A serviceable overview, but readers seeking an informed study of Islam will want something meatier than this.
A timely gathering of articles and essays on a rapidly expanding, influential faith.
“Understanding Islam is . . . imperative to anyone wanting to make sense of living in the twenty-first century,” writes Islamist Akbar S. Ahmed in his introduction to this anthology, assembled by packagers Miller and Kenedi. Given recent world events, Ahmed’s claim seems entirely valid; with militant, fundamentalist Islam on the rise in many countries, with secular regimes there ever embattled, and with the seemingly rising conflict between the Western and Muslim spheres, knowing more about the religion and cultures of Islam is an incontestably good thing. This is a modest contribution toward that end, drawing on much-anthologized work by the likes of Bernard Lewis, Karen Armstrong, and V.S. Naipaul, among other well-credentialed contributors. The usefulness of this collection comes a sentence here, a sentence there, as when the great Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski notes in passing that “Shiites not only reject the authority of the caliphs, they barely tolerate any lay authority at all,” which helps explain the power of ayatollahs and imams in places like Iran and Lebanon, and as when Foreign Affairs editor Fareed Zakaria explains why militants have managed to have their way unopposed in so many hitherto moderate Islamic societies: “Moderate Muslims are loath to criticize or debunk the fanaticism of the fundamentalists. Like the moderates in Northern Ireland, they are scared of what would happen to them if they speak their mind.” Overall, however, Inside Islam will harbor no surprises for anyone who keeps up with the op-ed pages or who has taken a course in comparative religions.
A serviceable overview, but readers seeking an informed study of Islam will want something meatier than this.Pub Date: June 1, 2001
ISBN: 1-56924-568-1
Page Count: 262
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2002
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
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 “How 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
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.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
