentation of his sources, so this work is a good resource for those interested in pursuing further studies on the topic of Islamic enslavement of Christians.

Hmmm.Important but misleading.
1. It is an important book in chronicaling slavery throughout the world in the last 500 years.
2. However, it misleads the reader to think that slavery was the same throughout the world.Though evil is evil, it is important to recognize that different cultures had different rules, rules that could make or break a person.For example, Muslim slavery rarely involved the enslavement of a person for life, especially not that person's offspring. In most cases slaves could not even be sold from person to person and had several rights concerning family.
This marks a vital difference between their practice with slavery and the European practice of chattel slavery: where a person was a slave for life, had NO rights concerning family, and their offspring were immediately and forever the property of their enslaver.
3.The other problem with this book is that it suggests that the primary way that Muslims got European slaves was through raids.On the contrary, just like in Africa, raiding was a minor way of obtaining slaves.The truth is that the Europeans, like Africans, sold each other into slavery.There were various massive ports in Europe, such as Venice in Italy, that grew wealthy from the selling of other Europeans into slavery.

The Triumph Of Greed
This book illuminates an important dynamic of history.Africans were enslaving Europeans.Europeans were enslaving Africans.Africans were selling the members of competing African tribes to Europeans for enslavement.The constant in all this is greed.
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A must read for those who want to better understand religious relations in European History
Spain has roots from its conquest of the Moors nearly a thousand years ago. "Blood and Faith: The Purging of Muslim Spain" tells the story of the end of this chapter in Muslim history, as King Philip reclaims Spain as a Christian nation by ordering the Muslims to leave Spain, a place they had at that point called home for hundreds of years. A tragic tale of Christian and Islamic relations, "Blood and Faith" is a must read for those who want to better understand religious relations in European History.

After the Reconquest: Ethnic Cleansing
Victory was not enough. Once control was wrested from the Moors, the Spanish monarchs wanted a Christian country. Perhaps they believed they were doing God's work or perhaps they feared or hated the "other". Whatever the initial impetus, what began with a quest for religious purity devolved into acts of incredible cruelty.

Each element, such as the idea that silencing people equals converting them, to dehumanizing minorities to the stellar detachment of the officials who ultimately drafted the expulsion plans, has relevance for today. Carr has a good discussion of this at the end.

Carr shows how everyday people fared in this purge. There were winners and losers. There are almost no Morisco winners. Whether they left their homes in tears or with heads held high, the odds were heavily against a successful relocation. Carr tells individual stories. Many who left with little had clothes stolen off their backs and/or soon died of hunger or thirst. The wealthy were vulnerable to pirates and greedy transport providers. Many were sold into slavery.

Winners included those who purchased Morisco lands at bargain prices, those who stole from the fleeing Moriscos, those who owed money or property to Moriscos. Christian losers include those who relied on the Morisco labor (both manual and professional) and those who loaned Moriscos money. In the broader picture, Spain lost due to no longer having the cultural and economic contributions of the Moors and to public and international opinion.

Was the act of taking children from parents to raise them as Christians a humanitarian act?What of giving children under 4 the choice as to whether to say in Spain and live with Christian families or leave the country with their parents? Is a woman who marries and "Old Christian" or joins a convent to avoid expulsion a "winner"? What are the expectations that a coerced conversion is a sincere conversion? How was a large segment of the population, already "un" and undereducated to learn a new language without teachers?

Carr tells a stunning story. His avoidance of sensational terms makes it all the more compelling. He takes the broad concepts and shows many examples of how this played out in individuals lives.

I recommend this for all history readers interested purges/pogroms or this particular period of Spanish history.

A relevant read for today.
In the spring of 711 a general named Tariq Ibn Ziyad and an army of seven thousand Berber warriors raided the Iberian Peninsula.While some historians maintain that this excursion into Catholic Spain was a simple raid, in reality the raiders stayed and settled becoming a permanent part of the population.Thus began the creation of Muslim Spain and a legacy that lasted until 1609.Some would argue that the incursion into Spain nearly 1300 years ago by these Muslim raiders is still working itself out.

Thus begins Blood and Faith: The Purging of Muslim Spain by Matthew Carr.In a book that is timely and no less relevant today, Carr explains the dynamics that operated on the Iberian Peninsula where three religions openly worshipped.Christians, Jews, and Muslims managed to coexist and prosper and together created much of what we see today as Spanish Culture.While the Jews were initially welcomed into Spain, the Muslims fought their way in, the fact is that for a period of time all three religions existed in a spirit of tolerance.

