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What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, there has been an overwhelming demand for information about Islam. As a leading expert, John Esposito has found himself called upon to speak to a wide range of audiences, including members of Congress, the Bush administration,
government agencies, the military, and the media. Out of this experience, he has identified the most pressing questions people consistently ask about Islam.
In What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam , Esposito presents in question-and-answer format the information that most people want to know. Esposito provides succinct, accessible, sensitive, and even-handed answers to questions that range from the general--"What do Muslims believe?" and "Who
was Muhammad?"--to more specific issues like Is Islam compatible with modernization, capitalism and democracy? How do Muslims view Judaism and Christianity? Are women second-class citizens in Islam? What is jihad? Does the Quran condone terrorism? What does Islam say about homosexuality, birth
control, abortion, and slavery?
The editor of The Oxford Encyclopedia of Modern Islam and The Oxford History of Islam , and author of Unholy War and many other acclaimed works, John Esposito is one of America's leading authorities on Islam. This brief and readable book is the first place to look for information on the faith,
customs, and political beliefs of the more than one billion people who call themselves Muslims.
government agencies, the military, and the media. Out of this experience, he has identified the most pressing questions people consistently ask about Islam.
In What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam , Esposito presents in question-and-answer format the information that most people want to know. Esposito provides succinct, accessible, sensitive, and even-handed answers to questions that range from the general--"What do Muslims believe?" and "Who
was Muhammad?"--to more specific issues like Is Islam compatible with modernization, capitalism and democracy? How do Muslims view Judaism and Christianity? Are women second-class citizens in Islam? What is jihad? Does the Quran condone terrorism? What does Islam say about homosexuality, birth
control, abortion, and slavery?
The editor of The Oxford Encyclopedia of Modern Islam and The Oxford History of Islam , and author of Unholy War and many other acclaimed works, John Esposito is one of America's leading authorities on Islam. This brief and readable book is the first place to look for information on the faith,
customs, and political beliefs of the more than one billion people who call themselves Muslims.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
John L. Esposito
99 books148 followersHe is a professor of International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University. He is also the director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal center for Muslim-Christian understanding at Georgetown University.
Esposito was raised a Roman Catholic in an Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City, and spent a decade in a Catholic monastery. After taking his first degree he worked as a management consultant and high-school teacher. He then studied and received a masters in theology at St. John's University. He earned a PhD at Temple University, Pennsylvania in 1974, studying Islam and held post doc appointments at Harvard and Oxford. He is well-known as a promoter of strong ties between Muslims and Christians and has challenged the Vatican to make greater efforts to encourage such ties.
A specialist in Islam, political Islam, and the impact of Islamic movements from North Africa to Southeast Asia, Dr. Esposito serves as a consultant to the Department of State as well as multinational corporations, governments, universities, and the media worldwide. In 2005, Professor Esposito won the American Academy of Religion's prestigious Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion. This award honors a scholar who has been exemplary in promoting the public understanding of religion. A prolific writer, Professor Esposito is the author of over 25 books, including What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam, The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?, and Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, The Oxford History of Islam, and The Oxford Dictionary of Islam.
Esposito was raised a Roman Catholic in an Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City, and spent a decade in a Catholic monastery. After taking his first degree he worked as a management consultant and high-school teacher. He then studied and received a masters in theology at St. John's University. He earned a PhD at Temple University, Pennsylvania in 1974, studying Islam and held post doc appointments at Harvard and Oxford. He is well-known as a promoter of strong ties between Muslims and Christians and has challenged the Vatican to make greater efforts to encourage such ties.
A specialist in Islam, political Islam, and the impact of Islamic movements from North Africa to Southeast Asia, Dr. Esposito serves as a consultant to the Department of State as well as multinational corporations, governments, universities, and the media worldwide. In 2005, Professor Esposito won the American Academy of Religion's prestigious Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion. This award honors a scholar who has been exemplary in promoting the public understanding of religion. A prolific writer, Professor Esposito is the author of over 25 books, including What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam, The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?, and Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, The Oxford History of Islam, and The Oxford Dictionary of Islam.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
February 13, 2012
I mentioned in another review that the great strength of the book was in the honesty of the author. I did not get the same feeling about this book. To my perception, Esposito wrote not about what Islam is, but about Islam as he wished it to be. He gives a politically correct, moderate Islam, one in which acts of aggressive violence are never justified, human rights and social justice are constantly supported, and any deficits in modernity, human rights, or justice are purely attributable to recent and unrelated political situations (which are the fault of the West), rather than any fundamental difference in worldviews. Whenever Islam is compared to Christianity in the book, the comparison is always favorable to Islam, and the strong majority of (if not all) clearly negative statements in the book are made about practitioners of other religions. Unfortunately, in order to do this Esposito has to purposely omit quite a bit of data from his book. If someone read this without reading any other book about Islam, they would remain completely unaware of many pertinent sections of the Quran, of part of Islam's history, and of several factors which shape the interpretation of the Quran and practice of Islam today. However, there is good material here - I learned things about Islam's history that I hadn't known before, and there are great sections on the differences between different sects of Islam. Unfortunately, I had to read even those sections with suspicions about what was being left out.
