Islam in the World - Softcover

Ruthven, Malise

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1862079064 ISBN 13: 9781862079069

Publisher: Granta Books, 2006

Synopsis

Since September 11 2001 not a day passes without stories about 'Islam' - the religion of about one-fifth of humanity - appearing in the media. The terrorists who hijacked four American airliners not only unleashed a 'War on Terrorism' by the United States and its allies, leading to the removal of two governments in Afghanistan and Iraq, they also raised the profile of 'Islam' throughout the world as a subject for analysis and discussion. Those debates have been heated and passionate. Questions that were previously discussed in the rarefied atmosphere of academia have entered the mainstream. What is the 'law of jihad'? How is it that 'religion of peace' subscribed to by millions of ordinary, decent believers can become an ideology of hatred for an angry minority? Why has 'Islam' after the fall of communism become so freighted with passionate intensity? This book offers answers to these and many related questions, looking in turn at the exemplary life of the Prophet, the Quranic world-view, the evolution of the Sharia, and the emergence of sects and encounters with the west. A new final chapter looks at the post-9/11 world order.

About this title

About the Author

Malise Ruthven is the author of several books including A Fury For God (Granta 2002) and Islam: A Very Short Introduction. A former writer and editor with the BBC's External Services, he has taught and lectured widely in Britain and the United States on religion and the Middle East. He was written for TLS, and the Guardian, and divides his time between London and Normandy.

Edition details

• Publisher: Granta Books
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1862079064
• ISBN 13: 9781862079069
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 512