Journey to the End of Islam

by Michael Muhammad Knight

In Journey to the End of Islam, Michael Muhammad Knight — whose work has led to him being hailed as both the Jack Kerouac and Hunter S. Thompson of American Islam — wanders through Muslim countries, navigating between conflicting visions of his religion. Visiting holy sites in Pakistan, Syria, Egypt, and Ethiopia, Knight engages both the puritanical Islam promoted by Saudi globalization and the heretical strands of popular folk Islam: shrines, magic, music, and drugs. The conflict of “global” and “local” Islam speaks to Knight’s own experience approaching the Islamic world as a uniquely American Muslim with his own sources: the modern mythologies of the Nation of Islam and Five Percenters, as well as the arguments of Progressive Muslim thinkers for feminism and reform.

Knight’s travels conclude at Islam’s spiritual center, the holy city of Mecca, where he performs the hajj required of every Muslim. During the rites of pilgrimage, he watches as all variations of Islam converge in one place, under the supervision of Saudi Arabia’s religious police. What results is a struggle to separate the spiritual from the political, Knight searching for a personal relationship to Islam in the context of how it's defined by the external world.

Genres: Islam, Religion, Nonfiction, Memoir, Travel, Spirituality, Philosophy

378 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Michael Muhammad Knight (born 1977) is an American novelist, essayist, and journalist. His writings are popular among American Muslim youth. The San Francisco Chronicle described him as "one of the most necessary and, paradoxically enough, hopeful writers of Barack Obama's America," while The Guardian has described him as "the Hunter S. Thompson of Islamic literature," and his non-fiction work exemplifies the principles of gonzo journalism. Publishers Weekly describes him as "Islam's gonzo experimentalist." Within the American Muslim community, he has earned a reputation as an ostentatious cultural provocateur.

He obtained a master's degree from Harvard University in 2011 and is a Ph.D. student in islamic studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Reviews

[Murtaza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting travelogue by a relatively self-aware white Muslim convert through the Islamic world. Knight appears to have been a misfit in the world of white American suburbia, and has again become a misfit in the world of the Islamicate; excoriating both in relatively biting fashion although still settling as a Muslim today. I really liked his observations on Pakistan; particularly the ongoing fetishization of anything Western (even if its objectively inferior) as a lasting remnant of "the fear" (to quote Wallace Fard Muhammad) put in them by colonialism.

He also has some fairly moving observations of hajj, likening it to a trial run of judgement day, as well as Islamic practices which some may say amount to ancestor worship (even I've thought this in the past) and even water worship, but could be thought of as easily as a worship of life and its own miraculous improbability. These are pretty beautiful and transcendent thoughts; not just anyone could have written this. I also felt as though I could relate to him, viewing Islam as an oppositional culture (he came to it through Malcolm X, as so many people have). He is also able to see its shortcomings, both historically and in the modern world, and seems to write of them with genuine pain. At one point he makes a fairly moving comparison of his Islam to being like ones relationship with their parents; first seeing them as superheroes who can do no wrong, then seeing their failures and hypocrisies and rebelling, and finally looking at them in full context and appreciating them for what they are.

As I alluded to at the beginning, Knight is also acutely self-aware, something that saves him from potential disaster in this book, and doesn't become the white guy who converted to Islam to take it over and point out all its shortcomings and/or benefits. While the book alternates between dropping knowledge and being a bit rambly, comes off as generally a good guy, often funny, occasionally brilliant, and deeply sincere. He also really seems to love his fiance, a running theme in the book which also serves as a testament to its earnestness.

[Booknerd Fraser · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting if somewhat disjointed account of a visit to Pakistan and a pilgrimage to Mecca, by an oddball white American Muslim. I could read it with two eyes. The anthropological eye saw the faith of a person who grew up in my modern multicultural America, with a multitude of influences both high and pop culture. And he's certainly opinionated. The rational eye saw someone who accepted just about every faith he ran across regardless of the age of tradition and who spent far too much time attacking himself for doubt. But it was all interesting.

[Michael Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book. Part memoir, part anthropology, part history of religion. It starts slow in Pakistan, and finishes in with intense emotional rollercoaster rides, finally slowing down in a melancholic realisation at the end of Hajj in Mecca. The author combines his understanding of Islam with unexpected analogies from Star Wars, or comparisons between Osama Bin Laden as the Joker in Batman The Dark Knight, he muses on the Transformers fighting in a spiritual Islamic battle, he references Ismailis, Alevis, his love for Shiasm, his syncretism of Nation of Islam's Supreme Mathematics, and the story of Yakub. Its all such a crazy journey ride. I really love it. I can totally relate to this book as a religious syncretist, and have never read a work about Islam like I have from this man. People may call him a heretic or a disbeliever, but I love how he writes. And I do not care if his religion is "authentic" or not.

