Inside Islam: The Faith, the People and the Conflicts of the World's Fastest Growing Religion

Rating:
Summary: A cross- sampling of views
Review: I think the intro by Akbar Ahmed articulates best that there will always be a debate as to why certain authors works were included in this book. I personally like the sections from Huston Smith, Akbar Ahmed, Thomas Cleary and Michael Wolfe.
The sections I find the most problematic were Women in Islam by Geraldine Brooks and to some degree "Why they hate us" by Fareed Zakaria. Ms. Brooks's essay deals with a family conflict which ends up in murder. For someone who want's know about Islam this is hardly the place to start. Similarly Mr. Zakaria is obective and presents some good information of "why they hate us", but there is a big problem in how eg he refers to the Quran. I will not even repeat what he says, but this is nothing but poisonous.

If someone does not know too much about Islam I would say tread with caution. If you want to get a sampling and decide which books to read further then obviously this is a one way to do it.

Rating:
Summary: A well rounded compilation of essays, politically correct.
Review: I was pleasantly surprised to find that the articles were both dignified and for the most part objective. A novice in my study of the Muslim faith, I found this book to be enlightening and informative.

However, I found what I believe to be crucial questions about the foundations of Islam to be unanswered, (for those of us who want to think the best of the Islamic faith). First, if (according to the Quaran and the Nation of Islam,) all White men are evil, how is it that we are "redeemable" at all? Does this explain the fundamentalist position that we are the infidel that needs to be destroyed? Of course, I realize that not all practicing Muslims believe this, but I would question my faith if such a system supported a notion so extreme. Is there a New Testament of sorts in the Q'ran that clarifies this, or are we all doomed?

Secondly, I would find it insulting to be called a nominal Christian, or a moderate. I am either a follower of Christ, or I am not. Recently, Muslims seem to want to be identified as "moderates". Is this a political position for fear of persecution, or to disquise a higher goal, which many fear?

Furthermore, the sensationalist rehetoric of the lead minister of the Nation of Islam does not go unnoticed, any more than that of other extremists who claim to want peace and equality. Many misguided souls blindly trusted Hitler, Lenin, and Jim Jones. Unfortunately such cases, the threat of death always follows the apostate. Who would choose such an oppressive life? How does the average Muslim account for such atrocious human rights violations supported by their holy book? A person's life must be consistent with his or her faith, or it is not true faith at all. Constantine smeered the Christian faith by forcing it upon his constituants. Islam punishes lack of loyalty with death. If your faith is inconsistent with your values and lifestyle, then perhaps your faith is misguided, but the Muslim religion tolerates no such disloyalty. Out of necessity it seems, moderate cells are cropping up all over the place. This is the part that many do not understand. To this day, all over the world, people are converted at the point of the sword. If one's faith is true, shouldn't he trust God to bring about a person's salvation in spirit and in truth? Political correctness will never address these problems.

There is a conflict that arises as the values of one's faith are juxtaposed against that of another, and underlying principles (such as true respect for women as God's creation, and Salvation through God's love and grace, and not merely anything we have done or can do to earn it)that we are asked not only to narrow our thinking, but to comprimise our values.

Personally, I have found that learning about other faiths and cultures solidifies and/or challenges my own. This is a good thing. "Inside Islam" does a fine job of contributing to such a goal. I'm just not sure that the world is ready to be as sympathetic with a militant religion as it is with the people who seem to be suffering so much under it-one that is notoriously cruel to it's most vulnerable people, the women and children.

Is it the capitalist's fault for the poverty of entire nations, or the greed of the few at the top who refuse to share their bounty with the rest? This issue was covered nicely in Inside Islam, "Why they hate us". People of all faiths have been guilty of using and abusing others in the name of their God. The crucial point is what the foundations of the religion are.

My goal in reading this book was to discover just what those foundations are. I discovered a complexity of philosohic thought about the Muslim faith and the culture of Islam, some of which bordered on justification of human rights violations based upon the secular idea of cultural relativism, and sympathy for the victims of abuse in the name of Islam. I share in the sympathy.

Another no less informative resource worth reading is "Behind the Veil...Unmasking Islam",written by Abd El Schafi.
This book directly quotes the Quran and through interviews with the most respected Islamic Scholars, builds consensus for what the real "creed" of the Islamic religion is, concerning women, "apostates", slavery (sexual and otherwise), marriage, prostitution, and divorce, attitudes toward nonmuslims, and the militant nature of the religion as the method by which fundamentalists (such as the Taliban)spread their faith. This book is not politically correct, but no less compassionate as a result.

Rating:
Summary: Fourteen accessible, insightful essays
Review: Inside Islam is edited by John Miller and Aaron Kenedi and provides fourteen accessible, insightful essays by many of the world's prominent writers and historians, each of whom address the subject of Islam and its beliefs. Essential to an understanding of the region's sentiments and conflicts and especially recommended for young adult readers.