Living Islam: From Samarkand to Stornoway

by Akbar Ahmed

Recent political upheavals such as the disintegration of the Soviet Union and international crises such as the Salman Rushdie affair, the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), the Gulf War and 'ethnic cleansing' in Bosnia raise questions about the nature of Islam and its relationship with the West that need urgent consideration. Islam is the dominant world religion, followed by more than a fifth of the world's population, and Muslims today cover the world, from Samarkand in Central Asia to Stornoway in Scotland. But what is Islam? Its history? Its culture? Its values? Akbar S. Ahmed, one of the world's leading scholars on Islam, answers these fundamental questions. He examines the conflict between Islam and the ideologies of the West and the particular problems Muslims face in the modern world. He considers three great Muslim empires, the Ottomans, the Safavids and the Mughals, and three modern Muslim nations, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan, which are inspired by them. He looks at the pressures, conflicts and practices of Muslims living as minorities, whether in India, Israel, the USA or the United Kingdom, including the impassioned issue of racism. The grounding upon which the Muslim family, the key element in Islamic life, is built, and the biased portrayal in the West of Muslim women's subjugated position, are comprehensively discussed. In the final chapter, he looks at the future of Islam and considers where the key to a more peaceful and co-operative future lies. Living Islam is a deeply thoughtful and accessible book which will help to dispel Western prejudices and lead to a much greater understanding of and respect for Islam.

Genres: Islam, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1994

About the author

Akbar Salahuddin Ahmed, is a Pakistani-American academic, author, poet, playwright, filmmaker and former diplomat. He currently holds the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies and is Professor of International Relations at the American University in Washington, D.C.Immediately prior, he taught at Princeton University as served as a Visiting Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He also taught at Harvard University and was a Visiting Scholar at the Department of Anthropology. Ahmed was the First Chair of Middle East and Islamic Studies at the US Naval Academy, Annapolis, and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. In 2004 Ahmed was named District of Columbia Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. A former Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland, Ahmed was a member of the Civil Service of Pakistan and served as Political Agent in South Waziristan Agency and Commissioner in Baluchistan. He also served as the Iqbal Fellow (Chair of Pakistan Studies) at the University of Cambridge. An anthropologist and scholar of Islam. He completed his MA at Cambridge University and received his PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. He has been called "the world's leading authority on contemporary Islam" by the BBC.

Reviews

[N R · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhat biased. Reads like a justification of practices that have received criticism. Not enough distance and inquiry to be taken seriously. (But informative in parts).