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Religious Book Store > Religious books beginning with U
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Understanding Islam: An Introduction to the Muslim World, Second Edition |
Author: Thomas W. Lippman
Published: 1995-09-01 |
List price: $14.00
Our price: $11.20
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Customer comments on this selection.
 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).
This is the sort of book "newbies to Islam" should read
There's a lot of money to be made these days publishing spurious "information" about Islam and Muhammad. How good it is to see this dispassionate, factual, objective, and pre-9/11 book is still in print! I recommend it highly to those who've only read the sort of books coming from Robert Spencer or Serge Trifkovic which appeal to post-9/11 anxieties, fears, and prejudices against Islam, as well as to those who share my concern for the long-term effects of such propaganda.
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