For those human being who are genuinely are trying to understand Islam the way it should be understood,free of bias and prejudice,the following book is a must read:
What Everyone Needs To Know About ISLAM
By
John L. Esposito
Dr. Esposito is a Professor of Religion and International Affairs at Georgetown University in Washigton DC area. He is also" the Founding Director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Walsh School of Foreign Service.
I have just finished reading the above book. It is worth every penny of the $ 21.95 I paid for purchasing it(Hard Cover). It is absolutely fascinating in its categorical division of the topics and subject matters. And it is even more fascinating in the ease in presenting the subject matters to the readers through questions and answers teaching techniques.
The book is divided into the following categorical divisions:
(1) General Information.
(2) Faith and Practice.
(3) Islam and Other Religion.
(4) Customs and Culture.
(5) Violence and Terrorism.
(6) Society,Pollitics,and Economy.
(7) Muslims in the West.
Each subject matter listed above is discussed in questions and answers technique. For example,let us take number (6) Customs and Culture,of the list given above. It covers 29 important questions for which 29 responding answers were immediately given beneath each question such as:
~ Why does Islam seperate men and women?
~ Are Women second class citizens in Islam?
~ What kind of roles did women play in early Islam?
~ Why do Muslim women wear veils and long garments?
~ Why aren't women allowed to work or drive in Islam?
~ Why do Muslim men wear turbans or caps?
~ Why do Muslim men wear beards?
~ Does Islam require circumcision?
The above questions should be enough to to give an idea about the kind of questions the book contained and immediately answered the question right below it. Let us take the first question of the above list of questions and give only the first paragraph of the detailed answer provided by the book:
Why does Islam seperate men and women?
"Many,though not all,Muslim societies practices some gender segregation-the separation of men and women-to various degrees, in public spaces such as mosques,universities, and the marketplace. Thus in many mosques men and women have seperate areas for prayer or are separated by a screen or curtain. Unmarried men do not mix with unmarried women outside of very specific context, such as family gatherings or a meeting between two potential spouses that occurs in the presence of a chaperone. Seclusion, which differs from the public segregation of the sexes, is the practice of keeping women within the home so that they have no contact with public space. Although gender segregation and seclusion are practice in some Muslim societies, in many Muslim countries, from Egypt and Tunisia to Malaysia and Indonesia, men and women, especially in the cities and towns, increasingly study and work together. In our modern, globalizing world, where two incomes are often necessary to maintain a household, women are increasingly joining the work forcee and breaking down the gender space"
That is only the first paragraph of the answer given to the above question. Anyone interested in reading the rest of the detailed answer should get it directly from the book. The answer given above is only an example to make the comprehension of the content of the book easy to grasp.
The beauty of this book is centered in the fact that if you have one single question about Islam you need not read the entire book to get the answer,rather you need only to locate the question in the book and get the answer immediately below the question you are interested in. It is so beautifully easy.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING THE ENTIRE BOOK AND iF YOU CAN AFFORD BUYING IT,BUY IT TO HAVE IT AS A GOOD REFERENCE IN YOUR HOME LIBRARY.
What Everyone Needs To Know About ISLAM
By
John L. Esposito
Dr. Esposito is a Professor of Religion and International Affairs at Georgetown University in Washigton DC area. He is also" the Founding Director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Walsh School of Foreign Service.
I have just finished reading the above book. It is worth every penny of the $ 21.95 I paid for purchasing it(Hard Cover). It is absolutely fascinating in its categorical division of the topics and subject matters. And it is even more fascinating in the ease in presenting the subject matters to the readers through questions and answers teaching techniques.
The book is divided into the following categorical divisions:
(1) General Information.
(2) Faith and Practice.
(3) Islam and Other Religion.
(4) Customs and Culture.
(5) Violence and Terrorism.
(6) Society,Pollitics,and Economy.
(7) Muslims in the West.
Each subject matter listed above is discussed in questions and answers technique. For example,let us take number (6) Customs and Culture,of the list given above. It covers 29 important questions for which 29 responding answers were immediately given beneath each question such as:
~ Why does Islam seperate men and women?
~ Are Women second class citizens in Islam?
~ What kind of roles did women play in early Islam?
~ Why do Muslim women wear veils and long garments?
~ Why aren't women allowed to work or drive in Islam?
~ Why do Muslim men wear turbans or caps?
~ Why do Muslim men wear beards?
~ Does Islam require circumcision?
The above questions should be enough to to give an idea about the kind of questions the book contained and immediately answered the question right below it. Let us take the first question of the above list of questions and give only the first paragraph of the detailed answer provided by the book:
Why does Islam seperate men and women?
"Many,though not all,Muslim societies practices some gender segregation-the separation of men and women-to various degrees, in public spaces such as mosques,universities, and the marketplace. Thus in many mosques men and women have seperate areas for prayer or are separated by a screen or curtain. Unmarried men do not mix with unmarried women outside of very specific context, such as family gatherings or a meeting between two potential spouses that occurs in the presence of a chaperone. Seclusion, which differs from the public segregation of the sexes, is the practice of keeping women within the home so that they have no contact with public space. Although gender segregation and seclusion are practice in some Muslim societies, in many Muslim countries, from Egypt and Tunisia to Malaysia and Indonesia, men and women, especially in the cities and towns, increasingly study and work together. In our modern, globalizing world, where two incomes are often necessary to maintain a household, women are increasingly joining the work forcee and breaking down the gender space"
That is only the first paragraph of the answer given to the above question. Anyone interested in reading the rest of the detailed answer should get it directly from the book. The answer given above is only an example to make the comprehension of the content of the book easy to grasp.
The beauty of this book is centered in the fact that if you have one single question about Islam you need not read the entire book to get the answer,rather you need only to locate the question in the book and get the answer immediately below the question you are interested in. It is so beautifully easy.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING THE ENTIRE BOOK AND iF YOU CAN AFFORD BUYING IT,BUY IT TO HAVE IT AS A GOOD REFERENCE IN YOUR HOME LIBRARY.