Carr examines the expulsion of the Jews in 1492 and the impact it had on all of Spain, not just the Jews.This launched the Spanish Inquisition a time of unbelievable cruelty and hopelessness."Become a Catholic or face torture or expulsion"This same choice was provided to the Moors a little more than a century later.These conversions were not completely successful and a number of revolts throughout Spain occurred.

Carr does a wonderful job at explaining the complications involved in expelling a large percent of the population.The ties that linked the three faiths/cultures were often complex and not easy to define.Clothing serves as a case in point.For the Muslim women, clothing was a managed affair.For men, the issue was less defining.According to Carr both Muslim and Christian men could be found wearing the clothes of the other's culture.It was often impossible to merely look at a man and know which God he worshipped.

While the entire book is interesting, perhaps the most important chapter in the book is the Epilogue: A Warning from History?While both the expulsions of the Jews and the later expulsions of the Muslims was a cruel act, one can understand the pressures that the rulers felt at the time.While modern Spain has become more enlightened and more tolerant, that same feeling didn't exist in seventeenth century Spain.The tolerance of modern Spain can be seen in the country's reaction to the Madrid subway bombings in 2004.But the pressure to seek Muslim conversions to Catholicism with the intent to make assimilation easier is present even today.

Blood and Faith is a relevant read today made so by the events we read in the news almost everyday.

I highly recommend.

Peace always.
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For most Americans, September 11, 2001, symbolized the moment when their security was altered. For Middle Eastern and Muslim Americans, 9/11 also ushered in a backlash in the form of hate crimes, discrimination, and a string of devastating government initiatives. This book provides the first comprehensive analysis of the impact of the post-9/11 events on Middle Eastern and Muslim Americans as well as their organized response. Through fieldwork and interviews with community leaders, Anny Bakalian and Mehdi Bozorgmehr show how ethnic organizations mobilized to demonstrate their commitment to the United States while defending their rights and distancing themselves from the terrorists. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

A lucid introduction to a fascinating but little-known topic
I have been studying Syriac with Sidney Griffith for two years now. I will be getting into another specialty of his this coming year: Christian-Muslim relations in the early centuries of Islam. That is why I decided to read this book. As it happens, there was more hidden treasure in this subject than I had suspected. Christians did not just live silently under Muslim domination; they interacted with Muslims at the highest levels. There was a very fruitful mutual exchange of ideas for several centuries. Each community helped shape the way in which the other expressed itself, and even the topics each chose to address.

In view of the rancorous relations currently prevailing between certain segments of the Muslim and Christian/Western communities, both sides would benefit from doing as Dr. Griffith suggests toward the end of this book and re-examining the records of these interactions. Many of them show that it is possible for Muslims and Christians to have intelligent conversations about theological matters without the constant bitterness and recriminations that now poison the atmosphere between the two sides.

Disappointing pedantry
While the author may have excellent academic credentials, his writing is filled with run-on sentences and hyperactive footnotes that seriously mar the readability of the text. The book reads more like an annotated transcription of a series of lectures than a coherent work, and the repetitions of textual snippets and repetition of dates is highly distracting. I would suggest that the next time Dr. Griffith writes a book that he tries the novel concept of reading the material aloud, so he can discover just how badly his style and phrasing plays to others. I suggest that his series editors might try the same exercise.
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Conflicts and controversies at home and abroad have led Americans to focus on Islam more than ever before. In addition, more and more of their neighbors, colleagues, and friends are Muslims. While much has been written about contemporary American Islam and pioneering studies have appeared on Muslim slaves in the antebellum period, comparatively little is known about Islam in Victorian America. This biography of Alexander Russell Webb, one of the earliest American Muslims to achieve public renown, seeks to fill this gap.

Webb was a central figure of American Islam during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A native of the Hudson Valley, he was a journalist, editor, and civil servant. Raised a Presbyterian, Webb early on began to cultivate an interest in other religions and became particularly fascinated by Islam.While serving as U.S. consul to the Philippines in 1887, he took a greater interest in the faith and embraced it in 1888, one of the first Americans known to have done so. Within a few years, he began corresponding with important Muslims in India. Webb became an enthusiastic propagator of the faith, founding the first Islamic institution in the United States: the American Mission. He wrote numerous books intended to introduce Islam to Americans, started the first Islamic press in the United States, published a journal entitled The Moslem World, and served as the representative of Islam at the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago. In 1901, he was appointed Honorary Turkish Consul General in New York and was invited to Turkey, where he received two Ottoman medals of merits.

