Halal Monk: A Christian on a Journey through Islam

by Jonas Yunus Atlas

To acquaint himself with the soul of Islam J.Y. Atlas had openhearted conversations with influential Muslim scholars and artists. From Jakarta to New York, this Christian theologian met with imams and Sufis, academics and feminists, punkers and poets. The result is a book full of novel insights that will help us to transcend today's cultural and religious impasses.

Attempts of interfaith dialogue often stay away from the more difficult issues and remain somewhat superficial. With his 'Halal Monk' journey, Atlas wanted to go further. He wanted to get to the root of our current tensions. To do so, he spoke with people like Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad, Abida Parveen, Imam Feisal Rauf, Amina Wadud, Kudsi Ergüner, Muhammad Abdel Haleem, Musdah Mulia, Ziauddin Sardar, Amir Sulaiman, Mona Siddiqui, Aki Nawaz, Peter Sanders, Cyrus McGoldrick, Abdulwahid Van Bommel and many others.

This book collects his most fascinating dialogues at the intersection of culture, society and religion. In between those conversations, some extra light is shed on key concepts of the Islamic tradition and their relevance for today's debates.

Topics as diverse as quranic exegesis, islamic mysticism and islamic feminism are all treated in a nuanced manner. Difficult subjects like islamic fundamentalism and jihad, aren't circumvented but placed within their context and clarified. Aspects of the islamic faith like sharia and ijtihad are explained and juxtaposed with the Christian tradition.

'Halal Monk: A Christian on a Journey through Islam' is one of the most insightful and honest books on Muslim culture, spirituality and theology. A must read for anyone who wants to have a better grasp of the place of islam in the modern world.


** Praise for Halal Monk **

"Profound understanding among Muslims and Christians is critical for civil health of the 21st century, and this book points in a promising direction." - Rev. William E. Swing, Founder of URI and Former Episcopal Bisshop of California.

"The interviews and reflections in this book offer sensitive, clear and extremely interesting insights into Islam and Islamic thought. The opportunity to 'listen in' on the author's conversations is a distinct privilege." - Marie Dennis, co-president of Pax Christi International and former director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns.


** Table of Contents **

ON THE CROSSROADS OF TRADITION AND MODERNITY
Islam
Feisal Abdul Rauf on faith, fear and love
Iman
Cyrus McGoldrick on activism, identity and righteous anger
Ihsan
Peter Sanders on images of Islam

TRADITIONAL ESSENTIALS
Qur'an
Muhammad Abdel Haleem on the language of revelation
Sharia
Abdal Hakim Murad on authority within Islam
Sufiya
Kudsi Ergüner on the spiritual depth of Islam

NORMATIVE ISLAM
Adhan
Dr. D. Latifa on our religious subconscious, the problem of Petro-Islam and the disappearance of mysticism
Salam
Abida Parveen & Muazzam Fateh Ali Khan on the rhythmic heart of religion
Fana
Abdulwahid Van Bommel on Rumi and the secret of his Masnavi

CONSTRUCTIVE DISSENT
Hijab&lt

Genres: Islam

262 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 18, 2015

Reviews

[Shomeret · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw the title Halal Monk by Jonas Yunus Atlas in an e-book freebie list last month, it stood out for me. Theology is an abiding interest of mine. I consider myself a student of all religions. I wanted to know more about Islam as it is currently practiced. Atlas is a Christian who shares my interest in 21st century Islam. He had been conducting interviews with Islamic figures and posted them to his Halal Monk Website but decided to publish them in book form. When I first looked at the Amazon page for this book, I saw only one review from a reader who seemed rather close-minded. So I was determined to respond reflectively to this book.

Many of Atlas' interviewees are Sufis. I was very impressed by a Sufi Universal Worship Service that I attended a number of years ago. Perhaps this ceremony, which attempts to include all religions, contributes to the idea that Sufism isn't really Islamic. Though I understand that the Universal Worship Service is performed by only one lineage of Sufis. Dispelling the idea that Sufism is heretical is a focus of some of these interviews. Although some participants in Atlas' project wanted to promote the idea of Islamic diversity, others seemed to want to promote Islamic union. Yet the interfaith perspective of the Universal Worship Service promotes dialogue between religions which is crucial in the face of Western hostility toward Islam.

This is the most interesting non-fiction book that I've read so far in 2015. I recommend it to those who want to see a side of Islam that isn't well-represented in Western media.

For my blog version of this review see http://shomeretmasked.blogspot.com/20...