Islam Today: A Short Introduction to the Muslim WorldAlthough there are over one billion Muslims in the world, and over 10 million in the West, most discussion of Islam is based on clichés or outright prejudice. This lively and compelling book sets out to bridge the gulfs of misunderstanding. Islam, argues Akbar Ahmed, does not mean the subordination of women, contempt for other religions, opposition to the modern world or ‘barbaric punishments’ for petty crime. But outsiders can understand the realities of Islamic tradition only by explaining its sources. _Islam Today_ starts with the life of the Prophet Muhammad and the Qur’an’s five pillars which govern the beliefs and behaviour of Muslims everywhere. In both historical and political terms, the great Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal empires have deeply marked the successor states in Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and India. Ahmed's highly accessible text is an ideal introduction for non-Muslims and Muslims alike interested in the issues facing and raised by the Muslim world. |
What people are saying - Write a review
Islam today: a short introduction to the muslim world
User Review - Not Available - Book VerdictIslam is the fastest-growing world religion, with over ten million Muslims in the West. As their number increases, so do the misunderstandings and conflicts between Muslims and non-Muslims ... Read full review
Contents
| 1 | |
2 What is Islam? | 12 |
Empires and Dynasties | 52 |
Muslim Nations and Western Modernity | 96 |
5 Muslims as Minorities | 163 |
6 Islam in the Age of the Western Media | 216 |
Glossary | 238 |
| 241 | |
| 245 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Afghanistan Algeria Allah Arab architecture Asian Ataturk Ayatollah Ayatollah Khomeini Babar became British Bukhara caliph Central Asia century challenge Christian civilization corruption created culture democracy dynasty e´lite emphasized empire ethnic Europe European God’s hijab Hindu holy ideas identity images Imam important India Iran Iranian Jinnah Kabah Karbala Khadijah Khomeini land leaders look madrassah Mahal majority Makkah marriage Middle East million minority modern mosque mosque at Cordoba Mughal Muhammad Muslim community Muslim countries Muslim societies Muslim Spain Muslim world Muslims living nation non-Muslims ofIslam ofthe Ottoman Pakistan Persian political population prayer problems Prophet Quran Ramadan reflected religion religious rulers Rushdie Russians Saddam Safavids Samarkand scholars sense Shah Shah’s shariah Shia shrine social South Asia Soviet Stalin story Sufi Sufism sultan Sunnis Surah symbol Taimur Tajikistan television Topkapi traditional tribal Turkey Turkish Turks ulema verse West Western media women
Bibliographic information
| Title | Islam Today: A Short Introduction to the Muslim World |
| Author | Akbar S. Ahmed |
| Edition | revised |
| Publisher | I.B.Tauris, 1998 |
| ISBN | 0857713809, 9780857713803 |
| Length | 272 pages |
| Subjects | › › Religion / Islam / General Social Science / Islamic Studies |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |