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American
Reference Books Annual 2004
Reference Reviews, October 2003
Review
from: American
Reference Books Annual 2004
This book, like others in
The Reference Shelf series, is a collection of articles from both
scholarly and popular publications. Each section consists of three to five
articles on a particular aspect of Islam, including beliefs and practices,
women, democracy, other Abrahamic traditions, and western interpretations
of Islam. The introduction to each section gives an overview of the issues
considered and a summary of each article included in that section. The
index is very helpful. The well-prepared bibliography provides the reader
with many additional sources.
The
purpose of the book is to educate the reader about the various aspects of
Islam at a time when Islam is more feared than understood. The articles
are carefully selected to inform, but not to proselytize or dwell on
political controversies. The customs that are most likely to offend
western readers, such as female circumcision, are dismissed as part of a
culture, but not essentially part of the religion. Most of the articles
were written after the terrorist attacks of September 11th and
some of the authors are members of the Islam religion. The desire to
explain the difference between Islam and terrorism is evident. The concept
of a collection of articles seems, at first glance, to be outdated in this
age when full-text databases make so many articles available. However, the
quality of the selections and the excellent introductions unify the
articles. This book would make a useful addition to many collections,
especially for high schools and community colleges.
Review
from: Reference Reviews, October 2003
If ever a time existed when
students needed to be able to learn about and understand the Muslim World,
it would be this new century. Islam, the second largest religion, is
practiced by 1.3-billion people and it is the fastest growing faith. While
they have various orientations, Muslims live on six continents and are
found among all races. Because the current terrorists are Muslim
extremists, the picture of this faith remains misunderstood by most in the
West. It is certainly true that most Islamic nations are authoritarian
states and that the population, especially women, have little political
power or freedom. This volume presents the Quran as one of the world's
most remarkable texts. Chapters include "Introduction to Islam and
Its Practices," "Islamic Law," "Islam and Women,"
"Islam and Democracy," "Islam and Other Abrahamic
Traditions" and "Islam in the West." All are introduced
with an editor's introduction. This is an informative collection of essays
that concludes with a bibliography that lists books and articles with
abstracts. An essential purchase. |