There was a dilemma that hit me as I read this book. The Islam that Esposito describes is also Islam as I would want it to be. I would love for violence to be never justifiable. I want moderate Islam to come out on top. I want to be able to communicate with Muslims who have a basic worldview similar enough to mine that we can at least share our religions to each other and make sense of what each other is saying. And I definitely don't want to have to deal with a bunch of Christians who are always assuming the exact opposite and making the most antagonistic assumptions and statements possible about Islam. So, what is the best way to reach those goals? Is there not a good in writing a book that assumes the best, with the hope that doing so makes the best that much more likely to win in the end? Maybe. And so I can't entirely fault Esposito for doing that. It's not what I would do, but it might be a practical means to reaching a positive end. But it's not the kind of book I wanted to read.
There was a dilemma that hit me as I read this book. The Islam that Esposito describes is also Islam as I would want it to be. I would love for violence to be never justifiable. I want moderate Islam to come out on top. I want to be able to communicate with Muslims who have a basic worldview similar enough to mine that we can at least share our religions to each other and make sense of what each other is saying. And I definitely don't want to have to deal with a bunch of Christians who are always assuming the exact opposite and making the most antagonistic assumptions and statements possible about Islam. So, what is the best way to reach those goals? Is there not a good in writing a book that assumes the best, with the hope that doing so makes the best that much more likely to win in the end? Maybe. And so I can't entirely fault Esposito for doing that. It's not what I would do, but it might be a practical means to reaching a positive end. But it's not the kind of book I wanted to read.
December 30, 2007
Just re read this book. The author was one of my professors in college. He was an excellent teacher. Book may be a bit basic for some, but it is very informative. Its fairly objective in its perspective.
December 18, 2011
As an Anthropologist I did not enjoy this book. I am used to reading books which discuss a culture/religion as a whole and not merely select issues. That being said, I do believe this would be a good book for much of the Western world to read given all of the stereotypes regarding Muslims and Arabs that we hold on to so dearly. This book was very concise in its descriptions of some of these issues. Some of them seemed biased, but for the most part the discussions within were excellent.
August 12, 2015
The book is written to non muslims. It explains the common questions that westerners usually have about Islam. The books is written by non-muslim, yet the author defends Islam. Besides he has much knowledge about Islam.
Most of muslims are already familiar with most of the materials. Yet, in the way the book answers the question, the reader gets an idea what westerners know and how can you compare islam and christianity
Most of muslims are already familiar with most of the materials. Yet, in the way the book answers the question, the reader gets an idea what westerners know and how can you compare islam and christianity
August 9, 2012
Very informative. I truly enjoyed this book. I recommend it for anyone who wants to know the basics of Islam.
October 28, 2015
This book is a defense, not really an intro text. Despite what the title might make you think, the goal of the book seems to be to highlight the shared values Islam has with "the West" and also defend Islam from current misconceptions. All good, and all things that need to be faced and understood with toleration and humility.
Unfortunately, it shortly became clear that the author was going through every issue people had questions about and finding the most modern answer to be found in the Islamic tradition and leaving all the not-so-modern parts out. He also employed the time-worn strategy of saying, "Well Judaism and Christianity did it too...times a billion!" To be fair, the author is certainly not required to drag up the worst of the worst, but what he leaves out is often very crucial to understanding Islam as a whole.
For instance, he talks of the Sunni/Shia split as a disagreement about how to choose successors to Muhammad. The Sunnis wanted a successor based on merit and the Shia wanted a blood relative to succeed. That IS an accurate statement, but it doesn't mention the assassinations and outright war that took place to make the split happen. Not only is it important to add more historical context but it also seems a little insensitive to Shiites to say that they simply thought blood relatives should succeed. They thought their man, Ali, was the most meritorious, as well. So much for that issue.