I'm amazed by his ability to synthesising of Islamic references to Western culture like Star Wars, Tawhid as the Force; Osama Bin Laden as Batman’s Joker; Sigur Ros' made-up Hopelandic language compared to Amharic Christian hymns; Prophet Muhammad as seemingly anarcho-punk but not so; and the Tranformers hovering around Kaaba. The author is really creative and I respect him for that. He takes these disparate things and blends them into one thing thus making a completely new thing. He’s even putting the Yoda into the shahada.

I love it. Amazing. Postmodern Islam.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not everyone's cup of tea to be sure - the author being a blue-eyed follower of an offshoot of the Nation of Islam. Moreover, there's a stream of consciousness quality to the writing (some digressions, flashbacks, etc.), along with a hip-hoppy tone, and frequent use of Muslim terms that are never explained to the general reader (rakat, du'a, etc.), though can be inferred. So ... why would I recommend it? Knight is a westerner; as he says to one guy in Mecca who criticizes him for not changing his name: "I didn't convert to being an Arab!" In other words, he's even-handed about his positive and negative encounters, neither complaining all the time, nor fawning. He comes off as a bright, though eccentric, young man, who (in spite of the all the hip-hop) expresses himself well.

[Saeed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although at times abrasive, MMK's insight into Islam is eye-opening. This is a voice we need in Islam to wake us up to the realities of the religion and the way it is practiced. Enjoyed it thoroughly.

[Irwan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honest.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

As somewhat of a freethinking Muslim convert I really enjoyed the author's portrayal of Islam as it really is not as people want to see it.

[Saleem Sulfikhar]

istaghfirullah :). Michael's writing is too irreverent and blasphemous at times that it hurt the passionate muslim in me. He is also too honest in putting down his feelings that it woke the doubtful muslim in me, the doubtful muslim that pops us occasionally and is suppressed without giving proper thought.The best thing about the book is that it portrays the duality of modern muslim personality who tries to come to terms with the incongruences of his religion and the modern world. 'Islam is the tension between truth and its illustration', he puts it. The disjoint stream of consciousness narrative makes the reading tedious, but it works good at some places. Many observations and arguments are half-baked. So is the humorous undertone of the writing at many place. He spends a lot of pages in writing about the 'punk bands /punk islam' but do not give much background for the readers to get a clear picture. His discussions about Shia-sunni divide , shia historiography , Ka'ba, comparison between Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Arabi are very interesting and the way he narrates these stands out from the 'lazy writing' employed in the rest of the book. The Nation of Islam and Five Percenters part of the book are so boring and seemed irrelevant ,though it was informative. Couldn't appreciate the irreverence in writing, especially when he deals with Allah, Prophet and Quran, though you could call it a honest portrayal of the feelings of a doubtful muslim.

[Peter Certo · Rating 4 out of 5]

a well-written and thoughtful engagement with a complex set of traditions. knight embarks on a fascinating tour through islam as practiced in its "orthodox" saudi variety as well a host of more eccentric local traditions in pakistan, syria, ethiopia, and the united states. especially interesting is his constant reflection on how (and whether) he can engage with different elements of the tradition while still engaging with something fundamentally "islamic" -- and if so, what is that? it helps to have some background in islamic studies or knight's other works to keep up with his references.

took me a good while to get through this one for some reason -- maybe because it never sustains a singular narrative for long? -- but on balance it was much more cohesive than some other stuff i've read by him. the hajj section in particular was excellent.

[Tristan Broomhall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Muhammad Knight's writing is of special interest to me because I'm also a western convert, but I would recommend this even for a non-Muslim reader. He's brutally honest and constantly questioning his own religion, something that's unique and refreshing, and he's open minded enough to write passionately on any aspect of the faith, whether it's Shia saints, ganja smoking Sufis, hardline Sunnis or just some Muslim punk kids trying to play a gig in Islamabad. A refreshing read that reaffirms my view of Islam as a vibrant, diverse and accepting faith for the 21st century.

[Frater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book full of real world experience. The honesty about Islam and Muslims, cuts through the middle of the typical debate between Islamic apologetics and haters of Islam. A excellent look at the variations of Muslims around the world. Great insight into the mind of a modern Muslim looking for his faith and a journey into self realization.

[Yasmin]

I made it half-way through. It's about an American convert to Islam who decides to travel around the Muslim world and expose himself to different varieties of Islam. I found it interesting but slow reading. I hope to pick it up again later.

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

truly fascinating. not for the faint of heart in the ummah but an interesting journey through an american revert's life in islam, both in and out of the country. a beautiful portrait of the multifaceted and complex reality of what islam actually is. a wonderful read!

[Zack · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-83...

[Taryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

adult white convert to islam

[Cal Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow. the best thing i have read in too long.

[Haris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious. Crazy. But also, so real.

[Bengt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth reading just Book 2, but it'd be 100% better if he got rid of 50% of the 5% nation nonsense.

[lita]

Kiriman