false 25307 14 Though it is the fastest-growing religion in the world, Islam remains shrouded in ignorance and fear for much of the West. In <i>No god but God</i>, Reza Aslan, an internationally acclaimed scholar of religions, explains this faith in all its beauty and complexity. Beginning with a vivid account of the social and religious milieu in which the Prophet Muhammad forged his message, Aslan paints a portrait of the first Muslim community as a radical experiment in religious pluralism and social egalitarianism. He demonstrates how, after the Prophet&#8217;s death, his successors attempted to interpret his message for future generations&#8211;an overwhelming task that fractured the Muslim community into competing sects. Finally, Aslan examines how, in the shadow of European colonialism, Muslims developed conflicting strategies to reconcile traditional Islamic values with the realities of the modern world, thus launching what Aslan terms the Islamic Reformation. Timely and persuasive, No god but God is an elegantly written account of a magnificent yet misunderstood faith. 4372 2005 No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam total:802|5:283|4:354|3:137|2:22|1:6| 802 3292 1448 219 5 9 false false Wed Aug 15 12:02:42 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 05 13:15:57 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 3 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Sep 16 05:49:43 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 01 04:48:32 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 2 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Mon Oct 22 08:51:54 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 22 08:53:15 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Dec 22 02:23:47 -0800 2007 Sat Dec 22 03:02:04 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon Jun 18 17:52:05 -0700 2007 Mon Jun 18 17:52:45 -0700 2007
this was a book that mike recommended to me, and it just so happened that our local library had a copy.

i think most of us in the 'west', and certainly a good number of us christians, like to think we know a bit abo...more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Thu Aug 23 07:49:34 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 23 08:08:40 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun May 24 03:22:02 -0700 2009 Mon May 25 23:54:32 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Jan 16 07:14:50 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 19 16:48:56 -0800 2009 1
This book is a great antidote to the kind of ridiculous rhetoric we see about "Islamofascism" (essentially a contradiction in terms, btw) as it explores the history of Islam, and how tha...more...]]> 0 1 false false Thu Jun 12 11:31:03 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 12 11:41:40 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Tue Nov 18 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Aug 26 20:54:21 -0700 2008 Tue Nov 18 11:53:55 -0800 2008 1
It's only in the last couple of years that I have taken the time to learn about Islam and how diverse the religion really is. Aslan's...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Jul 02 09:25:09 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 07 08:46:10 -0700 2008
Aslan, born in Iran and moved to the United S...more...]]> 4 0 false true Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon Jun 02 12:20:40 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 02 13:38:08 -0700 2008
The portion devoted to the history of ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu May 29 13:34:16 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 15 17:17:28 -0700 2008 Thu May 29 13:34:16 -0700 2008 I am moved by how beautiful quoted passages of the Quran. I think a book that addresses the text would make good compani...more...]]> 2 0 true false Fri Mar 14 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Mar 13 16:26:54 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 16 05:58:01 -0700 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Sat May 31 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jan 04 18:35:56 -0800 2008 Sat May 31 11:31:27 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 22 20:10:52 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 22 20:10:52 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Wed Aug 08 20:24:15 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 08 20:38:11 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jun 11 17:17:58 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 10 15:25:42 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Mon May 07 12:54:58 -0700 2007 Mon May 07 13:04:03 -0700 2007
It's exceedingly well written and accessible. It's concise and assumes know prior knowledge of Islam and yet between it...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Mar 09 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 24 04:27:49 -0800 2008 Thu Mar 13 08:30:29 -0700 2008 Conrad's review says more than I possibly could about this book. Nevertheless:

I found the book accessible, but not at all dumbed-down, and I am very glad to have read it. Not at all dry, not something to be taken for granted in what could be considered a history, however brief, of an e...more...]]>