Another issue where he "chose carefully" is polygamy. The Quran basically limits Muslims to four wives (though Muhammad ended up having, like, nine in his life, though this is not mentioned). What the author fails to add is that they could have any number of concubines on the side (though, to complicate this even more, the bride could have as part of a marriage contract that the husband not take more concubines [it's this kind of complexity and nuance that's required if we really want the truth]). You could say he doesn't have to mention them since they aren't married, but the real reason he leaves it out is because he's trying to make Islam palatable, and mentioning concubines, non-Muslim slaves taken from other regions, isn't going to help his case. In fact, he quotes the verse from the Quran that is immediately before the line on concubines, and then stops. I wouldn't have known this, except that I'm working through the Quran myself, but when I saw that he left this out, I honestly opened my mouth in surprise.
I'm going to stop here at two topics, but the same problems persisted throughout. To be fair (again) to Mr. Esposito, if his task is to show that Islam CAN be modernized or be acceptable to Westerners, then he only needs to find available paths to get there, and those paths don't have to follow what Islam was or is, and they don't have to agree with each other, either. However - and this is the last time I'll say this - without knowing the historical intent and context that is left out (and so much has to be in a small book anyway), you will not get an accurate portrait. Or, perhaps I should say you will get a portrait instead of the real thing. An impressionistic, flowery Monet of a portrait.
There were definitely issues I learned about in this book that I thought were interesting, like Islam's take on the environment, or Islamic banking. However, any new information I found was overshadowed by the author's clear goal. I would title this book, "PART of What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam."
Unfortunately, it shortly became clear that the author was going through every issue people had questions about and finding the most modern answer to be found in the Islamic tradition and leaving all the not-so-modern parts out. He also employed the time-worn strategy of saying, "Well Judaism and Christianity did it too...times a billion!" To be fair, the author is certainly not required to drag up the worst of the worst, but what he leaves out is often very crucial to understanding Islam as a whole.
For instance, he talks of the Sunni/Shia split as a disagreement about how to choose successors to Muhammad. The Sunnis wanted a successor based on merit and the Shia wanted a blood relative to succeed. That IS an accurate statement, but it doesn't mention the assassinations and outright war that took place to make the split happen. Not only is it important to add more historical context but it also seems a little insensitive to Shiites to say that they simply thought blood relatives should succeed. They thought their man, Ali, was the most meritorious, as well. So much for that issue.
Another issue where he "chose carefully" is polygamy. The Quran basically limits Muslims to four wives (though Muhammad ended up having, like, nine in his life, though this is not mentioned). What the author fails to add is that they could have any number of concubines on the side (though, to complicate this even more, the bride could have as part of a marriage contract that the husband not take more concubines [it's this kind of complexity and nuance that's required if we really want the truth]). You could say he doesn't have to mention them since they aren't married, but the real reason he leaves it out is because he's trying to make Islam palatable, and mentioning concubines, non-Muslim slaves taken from other regions, isn't going to help his case. In fact, he quotes the verse from the Quran that is immediately before the line on concubines, and then stops. I wouldn't have known this, except that I'm working through the Quran myself, but when I saw that he left this out, I honestly opened my mouth in surprise.
I'm going to stop here at two topics, but the same problems persisted throughout. To be fair (again) to Mr. Esposito, if his task is to show that Islam CAN be modernized or be acceptable to Westerners, then he only needs to find available paths to get there, and those paths don't have to follow what Islam was or is, and they don't have to agree with each other, either. However - and this is the last time I'll say this - without knowing the historical intent and context that is left out (and so much has to be in a small book anyway), you will not get an accurate portrait. Or, perhaps I should say you will get a portrait instead of the real thing. An impressionistic, flowery Monet of a portrait.
There were definitely issues I learned about in this book that I thought were interesting, like Islam's take on the environment, or Islamic banking. However, any new information I found was overshadowed by the author's clear goal. I would title this book, "PART of What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam."
December 20, 2013
Well written and informative but just scrapes the surface. If you really want to find out about Islam you need to study everything intently. Start here but look deeper and further. It is important to get multiple perspectives on religion and determine what's fact or fiction. Very good book. Anybody could enjoy it and learn important things from it.
