Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Modern Library (2000), Edition: Modern Library ed, 222 pages
Description
No religion in the modern world is as feared and misunderstood as Islam. It haunts the popular Western imagination as an extreme faith that promotes authoritarian government, female oppression, civil war, and terrorism. The author's short history offers a vital corrective to this narrow view. The distillation of years of thinking and writing about Islam, it demonstrates that the world's fastest-growing faith is a much richer and more complex phenomenon than its modern fundamentalist strain might suggest. This book begins with the flight of Muhammad and his family from Medina in the seventh century and the subsequent founding of the first mosques. It recounts the origins of the split between Shii and Sunni Muslims, and the emergence of Sufi mysticism; the spread of Islam throughout North Africa, the Levant, and Asia; the shattering effect on the Muslim world of the Crusades; the flowering of imperial Islam in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries into the world's greatest and most sophisticated power; and the origins and impact of revolutionary Islam. It concludes with an assessment of Islam today and its challenges.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member awicaks
Armstrong provides a concise political and religious history of the Muslim world, beginning with the Qur'anic revelation to Muhammad in 610AD through the present day. She covers the early caliphate leaders of the 7th century and the first fitnah, which led to civil war in the Arab world. She
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discusses the role of the Umayyads in the second fitnah and the religious division between the Sunnis, the Shiites, and the Sufis. The author uses the Abbasid period of the 8th and 9th centuries to show how the Muslim community used their faith to adapt to numerous political changes that ultimately crumbled the caliphate and ushered in the Sunni Iranian dynasty. The 14th century Crusades led to the Muslim subjugation to the Mongols, but prepared Muslims for the imperial Islam of the Ottoman Empire. Armstrong concludes by introducing the modern democracies of the Western world and their influence on Islam. She discusses the modern Islamic state and how Islamic perceptions of democracy differ from Western notions. The author also provides a clear definition of Muslim fundamentalism. Show Less
LibraryThing member mldavis2
Armstrong is arguably the world's preeminent scholar on comparative religions, having defected as a nun from the Catholic church, lived with Buddhists, Muslims, Jews and Hindus in her studies. In this short, concise but well documented book, she lays the groundwork for the alterations to the
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original religion as seen by the Prophet and the Quran, and follows the political forces that have turned Islam from a religion of peace and acceptance into one, erroneously, seen as terrorist. Armstrong has no axe to grind, favors no one religious claim to inerrancy, and simply tells it like is was and is. Anyone even remotely interested in the world's problems with Islam is encouraged to read this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member Citizenjoyce
Islam taught me quite a lot, which isn't surprising since I knew almost nothing about the religion. Karen Armstrong shows some similarities between Islam and Judaism. For one thing she says Muhammad thought the Jews would consider him one of the great prophets. He had no animosity against either
Muhammad started Islam as a way to bring comfort and equality to people, to assure that the rich would share their wealth with the poor, so it has always been both a religious and political movement. At times reformers have tried to separate the religion from politics and make it only spiritual. At times also leaders have varied between saying everyone is equally able to enjoy the full benefits of Islam to those who say only a few intelligent elect can truly understand the revelations. There have also been those who deny all aspects of anthropomorphism saying there is no god who sits on a thrown or "knows" things. Allah is only spirit.
Regarding the modern fundamentalists with their strong misogyny and violent bent, she says in all religions when people resort to fundamentalism as a response to perceived threats from secular modernism, one of the first actions is to decrease the freedom of women. She says that the glories of the Muslim world have faded because, unlike Europe which has separated church and state, Muslim countries do not so are not able to reap the benefits of change. Muslims both like the benefits of modernization but feel threatened by the secularism they see that drives it. The more threatened they feel, the more fundamentalist they become, the more fundamentalist they become the more secularists attack their beliefs. It's a vicious cycle that, alas, she does not show a solution.
