Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Groundwood Books (2008), Edition: Revised, 160 pages
Description
Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. HTML: Being Muslim is written for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. It presents a readable explanation of the most complex and emotion-laden issues of our troubled times. The varying branches of Islam are analyzed and their history outlined — but the focus is on the present. In speaking about and crossing political, cultural and religious divisions, this book offers a unique perspective, forged in Canada, a country where people from everywhere on earth have found a way to live in peace. Terrorism. Wars. Jihad. Hijab. Polygamy. Muhammad's many wives. Muslim prayer. Female circumcision. Honor killings. Sharia. Stoning. Status of Muslim women. All these topics and more are tackled in this fascinating and informative book for young adult readers. "[The Groundwork Guides] are excellent books, mandatory for school libraries and the increasing body of young people prepared to take ownership of the situations and problems previous generations have left them." — Globe and Mail.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member sanguinity
Being Muslim is part of the Groundwork Guides series, which are designed to be "an overview of key contemporary political and social issues," as well as provide "a lively introduction [to the topic] and a strong point of view." A few dozen pages into this book, I had started thinking of it as a
Haroon Siddiqui is apparently controversial in his profession as a newspaper columnist, but I found this book to be expansive and even-handed. What I liked best about it, in fact, is how well Siddiqui makes it clear that it is very difficult to begin a sentence "Islam is--" or "Muslims are--" and end it in a way that is true to the breadth of Islamic practice or Muslim experience. Similarly, Siddiqui tends to highlight that many of the things that Westerners criticize Islam for -- for example, state-sanctioned violence against women -- are controversial within Islam. For example, when discussing religiously-justified violence against Muslimahs, Siddiqui cites Islamic feminists such as Zainah Anwar of Sisters of Islam and Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, who critique patriarchal practices of Islam as being anti-Islamic distortions of the Prophet's teachings.
At times, Siddiqui seems given to making "no true Scotsman" arguments about what is or is not a true expression of Islam. However, when he does so, he is clearly responding to Western propaganda that Islam is inherently backward, patriarchical, violent, etc. He does not deny that there are major problems within many Islamic societies, nor that Islamic faith or law is intimately tied up in some of those problems. However, he often provides fuller context for many of those issues (f'rex, he discusses non-religious causes of anti-Western feeling, where such feelings exist), and he often critiques human rights abuses in Islamic nations from an inherently Islamic perspective (f'rex, he criticizes the failure of sharia courts to adhere to Qur'anic rules of evidence or Qur'anic penalties for false accusation in the administration of adultery cases).
In all, I found Being Muslim to be a nuanced response to Western anti-Islamic propaganda, debunking some criticisms, expanding on others, providing both perspectives and background that Westerners are often unaware of, and sometimes turning the criticism back on Western society. He also challenges the moral authority of Western writers to critique Islam, charging that anti-Islamic propaganda often intensifies the very problems that propagandists are supposedly concerned about, and that the propaganda encourages human rights abuses against Muslims by or within Western nations. The volume itself is quite slim, but includes ample references and an essential reading list for people who wish to explore some Siddiqui's themes and arguments further.
All in all, it's an engaging (and manageably short) antidote to the things that "everyone knows" (i.e., the notions that are bandied about Western, non-Muslim societies) about Islam and Muslims.
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Cliff Notes for Islam -- in many ways, it is a primer on Islam for non-Muslim westerners -- except that it was, well, livelier. And more opinionated. Haroon Siddiqui is apparently controversial in his profession as a newspaper columnist, but I found this book to be expansive and even-handed. What I liked best about it, in fact, is how well Siddiqui makes it clear that it is very difficult to begin a sentence "Islam is--" or "Muslims are--" and end it in a way that is true to the breadth of Islamic practice or Muslim experience. Similarly, Siddiqui tends to highlight that many of the things that Westerners criticize Islam for -- for example, state-sanctioned violence against women -- are controversial within Islam. For example, when discussing religiously-justified violence against Muslimahs, Siddiqui cites Islamic feminists such as Zainah Anwar of Sisters of Islam and Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, who critique patriarchal practices of Islam as being anti-Islamic distortions of the Prophet's teachings.
At times, Siddiqui seems given to making "no true Scotsman" arguments about what is or is not a true expression of Islam. However, when he does so, he is clearly responding to Western propaganda that Islam is inherently backward, patriarchical, violent, etc. He does not deny that there are major problems within many Islamic societies, nor that Islamic faith or law is intimately tied up in some of those problems. However, he often provides fuller context for many of those issues (f'rex, he discusses non-religious causes of anti-Western feeling, where such feelings exist), and he often critiques human rights abuses in Islamic nations from an inherently Islamic perspective (f'rex, he criticizes the failure of sharia courts to adhere to Qur'anic rules of evidence or Qur'anic penalties for false accusation in the administration of adultery cases).
In all, I found Being Muslim to be a nuanced response to Western anti-Islamic propaganda, debunking some criticisms, expanding on others, providing both perspectives and background that Westerners are often unaware of, and sometimes turning the criticism back on Western society. He also challenges the moral authority of Western writers to critique Islam, charging that anti-Islamic propaganda often intensifies the very problems that propagandists are supposedly concerned about, and that the propaganda encourages human rights abuses against Muslims by or within Western nations. The volume itself is quite slim, but includes ample references and an essential reading list for people who wish to explore some Siddiqui's themes and arguments further.
All in all, it's an engaging (and manageably short) antidote to the things that "everyone knows" (i.e., the notions that are bandied about Western, non-Muslim societies) about Islam and Muslims.
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LibraryThing member MelAKnee
Children can understand the political talk that the book offers. The chapters are well formed and easy to comprehend. Good aide for Muslim children growing up in a post 9/11 America. Helpful to teach about discrimination because of religion.
LibraryThing member ronicadibartolo
I recommend this book for all people to read. It explains the Muslim faith and how difficult it is to be Muslim in this time. I see Muslims in a different light now. They have to deal with so much prejudice all around the world. This book talks about the customs, traditions, and the history of
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Muslims all around the world. Show Less
LibraryThing member fadeledu
Some sections are very good, but in others, marrying non-Muslims. This author is either ignorant or dishonest, in reporting what the Qur'an and shariah say.
LibraryThing member kslade
Good overview of Islam, which debunks many myths.
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
160 p.; 5 inches
ISBN
0888998872 / 9780888998873
Local notes
RW- Gift of Rachael Watcher. Received at Parliament of the World's Religions 2015 in Salt Lake City.
Other editions
Being Muslim by Haroon Siddiqui (Paper Book)
Being Muslim by Haroon Siddiqui (Paper Book)