July 30, 2019
Useful, clear guide to the basics about Islam. Definitely an apologia and a deliberate counterbalance to the Islamophobic content out there (I’m not sure an “objective” basic guide to Islam—or indeed, any religion—is possible in today’s world). The legal/theological difference in approach to religion and daily life were very helpful for framing the discussion.
June 4, 2018
Looking for a quick guide to Islam? I think this is your book.
It was an easy, quick read to fly through, and provided an in-depth look at all religious areas of Islam, making all the information relatively brief and to the point. I loved the way it was set-out with FAQs as headers so you could just pick it up at the one question you wanted the answer to and then could put it back down without having to bother with the rest of the book.
The way that the author detailed the difference between cultural customs and religious (Islamic) customs was fantastic. It really helped to learn the difference between what Muslims (religious) individuals believed and what was believed as a society or community in Muslim countries.
It handled controversial subjects well and talked about the historical background of customs and beliefs in the Islamic religion and culture. E.g. why Islamic aren't fond of hand-shakes (touching non-familial people was seen as unclean and inappropriate if the individual was unmarried) and why they are stereotyped as hating animals, especially dogs (dogs were often dirty and flea-ridden and touching them made a Muslin unclean for prayer; letting a dirty dog into your house made the house unclean too).
I did find that the author was a little too biased - the author is a Muslim himself - at times - saying things like "we believe in ___" or "Allah told us ____" etc. rather than avoiding the personal pronouns and separating himself from the topic. He also compared almost every topic to parts of Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism or Catholicism which I found rather unnecessary.
Overall, a good introduction piece to Islam. If you need something to give you a quick and easy background to the Muslim faith than I would recommend picking this up.
It was an easy, quick read to fly through, and provided an in-depth look at all religious areas of Islam, making all the information relatively brief and to the point. I loved the way it was set-out with FAQs as headers so you could just pick it up at the one question you wanted the answer to and then could put it back down without having to bother with the rest of the book.
The way that the author detailed the difference between cultural customs and religious (Islamic) customs was fantastic. It really helped to learn the difference between what Muslims (religious) individuals believed and what was believed as a society or community in Muslim countries.
It handled controversial subjects well and talked about the historical background of customs and beliefs in the Islamic religion and culture. E.g. why Islamic aren't fond of hand-shakes (touching non-familial people was seen as unclean and inappropriate if the individual was unmarried) and why they are stereotyped as hating animals, especially dogs (dogs were often dirty and flea-ridden and touching them made a Muslin unclean for prayer; letting a dirty dog into your house made the house unclean too).
I did find that the author was a little too biased - the author is a Muslim himself - at times - saying things like "we believe in ___" or "Allah told us ____" etc. rather than avoiding the personal pronouns and separating himself from the topic. He also compared almost every topic to parts of Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism or Catholicism which I found rather unnecessary.
Overall, a good introduction piece to Islam. If you need something to give you a quick and easy background to the Muslim faith than I would recommend picking this up.
September 13, 2017
Sugar coated view of lslam.
It's quite deciptive at many places in the book, giving half facts that don't represent the whole scenario. I am lucky to have had known things prior to reading the book that the writer didn't feel it's important to cover up.
Moreover, The writer didn't provide any polls, data or research that would provide an idea to what Muslims do actually believe in, now, at least. Instead, the writer chose to use words like, few, most, some. Not good. Also if you wanna read a primer on Islam I don't recommend this one, not comprehensive enough, but not zero stars bad.
It's quite deciptive at many places in the book, giving half facts that don't represent the whole scenario. I am lucky to have had known things prior to reading the book that the writer didn't feel it's important to cover up.
Moreover, The writer didn't provide any polls, data or research that would provide an idea to what Muslims do actually believe in, now, at least. Instead, the writer chose to use words like, few, most, some. Not good. Also if you wanna read a primer on Islam I don't recommend this one, not comprehensive enough, but not zero stars bad.
August 21, 2023
Good reference of islam. It isn’t meant to be read front to back but that was how I did it. This was given to me by the local Islamist center when I was a guest there. Amazing people invited me and my family to take part (or witness) a few speeches and eat dinner with them. This was one of the gifts they gave me and I’ll never forget their kindness.
