One doesn’t have to look very far to find misconceptions and unawareness about Islam.
When Mitt Romney stands in front of the RNC and blathers something about jihad that belies a political stance filled to the brim with conflagration and injudicious theory, ignorance about Islam is in top gear. When slews of atheistic writers whinge and grouse about a fatwa regarding Salman Rushdie, ignorance about Islam is in top gear. And when Muslims characteristically show up as the villains in Hollywood movies, ignorance about Islam is in top gear.
America began its relationship with Islam on uneven ground, to be sure. With most Americans meeting the Muslim faith for the first time in the 1970s with the Iranian hostage crisis and Ayatollah Khomeini’s barking mad preface to the American media, things weren’t off to a great start. As such, the American public equated Islam with Khomeini and equated the anti-American violence with Islam. The perception persists to this day and the events of September 11, 2001 did little to quash the notion.
With an enemy in “Islam” as the public understands it and Islamophobia ever on the rise, the time for lucidity is long tardy. It is true that anyone with a will to learn can find out the truth about Islam, about Muslims, and about the practices of this often beautiful faith. There have been myriad books about the religion, just as there have been numerous books attempting to portray the religion as brutal and tyrannical. Sifting through the narratives to find the true Islam is easier said than done.
Luckily, Sumbul Ali-Karamali’s exceptional The Muslim Next Door: The Qur’an, the Media, and That Veil Thing is a conversational piece of work that illuminates numerous facets of the Muslim faith in terms and language that the average reader can understand.
Ali-Karamali’s book illuminates what it means to be a Muslim and what it means to live with honour and dignity. She is academic, yet never exclusive, in her approach to the subject matter. Always kind and credible, Ali-Karamali delivers point after point of intelligibility and authority.
Article comments
1 - DAVID
This site on Islam is a brief illustrated guide for non-Muslims who'd like to understand Islam, Muslims (Moslems), and the Quran (Koran). May ALLAH let all of us live in peace and harmony.
2 - Alamgir Hussain
Quran 2:191: "And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have Turned you out; for "tumult and oppression" are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith."
The term "tumult and oppression" stands for not following Allah's guidance or creed--that is Islam. In Arabic it is 'Fitnah' which means rebellion/disobedience against established order. In Muslim thought, Allah is sole authority and law-giver in the universe. Not following his law--i.e., Islam or Quran--constitutes the highest degree of fitah.
Muhammad first attacked a caravan of his opponents of Mecca in Dec-623 killing one attendant, taking two captives (later ransomed) and driving away the plunder. In Islamic history, at this time, there was no report of any violent clash with the Meccans; no report of any Muslim killed.
It is also silly to equate oppression with worse than slaughter, genocide; when they are not even equal.
3 - Ruvy
Jordan,
Good try at a review. And kudos to you for trying to read the Qur'an in Arabic. Arabic is harder than Hebrew, in that it has more verb constructions to it, but because of this characteristic, it is probably a more supple and expressive language.
You'll see many points of view on Islam aside from the standard "Moslems are all hateful bastards" line I hear (and so strongly disagree with).
Unfortunately, every time every time an Arab woman throws acid on an Israeli soldier's face the argument that all Moslems are hateful bastards gets harder and harder to refute. Read the whole story before you jerk your knees in response, Jordan.
4 - Jordan Richardson
Ruvy, I have studied Islam for about 15 years now. Your statements simply don't ring true and, not only are they offensive to Muslims around the world that do not play by your stereotype, but they are uncalled for. I do not dare stereotype Jews or Israel in the same fashion.
5 - Ruvy
Boy, are you dense, Jordan. I have not stereotyped Moslems at all. I've pointed out why others, whom I disagree with, do, and why Arab terrorists make those stereotypes stick in people's minds more and more strongly. Evidently you didn't look at either of the links I provided.
And evidently, you do not give a damn either.
Newsflash for you. I stand by what I have said. If you think the truth is offensive, then you have my pity. It's just too damned bad. Jews and Israelis get stereotyped daily in the Arab (enemy) press, and nobody in North America - aside from Jews - gives a damn. Jews and Israelis get sterotyped and lied about in the mainstream media daily too, and again, it up to Jews to keep a sharp eye out - or live with the lies and the stereotyping.
The other option is to declare our independence from the lot of you, and give you all the middle finger you all deserve - no matter where you are.
That is my solution.
This is the last time I bother complimenting you for anything you do.
6 - Jordan Richardson
In Arabic it is 'Fitnah' which means rebellion/disobedience against established order.
That's one way to interpret this difficult word, yes, but certainly not the only one. It is essentially a catch-all term that refers to upheaval, anarchy, etc. It can also refer to division and dissent within Islam. It also directly translates to mean "test."
7 - Jordan Richardson
Ruvy,
In your original post, you say:
the argument that all Moslems are hateful bastards gets harder and harder to refute.
(I'll not even touch the rather condescending "Good try at a review" like this is my first review here).
Now to say that "the argument that all Moslems are hateful bastards gets harder and harder to refute is, indeed, hateful in and of itself and is based on a stereotype that includes the notion of the Palestinian woman throwing acid in the face of an Israel Defense Forces soldier. A terrible incident, yes, and doubtless a type of incident you grow tired of hearing of.
I grow tired of hearing violence in the world, too, but that doesn't mean I suggest support for an argument that characterizes a people group as hateful on one hand while on the other suggesting that they aren't and that I don't agree. It's the same as your perplexing stance on Obama; you trash him relentlessly on one hand, even backing the ridiculous myth that he's a Muslim, and then hope to wash it all away by saying "oh by the way, I support him." Forgive me for not finding much solace in the consistency of your words, Ruvy.
I have not stereotyped Moslems at all. I've pointed out why others, whom I disagree with, do, and why Arab terrorists make those stereotypes stick in people's minds more and more strongly. Evidently you didn't look at either of the links I provided.
I looked at both, although I'm learning my lesson in regards to clicking "Ruvy's Links." We all know what Arab terrorists do. We also know what Israeli terrorists do. And what American terrorists do. But the day I grant terrorists that much control so as to suggest that the argument that all Moslems are hateful bastards gets harder and harder to refute won't be coming. It's hard to quantify your hateful stance on most (if not all) things Arab with an open mind sometimes.
The other option is to declare our independence from the lot of you, and give you all the middle finger you all deserve - no matter where you are.
I didn't realize that you needed to ask in your independence from a freelance writer in Canada, but if it helps your sense of drama, go right ahead and flip that bird, Ruvy.
This is the last time I bother complimenting you for anything you do.
I'm sure I'll get by somehow, Ruvy. I've written almost 200 articles here and haven't done too badly without you up to this point.
8 - Kamala
As Jordan Richardson writes, we need to fight misinformation.
Here are 10 questions for the "Muslim Next Door"
9 - Kamala
See Robert Spencer's take as well.