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Judaism or Christianity and respected both as religions of "the Book". All the wars within Muslim countries and the fighting to see which religion was best for the people resulted eventually in Christianity and Judaism being pushed further and further aside, but she says that the true antisemitism, which Muslims got first from Christians, didn't flower until the state of Israel was established. She says that Islam, like Judaism, is a religion of orthopraxy rather than orthodoxy meaning that what the adherent does is more important than what s/he believes. She also says that neither originally had anything to say about an afterlife. She doesn't mention the 42 virgins that we've all heard about terrorists being promised. Muhammad started Islam as a way to bring comfort and equality to people, to assure that the rich would share their wealth with the poor, so it has always been both a religious and political movement. At times reformers have tried to separate the religion from politics and make it only spiritual. At times also leaders have varied between saying everyone is equally able to enjoy the full benefits of Islam to those who say only a few intelligent elect can truly understand the revelations. There have also been those who deny all aspects of anthropomorphism saying there is no god who sits on a thrown or "knows" things. Allah is only spirit.
Regarding the modern fundamentalists with their strong misogyny and violent bent, she says in all religions when people resort to fundamentalism as a response to perceived threats from secular modernism, one of the first actions is to decrease the freedom of women. She says that the glories of the Muslim world have faded because, unlike Europe which has separated church and state, Muslim countries do not so are not able to reap the benefits of change. Muslims both like the benefits of modernization but feel threatened by the secularism they see that drives it. The more threatened they feel, the more fundamentalist they become, the more fundamentalist they become the more secularists attack their beliefs. It's a vicious cycle that, alas, she does not show a solution.
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LibraryThing member aliciamay
I read this book because The Satanic Verses is on my bookshelf and I heard that one should have a cursory understanding of Islam prior to reading that. I don’t know that this book did the trick. The book starts in the year 610 with the revelations of Muhammad and touches on nearly every relevant
On the plus side, she does present a very middle of the road look at Islam and works to correct the stereotypes of violence and oppression. I was impressed with the origins of Islam and the beliefs that Muhammad was sharing concerning peace, social justice, and acceptance of other religions. Then, as with any religion, people got involved with their own agendas and interpretations of the Quran and mucked up some major stuff. Armstrong’s take on the fundamentalist Muslims was also insightful; her argument is that all religions have a fundamentalist offshoot that crops up as a direct response to the problems presented by modernity. Armstrong states that, “Fundamentalists nearly always feel assaulted by the liberal or modernizing establishment, and their views and behavior become more extreme as a result.” The book ends on a hopeful note even after a short postscript concerning the 9/11 attacks.
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piece of Islamic history up to the current century. All in 161 pages. There were some good parts, specifically the story of The Prophet and then the section on modern Islam, but there was way too much crammed into this slight book. A plethora of names, dates and places was not only a challenge to keep straight, but also detracted from the history. On the plus side, she does present a very middle of the road look at Islam and works to correct the stereotypes of violence and oppression. I was impressed with the origins of Islam and the beliefs that Muhammad was sharing concerning peace, social justice, and acceptance of other religions. Then, as with any religion, people got involved with their own agendas and interpretations of the Quran and mucked up some major stuff. Armstrong’s take on the fundamentalist Muslims was also insightful; her argument is that all religions have a fundamentalist offshoot that crops up as a direct response to the problems presented by modernity. Armstrong states that, “Fundamentalists nearly always feel assaulted by the liberal or modernizing establishment, and their views and behavior become more extreme as a result.” The book ends on a hopeful note even after a short postscript concerning the 9/11 attacks.
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LibraryThing member AuntieClio
This should be required reading for everyone. In a quick 161 pages Armstrong explains the origins of Islam, its impact on society and traces it from the Prophet Muhammad to the "September Apocalypse." Reading this will make people rethink their Islamic bigotry and begin to understand the
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complexities of Islam as a religion and the politics of the Middle East. Show Less
LibraryThing member ncarman31
Islam details the life and writings of Muhammad (the Quran), and describes how his teachings were developed and refined over the ages. It also details the impact this has had upon world politics.
At times the tone is clinical and detached as Armstrong details the distant past from a modern
This book lives up to its billing as a short but punchy book which gives an overview of the history of Islam. Islam is written for non-academics and is an interesting read. It gives a useful context to the religious and political turmoil in present times.