The book was interesting and I’ll keep it as a reference but took me 3 years to read it off and on so I can’t rate it that highly
The book was interesting and I’ll keep it as a reference but took me 3 years to read it off and on so I can’t rate it that highly
August 9, 2019
Pretty good start but then book slides into the obvious. But it does what it intend to do, explains things in simple language. Sometimes author goes from explaining things to defending perceived wrongs in Islam by equating them with wrongs in other religions. Overall a good read but only for beginners.
May 26, 2021
I love the linearity of simple minds. Esposito not only knows ALL about Islam, but his mind is so advanced he can compile what Everyone would need to know. Sadly it is a rather uniform propaganda text: this is it, now die for your leaders.
March 5, 2022
Bite-sized information about a variety of subjects
3.5 stars
Nice introduction but as others noted, it's not comprehensive and deep enough for certain subjects/questions that the book covers. But to be fair, it covers a lot of interesting questions that come up in the daily lives of people.
3.5 stars
Nice introduction but as others noted, it's not comprehensive and deep enough for certain subjects/questions that the book covers. But to be fair, it covers a lot of interesting questions that come up in the daily lives of people.
July 15, 2019
Not rlly that informative. Same 5 facts told over a hundred pages
April 15, 2021
Genuinely really helpful and common sense, organized as a series of frequently asked questions with concise 1-2 paragraph answers provided for each. Good resource.
July 17, 2012
Before reading this book, I had never given Islam (or any religion to be honest) much thought & carried w/ me the images and preconceptions of Muslims as they are portrayed by news stories. So.. to regretfully say, I was foolishly ignorant and carried with me the heaviest and uninformed ideas of severely oppressed women, a violent culture, and tyrannical governments. I didn't understand much about countries w/ a large Muslim population and high clerical influence on governments; I would see images of veiled women on the news, feel it was backwards, and be more frustrated than understanding of these countries' cultural choices. So w/ my pre-ignorance emphasized and confessed, I can now say.... I am wholly grateful I am now less ignorant of this religion and the Muslim culture. When reading this book, I found that Islam is an extremely popular religion (who knew?) & that the religion is actually quite beautiful. The book itself is very very informative, with details on significant religious figures and items, terminology, values, history, and most importantly, how all these items translate to the Muslim culture we have today. The book is presented in a Q&A format, w/ even a glossary & index in the back. The book is factual, but I did pick up a bitttt of bias in the writing, as the author really tried to present the religion in a much more positive light than how it's portrayed by the media. However, this was okay with me, as his portrayal of the religion is probably more accurate of the Muslim society as a whole than the extreme profiles we see on the news. What I garnered most from this book is a new respect for the strong sense of community and selflessness among Muslims and an understanding that their religion, as many religions can be, is skewed to fit extremist goals and Western profiles. The image in America of Muslims - and the one I had in my head - is completely one-dimensional, and to look at this religion only from its negatives is a complete disservice to both Muslims and non-Muslims, as it has WONDERFUL and respectful traditions. I am very very glad I read this book, if not simply to be more informed!
February 8, 2017
Thoughtful, enlightening, and inclusive, Esposito's reference book is written in that very style. It is intended to be an encyclopedic style knowledge resource where one can go with questions with regard to Islam and glean rational and objective responses. Esposito states in the foreword that he did not intend the work to be read cover to cover, however, that is what I very well did. In reading it I discovered that he obviously suspected many would read it in such a way as it is designed to present Islam and Muslims objectively and crescendos by the end apologetically. I appreciated his perspective and feel much more informed now. I do wish he had spent more time developing his responses to questions that raise issues of violence. Although he writes often and quite damning of violence among some who twist Islam to match their own radical and violent ideologies, he uses every opportunity to point the finger at Christianity and show how it has been violent in the past, too. If I wanted to read about Christianity, I would have picked up a book about Christianity. Furthermore, when he concludes with his thoughts of Islamophobia in the West he gives little consideration for why many in the West feel this great fear and suspicion of Islam, but instead cites how racist, bigoted, and unfounded their fears are. I may agree with him, but someone as reasonable as he purports to be should be able to analyze Western fears and make a determination based on media reports of violent acts committed by some Muslims in the West and show that people have developed this fear from these experiences. From that point he should have then laid their fears to rest and showed how most American Muslims live peaceably as contributing citizens. Instead he completely disregards their emotions and calls names.
Despite this. I learned a ton about Islam and Muslims. I feel like with that knowledge many of my own questions and even fears have been answered or faded away in the light of understanding.
Despite this. I learned a ton about Islam and Muslims. I feel like with that knowledge many of my own questions and even fears have been answered or faded away in the light of understanding.
