THE DAWN OF ISLAMIC LITERALISM

A meticulous, scholarly introduction to Islamic literalism, specifically designed for a Western readership.

Butta’s (The Jewish People and Jesus, 2010) latest effort attempts to provide a “one-stop introduction for people who want to know more about Islamic literalism.” Literalists, he writes, fundamentally interpret the Quran as an authoritative guide for all human affairs; some even adhere to a dangerous, politicized version of Islam. The book is intended specifically for curious Westerners who have little knowledge about Islamic studies. To this end, the author strives to present his study in an easy-to-understand style. He examines sections of Quranic text in chronological order, and this innovation alone makes the Quran considerably more accessible. For each section, Butta selects a key text, analyzes it from a theological and historical perspective, and then offers an illuminating “Western analysis,” which considers how each teaching guides Islamic literalists’ interaction with the Western world. For example, one startling account addresses how Islamic antipathy to non-Muslims may be rooted in the belief that “Allah left non-Muslims in error and led them astray so non-Muslims might feel terror and fear.” The prose is always lucid, and the scholarly analysis, though painstaking, is genuinely easy to follow. Butta often makes clear his own misgivings about fundamentalist Islam (“One must wonder if Muslim women would still choose Muhammad over Jesus of the New Testament if they could read the New Testament and make up their mind without fear of being beaten or killed.”), and readers might have been interested in hearing more about “strictly cultural Muslims who reject Political Islam.” Nevertheless, the book’s overall presentation is reliably evenhanded and rigorous.

An accessible primer to Islamic ideology for the uninitiated.