At times the tone is clinical and detached as Armstrong details the distant past from a modern
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perspective; however she also seems to relish describing the various sects and the mysticism surrounding Islam.This book lives up to its billing as a short but punchy book which gives an overview of the history of Islam. Islam is written for non-academics and is an interesting read. It gives a useful context to the religious and political turmoil in present times.
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LibraryThing member JackAch
A good introduction to Islam.
LibraryThing member jonfaith
Another samizdat read. The brevity proved itself frustrating as Ms. Armstrong cleaved succint defintions and proceeded while distinctions and details spasmed mutely in the wake.
I suppose I remain resentful as she is an ecumenical apologist. People turn to her for the best word, not the most
I suppose I remain resentful as she is an ecumenical apologist. People turn to her for the best word, not the most
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informed nor incisive. She obliges with humility. I suppose that quality should be crucial to religion. Show Less
LibraryThing member daniel.links
I read this as I realised my knowledge of Islamic history / theology is pretty poor (i.e. non-existent).
I thought this was a great introduction, going from the Mohamed's founding of Islam, via the caliphates and the crusades, through to the Ottomans and the modern Middle East. As you might imagine,
A great introductory text.
I thought this was a great introduction, going from the Mohamed's founding of Islam, via the caliphates and the crusades, through to the Ottomans and the modern Middle East. As you might imagine,
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Islam is not the monolithic bloc that some (both in the west and in the Muslim world) would like to have you believe. A great introductory text.
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LibraryThing member cindyb29
Very interesting; learned a lot about Islamic religion; eye-opening. Took notes!
LibraryThing member John5918
Karen Armstrong is one of the most balanced and knowldegeable contemporary western writers on Islam and this book is an excellent read for anyone who wants to understand Islam at a time when misleading stereotypes are very much in evidence.
LibraryThing member nmele
Armstrong offers a succinct overview of the history of the Islamic community. Informative, sympathetic but critical, this book should be recommended reading for those officials, in and out of uniform, dealing with the Islamic world.
LibraryThing member paperloverevolution
A clear, neatly constructed overview of a complicated chunk of history. I particularly liked her delicate handling of modern developments, such as the rise of fundamentalism in both the east and the west, and the support of the western powers for brutally undemocratic regimes in the middle east. I
On a totally shallow note, I've never seen so many semi-colons in one book in my life. It became pretty distracting.
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was sorry the book wasn't a lot longer, as I would have enjoyed a more in-depth look at some of the historical figures she describes. On a totally shallow note, I've never seen so many semi-colons in one book in my life. It became pretty distracting.
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LibraryThing member purplehena
I thought this would be much, much better than it actually was. Honestly, I was quite underwhelmed. Armstrong doesn't explain history well at all, and she often states her arguments/opinions as fact without offering support. Are her other books better? I thought she was supposed to be a very
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well-respected author. I guess I'll look elsewhere for a more insightful, interesting history of Islam. Show Less
LibraryThing member Doondeck
Thorough review of Islamic culture and influence. Sometimes difficult to get through and understand the many Islamic terms.
LibraryThing member dragon178
An objective and sympathetic discourse on the origin and evolution of the Islamic faith, from the early 7th century till 9/11. It puts to rest doubts about the relevance of this religion in the modern world, explaining distortions and fallacies in interpretation.
A good read to get a basic
A good read to get a basic
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understanding of a much maligned faith. Show Less
LibraryThing member SGTCat
A little dry in some areas, but well written overall. It's kind of disappointing that the author has to spell out some things that should be common sense, like the fact that the Middle East contributed to Europe's Renaissance, that the Middle East was at one time THE world power, etc. etc. I
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suppose that's unsurprising though, considering the way the region and religion is portrayed in modern media. After reading this I have a better, though shallow, understanding of the history of the region and the religion as well as the different branches of Islam and what they practice. Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2000-08-22
Physical description
222 p.; 7.58 inches
ISBN
0679640401 / 9780679640400
Local notes
MaSi