November 28, 2015
With all the fear-mongering with regard to Islam and Muslims these days, I felt it necessary to brush up on my knowledge of this faith.
"What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam" is a great place to start in understanding this religion and its people! Written by an expert in the study of Islam, post-9/11, this book answers all the major questions. Islam is a very peaceful religion, and in so many ways remarkably related to Christianity. This book doesn't gloss over some of its more questionable aspects, but also puts them into a more accurate context. Much of the misunderstanding we have stems from a kind of Western arrogance, the idea that our morals and values are the only ones worth having and that it is our job to insist that all other cultures conform to that. By superimposing our own beliefs on others, we find it easy to judge their actions negatively, but this book strives to draw people closer to an understanding of the native cultures as well as the religion itself.
Really interesting read. Much of it I knew, having spent the last few years focusing some study on Islam, but some I actually did not, and I enjoyed increasing my knowledge. Because of its question/answer nature, there are some things that get repeated, but it was put together in a way that made sense and was easy to follow.
I highly recommend this to basically the whole of America. Learn what Islam is ACTUALLY about, not what media tells you by skewing the facts in order to depict Muslims as all being hateful terrorists. This book is about the OTHER 99.9% of Muslims.
"What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam" is a great place to start in understanding this religion and its people! Written by an expert in the study of Islam, post-9/11, this book answers all the major questions. Islam is a very peaceful religion, and in so many ways remarkably related to Christianity. This book doesn't gloss over some of its more questionable aspects, but also puts them into a more accurate context. Much of the misunderstanding we have stems from a kind of Western arrogance, the idea that our morals and values are the only ones worth having and that it is our job to insist that all other cultures conform to that. By superimposing our own beliefs on others, we find it easy to judge their actions negatively, but this book strives to draw people closer to an understanding of the native cultures as well as the religion itself.
Really interesting read. Much of it I knew, having spent the last few years focusing some study on Islam, but some I actually did not, and I enjoyed increasing my knowledge. Because of its question/answer nature, there are some things that get repeated, but it was put together in a way that made sense and was easy to follow.
I highly recommend this to basically the whole of America. Learn what Islam is ACTUALLY about, not what media tells you by skewing the facts in order to depict Muslims as all being hateful terrorists. This book is about the OTHER 99.9% of Muslims.
May 7, 2016
If you have a “need to know,” John L. Esposito, one of America’s leading scholars on Islam, has compiled a book that, while not exhaustive, will supply a neophyte enough knowledge to feel informed or enough to propel the reader to other sources. That book is What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam. Divided into topic after topic, most entries are no more than a page long. Esposito covers topics such as “What do Muslims believe?” and “What is a mosque?” and “How is Islam similar to Judaism and Christianity?” and so many more topics that lead us to understanding of this religion that many know so little of. The reader will also learn the answers to “What does Islam say about homosexuality?,” “What does Islam say about abortion?,” and “What does Islam say about birth control?” So this is not just a dry treatise on Islamic history and beliefs, but it goes into topics that let us delve into the personalities of those who practice Islam. Esposito’s title is a bit over the top because this is a complex religion that a mere 250 pages can’t begin to totally explain. But for the person who wants some insight, some understanding, about Islam, this is a very good handbook.
December 10, 2016
A concise introduction to Islam, its tenets, its history, its relationship to other faiths, its tumultuous relation to terrorism and other societal themes/problems. The Q&A format makes the book very approachable and is good starter for novices.
John Esposito tries to address most questions raised in the West, without blaming nor condoning Islam. The book aims to reflect the complexity of dumbing down the faith of a billion humans, while still addressing the internal and external challenges it faces.
All that said, many answers are a bit superficial and barely touch the surface of really important current Islam issues: struggle with modernization, holistic but tribal worldview, blaming vs. self-responsibility, coexistence with secular societies, separation of religion and state, honor killings, conservatism/literalism, women rights, gay rights, male chauvinism.
John Esposito tries to address most questions raised in the West, without blaming nor condoning Islam. The book aims to reflect the complexity of dumbing down the faith of a billion humans, while still addressing the internal and external challenges it faces.
All that said, many answers are a bit superficial and barely touch the surface of really important current Islam issues: struggle with modernization, holistic but tribal worldview, blaming vs. self-responsibility, coexistence with secular societies, separation of religion and state, honor killings, conservatism/literalism, women rights, gay rights, male chauvinism.
