Muslim Identities: An Introduction to Islam, by Aaron W. Hughes.
Hughes approaches Islam from the religious studies perspective (not necessarily from Islamics) and tries to steer a middle way between a theological introduction and a polemic against Islam. He shows the diversity of islams today and draws many important contrasts between traditional Islamic teachings (often exposing historical inaccuracies in Islam’s account of its origins) and how Muslims in different places diverge from those understandings. For Hughes, a ‘Muslim’ identity is something more created than it is inherited. I appreciate his ability to portray the complexity of Islam in a way that is not complicated, rather than simply homogenize Islam, which has been so common in books on Islam since 9/11.
I also like The Emergence of Islam: Classical Tradition in Contemporary Perspective by Gabriel Said Reynolds, and A New Introduction to Islam by Daniel Brown.
What is your favorite Intro to Islam, and why?
2 comments:
I very much like Call of the Minaret by Kenneth Cragg. Sometimes I recommend Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman by Watt. In the end, Islam is the psyche of Muhammad written large, cast across 14 centuries and over a billion souls.
"In the end, Islam is the psyche of Muhammad written large, cast across 14 centuries and over a billion souls."
That is the perspective that Hughes challenges in his introduction. His point is that we have little certainty on the Mohammed of history, and that Muslim identities are a fluid and flexible.
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