A fresh understanding of the Quran challenges both modern-day Muslims and Islamophobia

[BOOK REVIEW]

Abstract

A large part of contemporary politics involves Islam, the faith, and its adherents – the Muslims. In the US and in large parts of Europe, strong rightwing movements have emerged that view Muslims as the principal threat to “Western” culture and identity, recalling the fraught encounters between the armies of Christianity and Islam a millennium ago. On their part, over the last four decades, several Muslims in different parts of the world have associated themselves with “jihad” – wreaking violence indiscriminately upon innocent communities in the name of defending their faith. 

While large sections of the international community are hostile to the faith and its adherents, Muslims themselves are also “perplexed”, as Aziz points out. Given that there are over a billion Muslims in the world, with a third living as minorities in non-Muslim countries, it is not surprising that many of them wonder whether a democratic order, a pluralistic society and the modern industrial economy are compatible with Islamic injunctions; or are concerned about the place of personal law, sectarian divisions, and jihad in contemporary times. On the basis of painstaking research and a lucid presentation, Aziz’s book provides answers to questions about the faith both to bewildered believers and hostile non-Muslims.