March 23, 2013
I originally read/listened to Esposito's Great World Religions: Islam and found it to be really awesome. One of my colleagues had this book around and I decided to check it out. This book is set up such that you can go directly to the section you're interested in instead of reading it cover to cover, but I enjoyed reading it cover to cover. The book has these sections: general information; faith and practice; Islam and other religions; customs and culture; violence and terrorism; society, politics, and economy; and Muslims in the west. And all of the sections contain questions to answer. Overall it's a pretty great resource, and I'd kind of like to own something like this for reference.
February 13, 2013
The questions are what the author regards as most frequently asked, and each questions are written in independent manner that readers can start reading the book by choosing any chapter from anywhere in the book. The answers are written in a non-judgmental way, means it is what it is, and not showing any personal preference whatsoever. The book has an extensive references, the words are simple and easy to digest. It is NOT a complete guidance towards Islam, but merely and sufficiently a starting point for those who wish to be introduced to the religion.
Read: http://2010rantings.blogspot.com/2011...
Read: http://2010rantings.blogspot.com/2011...
May 22, 2008
This is basically a comprehensive defense of Islam. It offers information on the minutest details about Islamic history and customs, which is very much appreciated by this reader, but Esposito never really answers the question of why so few of the "peace-loving," "mainstream" Muslims that he describes in his book actually speak out against the "extremists" who are apparently hijacking their religion. I will give it three stars for the very complete background information, but no more since it still leaves me with questions.
July 8, 2015
Overcontextualized
I found this to be an informative introduction to the topic. The question-and-answer format resulted in a flowing organization that worked well for many short readings and will work well for quick consultation in the future. My impression, however, was that Islam is really just about the same as Judaism and Christianity (which have some major differences themselves). The distinctiveness or otherness of the religion is downplayed in favor of similarities—especially similarities with Catholic Christianity.
I found this to be an informative introduction to the topic. The question-and-answer format resulted in a flowing organization that worked well for many short readings and will work well for quick consultation in the future. My impression, however, was that Islam is really just about the same as Judaism and Christianity (which have some major differences themselves). The distinctiveness or otherness of the religion is downplayed in favor of similarities—especially similarities with Catholic Christianity.
June 15, 2016
Good start to understanding Islam
This book gives a lot of information about Islam, organized in question-answer form. And that's part of the problem with the book. It seems a little disorganized, with topics hard to find. It's also a bit burdened by its essential purposes--inform, but present Islam in a very positive light. I would like to have had more hard information on Islamic history and culture, more specifics about the contents of the Quran and fewer generalized sections designed to add luster to the reader's opinion of Muslims.
This book gives a lot of information about Islam, organized in question-answer form. And that's part of the problem with the book. It seems a little disorganized, with topics hard to find. It's also a bit burdened by its essential purposes--inform, but present Islam in a very positive light. I would like to have had more hard information on Islamic history and culture, more specifics about the contents of the Quran and fewer generalized sections designed to add luster to the reader's opinion of Muslims.
September 9, 2016
Great book to get a basic understanding of Islam. Violent extremist make up an incredibly small percentage of Muslims, yet that is what many people in the west think of when they think of Islam. Islam is misunderstood by many, and a few violent idiots do not define or stand for what Islam is about.
...with that said. Reading this book did enforce what 14 years of Catholic education taught me, which is religion is fucking ridiculous, and more of a roadblock towards God then a Pathway.
...with that said. Reading this book did enforce what 14 years of Catholic education taught me, which is religion is fucking ridiculous, and more of a roadblock towards God then a Pathway.
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February 15, 2008Organized in Q&A format with Esposito's answers to commonly asked questions. Some questions are about Islam but the answers Esposito gives are about what different things Muslims do, say, believe and so on. In these cases, not much critical analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of differing stances is given.
July 1, 2009
Intelligent and objective review of the Islamic faith. Esposito has always been a moderate and reasoned voice in the often hysterical debate about what Islam is and is not. Unlike his other books, this book is written in a question and answer format which allows the reader to search for a particular topic of interest or read cover to cover.
April 11, 2010
The book provides an insight into the complexities in Islam in a very non - judgemental way. What is important that we get to view our predispositions on some of the most talked about issues from a different aspect.Also it helped me in my work as gender consultant to address some of the tricky questions on marriage divorce etc with more convictions.
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