Islam and its World
Islam is the world’s second largest religion with 1.8 billion followers and a majority presence in 49 countries. It is related to Judaism and Christianity in its foundation as a Abrahamic faith, but it considers itself the completed and universal version of a faith that had been historically set forth by Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. The Qur’an, the unaltered and final revelation of God, is its scripture, its holy book. Details of the faith itself may be found in some of the introductory books we carry.
That said, Islam is also an intriguing historical religion. Its rise in Arabia in the 7th Century (Common Era - it is important to remember that, as with the Jews and many other cultures around the world, calendars are self-defined), its engine of power for the spread of Islamic Civilization across the Middle East, the Mediterranean World, and into Africa and Asia — all are crucial to understanding world history. Islam’s love of science and scholarship, its provocative theories of history, its art and literature — all are deep and complex and rewarding areas of study and commentary.
Islam is also caught up in the high passions and politics of contemporary times. An international web of resources, imperialism, colonialism, nationalism, and shifting alliances keep Islam ever before all peoples. Being a bookseller, I believe the more information, carefully chosen, the better. Hence this page, my gathering of books already stocked here at the store, and as always, a reflection of my paths of understanding Islam.
Global Islam: A Very Short Introduction
Global Islam: A Very Short Introduction
This book presents the first comprehensive survey of the multiple versions of Islam propagated across geographical, political, and cultural boundaries during the era of modern globalization. Showing how Islam was transformed through these globalizing transfers, it traces the origins, expansion and increasing diversification of Global Islam - from individual activists to organizations and then states - over the past 150 years.
Historian Nile Green surveys not only the familiar venues of Islam in the Middle East and the West, but also Asia and Africa, explaining the doctrines of a wide variety of political and non-political versions of Islam across the spectrum from Salafism to Sufism. This Very Short Introduction will help readers to recognize and compare the various organizations competing to claim the authenticity and authority of representing the one true Islam.