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WHEN ISLAM IS NOT A RELIGION

Name: WHEN ISLAM IS NOT A RELIGION
Author: Asma T. Uddin
ISBN: 978-1-64313-131-3

INSIDE AMERICA'S FIGHT FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

by Asma T. Uddin ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 9, 2019

An intriguing and heartfelt read.

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A reasoned yet impassioned argument for religious liberty for all.

Religious liberty attorney Uddin works from the concern that many Americans do not consider Islam to be a religion worthy of normal liberties or, worse, not a religion at all but an ideology or radical movement. Her overarching argument is that in treating Islam differently from other religions, the courts endanger religious rights for all Americans. While acknowledging that radicals in other nations have adversely affected the opinions of many Americans against Muslims, the author counters with various statistics that most American Muslims are not only law-abiding citizens, but also patriotic and increasingly progressive in their worldviews. Despite this, they continue to be targets of bullying, hostility, and organized opposition. From slurs and attacks on the street to broad-based movements to stop the construction of mosques and other Islamic centers, Muslims, and their liberties, are at constant risk. In dedicated chapters, Uddin tackles such particular issues as Sharia and the use of hijab, and she decries anti-Sharia legislation as adding “no value” to the legal system because they misinterpret Sharia. “Even in states where Muslims want a sharia-based legal code,” writes the author, “what they are asking for is not beheadings and amputations, but justice and fairness.” Similarly, she defends the hijab as a form of self-expression and not a symbol of oppression against women. Throughout, Uddin points to political conservatives as the enemies of American Islam and, unwittingly, as the potential undoing of all religious liberties. Nevertheless, she does not spare from criticism progressive voices who, while defending Muslims, actually hope to reform and Westernize the religion and see it as peopled by “good” or “bad” Muslims. The author laces her work with personal stories of growing up and living as a Muslim in America, explaining it as a source of empowerment despite the prevalence of bigotry and suspicion from fellow citizens.

An intriguing and heartfelt read.

Pub Date: July 9, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-64313-131-3

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Pegasus

Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019

Categories:

PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION

ROSE BOOK OF BIBLE CHARTS, MAPS AND TIME LINES

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ROSE BOOK OF BIBLE CHARTS, MAPS AND TIME LINES

by Timothy Paul Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2005

Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.

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A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.

This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is â€œHow We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.

Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005

ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8

Page Count: -

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION

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THE MYTH OF SISYPHUS

AND OTHER ESSAYS

by Albert Camus ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 1955

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This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.