There are also updated descriptions of internal politics in Syria, Egypt, Pakistan, and other Islamic nations. It contains the whole book, A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam, and more. A solid introduction to the basic tenets of Islam and some of the historical background of its creation.. Dry, but accessible description of the formation of Islam and what it looks like today. Start by marking “Understanding Islam: An Introduction to the Muslim World” as Want to Read: Error rating book. He is a former adjunct senior fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations and an adjunct scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington. Complete with glossary, bibliography. Difficult to read since the writers vocabulary is a little more advanced than mine so I had I pull out the dictionary multiple times and re read sentences to make sense of things. Brilliant introduction to the Muslim faith and Islamic political thought. This one wasn't as good as Armstrong's book, but there were a few gems of knowlege I appreciated getting from it...especially how it all went wrong between Jews and Islam. The other book of this type, Islam for Dummies, was written by a non-Muslim Dummy who is obviously poorly acquainted with his subject. A decent book because the editors--unlike so many others--actually had the book written by a Muslim. I loved his poems so much as an undergrad that I went on to study Middle Eastern languages just so I could read his work in the original. The book Understanding Islam provides detailed answers to these false notions, using arguments that are simple to follow, effective and made in a contemporary style. Not written the way a Muslim would write it, and believing Muslims won't like some details and conclusions here and there. I also had to do a lot of research on certain events and topics he mentioned. Be the first to ask a question about Understanding Islam. What’s different about Islam in Malaysia and Indonesia? 25 / 2 / 1437 , 8/12/2015. Check out our other foreign policy blog, Order from Chaos—a how-to guide for managing the end of the post-Cold War era. Download the Entire Book in PDF Format: To download the entire book entitled A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam in PDF format, right-click on the link below, then in Explorer choose Save Target As, and in Netscape choose Save Link As.To view it online, just click on the link: These extra Islamic scriptures contain most of the teachings that make modern people (Muslims included) uncomfortable about Islam. Good for an objective viewpoint and detailed religious, political, and historical information. Are you spending this season bundling up against the chill or enjoying summery southern hemisphere vibes (in which case we are... A little over thirteen centuries ago, the prophet Muhammad converted a few Arab desert tribes to the belief in a single god, Allah, thus founding the religion of Islam. In general though, a decent primer on a major world religion that most westerners look at with a sense of suspicion and darkness. The book helps a person enhance their understanding of true Islam as opposed to the one often portrayed in the media. by Plume, Understanding Islam: An Introduction to the Muslim World. This book gives a simple picture about Islam through many aspects Islamic Doctrines, acts of worships and dealings between people. The author of five other books on the Middle East. Guide to Islam, A Brief Guide to Understand Islam … He lives in Washington, DC. September 1st 1995 The contents of this guide follow. The nerd in me leapt to the least obvious conclusion, “Ah, good idea! The book Understanding Islam provides detailed answers to these false notions, using arguments that are simple to follow, effective and made in a contemporary style. The author of five other books on the Middle East and diplomacy, Lippman has appeared frequently on national television, news, and radio. I'd recommend this for people who want cursory knowledge of muslim culture. This comprehensive guide offers an informative and insightful introduction to Islam both as a religion and as a political-economic force. One of the world’s experts on these scriptures, Jonathan Brown, has written a terrific book about them, Misquoting Muhammad. Other scriptures: Most non-Muslims are unaware that Islamic scripture is more than the Quran. This is a history and an explanation of Islam from an outsider - Thomas Lippmann is not of the area though he may have traveled widely. Why the 2008 India attack is the best way to understand Paris. Excellent book. Understanding Islam by Thomas W. Lippman, 2002, Penguin Putnam edition, in English - 3rd rev. Reading some of the rough stuff in the Hebrew Bible is a good way to put a kindred ancient religion like Islam in perspective.” But they meant something a little less complicated: @will_mccants @jenanmoussa Read the bible and learn to love and not to hate. This book does a pretty good job of sharing both its history and core beliefs. It has much to offer, especially for those who know little to nothing about the topic. i thought it was an average coverage of Islam. THOMAS W. LIPPMAN, a former Middle East bureau chief for the Washington Post, is an award-winning journalist who has written about Middle Eastern affairs and American foreign policy for more than three decades. I also put the question to Twitter. It includes information on the life of Muhammad the Prophet, The Qur'an and the Sunnah, the six articles of faith, the five pillars of practice and Muslim daily life. It tells the story of Muhammad - and the rise of Islam; outlines the sacred book, the Koran; explains "the five pillars of faith"; explores the interplay between religion and government; describes the differences that divide Islam; and, above all, shows the influence of Islam on world affairs. To those with this sincere question, Will suggests five books that have helped him better understand Islam, from books on Muhammad and the Quran to Rumi and the Hebrew Bible. ... Understanding Islam. This is a decent review of muslim history and the arab world, though not in great detail. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. After a recent talk about my ISIS book, one of the audience members asked, “What can I read to help me not hate Islam?” I don’t think it’s a scholar’s job to persuade others to love or hate any culture. I enjoyed this book, though it's a good bit out of date. He writes with great wit and deep scholarship. This second revised edition provides crucial new material on the Islamic community today, including discussion of the Gulf War and the Salman Rushdie affair; the rise and ebb of fundamentalist fervor in Iran, Algeria, and elsewhere; and the relationships among different factions of the Islamic faith. It provides more than just the basics on the religion and highlights key points of context that more biased books ignore. The present edition of Towards Understanding Islam is more than a new translation of my book Risalah Diniyat: it is an entirely new and revised version.