Recent developments have placed Islam at the forefront in America. The Administration, the News media and the Academic community have all been focused almost exclusively on Islam. But despite greater interest, understanding of Islam and Muslim world remains limited and selective. Consequently, Islam and Muslims have been reduced to stereotypes of Islam against the west. Islam as a world Religion has been reduced to Islamic fundamentalism. Islam already stigmatised in the west, is once more equated with Violence and terrorism.
Is Islam a religion of Peace or violence? Is their something special in Islam which breeds Terrorism more than other religions? Is liberal Democracy basically compatible with Islam? What is Islam's concept of man and the rights of individual? How the accountability to God can be combined with the accountability to the people in a government? Is there a Church in Islam? What is the Islamic concept of Jihad? What are US misperceptions about Islam? What can the US do to combat anti-Americanism in Muslim World? The book seeks to find answers to these and similar questions.
The book is a serious attempt to present a true Picture of Islam. It highlights the basic tenets of Islam which unfortunately have not been quite visible in the current debate over Islam and terrorism. The volume tries to dispel the notion of Islam "as a bloodthirsty and violent religion" that is gaining Currency in the western world. Most of the chapters are responses of a "thinking Muslim scholar" to some of the Islamic concepts and theories. The Essays on Democracy, Jihad, Human Rights provide a realistic analysis of these concepts which have occupied a centre Stage in the discourses on Islam. The volume aims at demolishing certain myths about Islam and Muslims. |
