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Guide Picks - 9 Top Books on Islam |
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What is Islam? Is Islam opposed to democracy and human rights? Are there good reasons to reject Islam and its theological claims? To what extent have politics and economics influenced the development of Islam in the Middle East? The books here answer those questions and more, presenting a critical and scholarly perspective.
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1) Why
I Am Not a Muslim
Are there good reasons to reject Muslim claims and Islamic theology? Ibn
Warraq thinks so, and offers a wide array of arguments to refute basic
Muslim assertions about Islamic faith, theology, history and more.
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2) Islam
and Democracy
Although democracy has taken hold in the West as a dominant form of government,
the same has not happened in Muslim nations in the Middle East. Why is
that - is there something inherent in Islam which prevents democratic
development?
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3) Beyond
the Veil
How are women really treated in Islam? Many Muslims argue that Islam gives
women a good status and even that Islam was an improvement for women over
what they experienced previously. But many others argue that women are
treated badly by Islam and have an inferior status. Who is right?
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4) Islamic
Mysticism: A Secular Perspective
Islam so often seems like a harsh religion dominated by rigid rules, unpleasant
severity and unthinking - even fanatical - beliefs. So why are many Westerners
attracted to it? What is appealing about Islam, and are people justified
in being drawn to it? Ibn Al-Rawandi takes a closer look at this phenomenon
and explains it from his own personal and secular perspective.
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5) Jihad
in the West
Is there any real relationship between the Muslim military campaigns of
previous centuries and the recent terrorism campaigns? Paul Fergosi argues
that there is - both are reflections of a fundamental antagonism to the
non-Muslim world, and in particular to the economically and militarily
powerful West.
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6) Rage
Against the Veil
What is it like to live as a
woman in a strict Islamic society? Or better yet, what is it like to live in such
a society when you are a well-educated, talented, politically active, and self-assured
woman who knows what she wants in life?
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7) Warriors
of the Prophet
In what ways have the West and Western attitudes contributed to the development
of Islamic fundamentalism in the world? Most people have no idea that
such a contribution has even been made, much less what it might be. Even
worse, they are unaware of how those contributions have shaped Muslim
attitudes towards the West.
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8) Islamic
Leviathan
Politically speaking, what is the attraction of Islam to leaders and activists
in the Middle East? This is not a question about why people are or become
Muslims, because it is not a question about the religious attraction of
Islam. Instead, it is about why Islam is politically attractive, and why
a State would adopt Islam as a basis for public policy.
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9) The
Quest for the Historical Muhammad
Politically speaking, what is the attraction of Islam to leaders and activists
in the Middle East? This is not a question about why people are or become
Muslims, because it is not a question about the religious attraction of
Islam. Instead, it is about why Islam is politically attractive, and why
a State would adopt Islam as a basis for public policy.
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