In this first-ever biography of Webb, Umar F. Abd-Allah examines Webb's life and uses it as a window through which to explore the early history of Islam in America. Except for his adopted faith, every aspect of Webb's life was, as Abd-Allah shows, quintessentially characteristic of his place and time. It was because he was so typically American that he was able to serve as Islam's ambassador to America (and vice versa). As America's Muslim community grows and becomes more visible, Webb's life and the virtues he championed - pluralism, liberalism, universal humanity, and a sense of civic and political responsibility - exemplify what it means to be an American Muslim. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A timely book
This look at the life of Muhammad Alexander Russell Webb, one of the first American converts to Islam, is well researched and written in a language that captivates one and takes you on a journey with Mr. Webb on his many travels. People in the West still view Islam as a late entrant to the scene in the US but as muslims continue to integrate in the American social life, one will read and hear (and see hopefully) more and more stories of how muslims have always been a part of the fabric of America. Some estimates say that almost 30% of the slaves brought over to the US were muslims and we have Alex Kronemer coming up with a documentary on the life a African slave who was a Prince and how he fought for and won his freedom after 40 years of slavery here to go back to Africa (The Prince among slaves). Dr. Abd-Allah is educated from Columbia, Cornell and the Univ. of Chicago and taught at King Abdul Aziz university in Saudia for 18 years. He has been back in the USA since 2000 and is the head of a non-profit organization called the Nawawi foundation based in Chicago which is dedicated to provide relevant, meaningful Islamic teachings to America's growing first and second generation Muslims - teachings firmly rooted in authentic scholarship and taught in a way that is dynamic and applicable to the modern world (See website www.nawawi.org). Dr. Abd-Allah is and has always been a voice of moderation amongst muslims scholars and is dedicated to more interfaith dialogue amongst people of various faiths. He has always been a proponent of peace and he has many Audio CD's out in the market dealing with various issues affecting muslims and has made his feelings on extremism and violence quite clear. Mr. Rubin needs to check his sources (if any) before making comments on Dr. Abd-Allah.



Read the book, you will like it. It is a book about a man of his times, who lived in a time of turmoil and great change in the USA, andshould interest any student of American and Islamic history.

A Muslim in Victorian America: The Life of Alexander Russell Webb
Abd-Allah, chair of the Chicago-based Nawawi Foundation, an organization promoting education about Islam, explores the life of Alexander Russell Webb (1846-1916), a convert to Islam who started some of the earliest U.S. Muslim periodicals.

Abd-Allah traces Webb's early life to look for his inspirations for his subsequent conversion. He grew up in upstate New York at the time of the Second Great Awakening, exposing him to an active theological discourse. The Civil War dominated his teenage years. Abd-Allah blames the religious establishment for "beat[ing] the drums" of war and suggests that the destruction wrought might have turned Webb against traditional religion. He also grew disillusioned with post-Civil War materialism and sought solace in other spiritual movements, opening the door to his eventual conversion to Islam. After years of activity in Missouri journalism and support for the Democratic Party, Webb received a presidential appointment to be consul in Manila.

While the Catholic church dominated the Philippines, Webb learned about Islam through Indian merchants and the writing of Indian Muslim intellectuals. It was not long before he converted to Islam. In 1891, he entered into correspondence with prominent Indian scholars and, the next year, resigned his post to travel around India to study and raise money to support a proselytizing mission in the United States. In 1893, he returned to the United States and established a mission and publishing center funded first by Indian and later Ottoman patrons. In 1901, he became the honorary Ottoman consul in New York.

Webb submerged himself in his new faith and wrote that, among Indian Muslims, he had found a society superior to Western civilization. Upon his return, he did not shy away from public lectures but found study circles and, especially, publishing a better investment of time. Eventually, though, neither Indian nor Ottoman patronage could keep Webb solvent. His missions collapsed under a mountain of debt.

Webb's story may have resonance with Abd-Allah, who converted to Islam after reading the biography of Malcolm X. Abd-Allah subsequently drifted from the Nation of Islam to radical Saudi interpretations of religion; for more than fifteen years he taught at King Abdul-Aziz University in Saudi Arabia. Like Webb, he is an American convert to Islam who seeks to propagate its spread.

While Abd-Allah produces a well-researched work, making full advantage of Webb's myriad papers and publications (but not State Department or presidential archives mentioning Webb's mission), his sympathy may lead him to avoid critical questions. What does Webb's abandonment of his diplomatic post say about the compatibility of Islam and U.S. government service, especially after his acceptance of work for a foreign government? Is propagation of Islam dependent upon foreign subsidy? How does Webb compare to those today who drift from liberalism to "spiritualism" and, then, immerse themselves in Islam? For this, the reader will have to wait for another author to examine Webb. For those following Abd-Allah's path, though, the narrative will provide solace.

Michael Rubin
Middle East Quarterly
Summer 2007

Webb could be called the founder of Amerin Islam
In 1887 Alexander Russell Webb was made the American counsul in the Phillipines, at the time a Spanish colony largely Roman Catholic, but with a Muslim minority. Mr. Webb apparently experenced the Muslim faith at this time and in 1888 he converted. Upon his return to the United States he became active in promoting the Muslim faith including the writing of articles and the creation of study circles in various cities.

Webb could well be called the father of the Muslim movement in America and he lived a life that reflected the best of what the Muslim religion could be. After his death in 1916, he was largely forgotten and the center of Muslim religion in the US moved to Noble Drew Ali in Chicago whose early writings implied that he knew or at least had heard of Webb. After Drew Ali's death the Muslim faith in American split into many factions.

This is the first ever biography of Webb. ... Read more

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“Why should an essentially ‘benign’ religion turn some into ‘demons’?” asked a Muslim journalist. It is a question that is at the heart of the Islamic debate. Alarmist claims are made about these ‘demons’, while the possibility of a peaceful Islam is dismissed. Many are confused about the religion’s contradictory faces. Is it possible for Christians to relate to Muslims without being politically naïve or theologically liberal? Steve believes it is. He shares his own journey and reflects upon how he arrived at the crucial ingredient - grace. ... Read more

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A Wonderful and Thoughtful Antidote to Our Hateful Times
Everyone who cares about this sadly battered world of ours should read Mr. Bell's wonderful book. Mr. Bell courageously goes against the current of Islamophobic fearmongering, presenting an artful discourse about Muslim-Christain dialogue based upon his years of real life experience in Islamic cultures.While I do not agree fully with Mr. Bell's missionary aspirations, I nevertheless hugely respect him for his good will and deeply-held spirituality.If everybody, Christians and non-Christians alike, followed his suggestions about building cross-cultural bridges, this would be a much better world.Thank you, Mr. Bell. ... Read more

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" Whenever people face sadness and tragedy then complimenting something that comes out of it becomes harder. This book provides the nation with a rich detailed lived history, which did not begin with September 11, 2001. It is an excellent compilation of events, reports and lived experiences. This documented collection of story will give readers a new chance to fill in the gaps within a historical context that Arabs and Muslims Americans have lived in. In the wake of the events of 9/11, since the tears flooded our faces, we have been forced to recount the events that created the bias and hostility toward Muslims, Arabs, and Islam. This book is a must read for those who are willing to consider the possibility that Arab and Muslim Americans should not become the scapegoats for the world''s disharmony." Dr. Sima Imam, Professor of Education at National Louis University, Illinois, and President of American Muslim Civil Rights.The increasing public's curiosity about the Arabs, Muslims and the Arab and Muslim Americans in the United States has been unprecedented. This book explains the phenomenon of stereotypes stigmatizing Arabs and Muslims, and how it has affected their lives, a phenomenon that demonized and dehumanized almost two billion people in this world." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Must Read

This book is an important document on American history. It is a must read for everyone. It should
required reading at schools and colleges in history, social studies and political science classes.
It has inspiring stories of many Arab and Muslim Americans that we need to know about.
It also does analyses where hatred come from and how we can deal with.
With detailed reports and documents the author does a great job of documenting what happened after 9/11 that affected many communities in the USA and worldwide.
Elaasar is a very enjoyable writer to read. A great story teller. I also enjoyed reading his other book THE LAST PHARAOH which was very revealing.
The author is obviously a committed advocate of tolerance, coexistence, human rights and presents a very human approach that's healing.
In this wonderful book, SILENT VICTIMS, the reader will learn about the phenomenon of stereotyping and scapegoating that has pervaded in our society.

Mohamed

A must read for everyone
I really did enjoy reading this book, cover-to-cover. It's very touching and very informative. It will change your ideas about a lot of things. The writer along with other expert contributors have done a great job bringing out all of these real moving stories. I would recommend this book for every human being who cares about other fellow human beings.

Aladdin rocks the roofs out
Mr.Elaasar has written a wonderful and splendid book. His effort to address the muslims is clear an adheres to many islamic beliefs. He an okay author who's debut novel is an instant classic. Mr. Elaasar has shown the skills he was gifted with, his book is also funny is many senses. Even the name "Aladdin" is funny and odd for an author. He play games in the book also. ... Read more