The State We Are In: Identity, Terror, and the Law of Jihad

by Aftab Ahmad Malik, Tahir Abbas (Introduction), H.A. Hellyer (Contributor)

This anthology analyzes the crucial contemporary issues and challenges facing the Muslim minority in the West from a range of theological and sociological perspectives. Focusing on the recent London terrorist bombings in July 2005, it examines verses from the Koran used by terrorists to justify terrorist attacks and concludes with a comprehensive fatwa against suicide bombings and the targeting of civilians. Including a detailed glossary, this collection of essays from renowned Muslim scholars draws upon both the classic Islamic intellectual discourse and current social and cultural observations.

Genres: Islam

159 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2006

Reviews

[Hamza]

Like most collections of essays by different authors, this one is slightly uneven. All of them are good, but some are slightly better than others. In any case, they prove the point behind the book's compilation quite succinctly. Special mention has to be made for David Dakake's excellent essay and of course Shaykh Afifi al-Akiti's classic fatwa at the end (though the latter had far too many Arabic legal terms that would not be known to the average reader, and the glossary at the end is not as helpful as one would think). Shaykh Hamza Yusuf also steps up to the plate as usual. All in all, a good read.