The first few reviews of this book written by my fellow Amamzonians were exactly what I expected to read. Reviewer Tom Swift spouts racists nonsense about " total world conquest ", while Mohammed Irfan Shariff toes the ultra conservative Sunni line that condemns anything Sufi.
Tragically it seems that prevailing views, both within the Muslim world and without, have effectively smothered the voice of rational, forward thinking, Islam.
Feisal Abdul Rauf presents the reader with a very well laid out, well crafted, highly logical and even handed presentation of the challenges that face Islamic nations and the rest of the world as we try ( some of us at least ) to find ways to coexist in mutually beneficial ways. Personally, there wasn't anything in this book that I hadn't read or experienced previously. The history of the rise and spread of Islam has been written about by many authors, each with his or her particular bias. What the good Imam has done however, is to provide a wonderfully thorough context in which to examine the history of Islam via vis it's relationship with the western world.
I challenge Tom Swift to attend Friday prayers at his local mosque. What he will experience is a sincerely warm greeting and a willingness to share very openly about Islam's core beliefs. I did this back in the late 90's and was deeply moved, not only by the personal contact, but by the Imam's firm declaration that the United States was, and I quote, " the best place in the world to be a Muslim ". I respectfully remind Mohammed Irfan Shariff, that many of Islam's greatest achievements in science and philosophy were accomplished by Sufis and that many of the world's Sufis are devoted to the Qur'an and are deeply observant Muslims.
The author ends this book with numerous, realistic, well considered recommendations, that will in all likelihood never see the light of day. Frankly, the status quo of mistrust and hostility are very important to many of our world's leaders. If they can't distract us by pointing a finger at the" evil other ", their own corruption and incompetence will be exposed. It's easier to hate, and it turns out it's much more financially remunerative, too. Even the media ( particularly in the USA ) has given up on in depth reporting in favor of slickly delivered shards of violent, negative images. Evidently, there's no profit in peace.
Still, I recommend this book very sincerely. If things are ever going to get better in this tragedy filled world, it will be people like Feisal Abdul Rauf who will show us the way.
I'll end this review with a personal note. I found myself in Malaysia in February 2004.Given the fact that Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim nation, and that my country was pursuing a highly unpopular war in Iraq, I was a bit apprehensive as to how I would be received. What I found was a people who went out of their way to assure me that the Malaysian people didn't hold individual Americans responsible for their government's policies. It was made very clear to me that to treat a guest with anything other than generosity and respect was un-Islamic.
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What's Right with Islam: A New Vision for Muslims and the West (Hardcover)
Wow, what a piece! While the subtitle reads, "Christianity Confronts Pluralism," Carson also gives an assessment of postmodernism. Carson especially deals with how Hermeneutics(interpretation of works) has been effected by pluralistic thinking andpostmodernism. Not only does Carson tackle the hermeneutical issue but hedives into the problems that have arisen in recent years in the area ofepistemology. Moreover, Carson discusses popular thinkers who areproponents of pluralism in light of the exclusive claims of Christianity.Some of these current popular thinkers include John Hick, David Tracy, andClark Pinnock. Additionally, Carson discusses law and morality in light ofpostmodernism and how these areas of thought/practice are effected, andwhat the evangelical stance via historical orthodox Christianity has tooffer. As you can see, the book is very detailed (569 pages of text and 47pages of bibliography). I believe this to be one of the better books on themarket dealing with pluralism/postmodernity.