What I read on my "snow day"
What's up with snow days in March? Sheesh!
My sorry, housebound self turned being cooped up last Friday into an opportunity to read No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam by Reza Aslan.
Finally, six plus years after 9-11 I got to learn a little bit and put some pieces together...
*the story behind Muhammad the prophet
*How the Qur'an (= recitation) came about
*Understanding various parts of the Qur'an in historical context
*The origins of the Sunni versus Shiite divide
*Shariah, or Islamic law- where it came from- how some folks are trying to make it civil law today in Muslim countries
*the Sufi "sect" of Islam, a radical, mystical group that I find kind of cool (don't worry, I'm not converting!)
*the rise of political Islam in the 19th and early 20th centuries, from the Muslim Brothers in Egypt to the radical, fundamentalist sect called Wahhabisim- a group I find not cool at all- and I'm saddened that the oil in Saudi Arabia with the Wahhabi sect leaders and the political leaders funded the spread of this brand, "Petrol Islam," that now threatens the West and, even more so, other Muslim communities
*the anti-colonial origins of the Iranian Revolution and the Ayatollah Khomeni's whacked out model of Islam affecting several generations, including the author's
*Aslan's theory that after 1500 years Christianity endured a violent, bloody Reformation period, including a 30 Years War- and how it is now 1500 years after the Prophet- and it is Reformation time for the Islamic faith- and there is a battle going on to define what is true Islam
*Did you know that the 7-7 bombings in London were Muslims attacking other Muslims? I didn't. Aslan helped me to see anti-Muslim terrorism committed against other Muslims. Which version of Islam will prevail? I now see more clearly who I am rooting for.
What I realize...
*Wahhabism + Saudi oil + terror= bad news
*Need for majority Muslims to counter this form of Islam
*Need for the west to not lump Islam into one pot- there is as much diversity in this faith as there is in Christianity- it is unfair to compare Christian best with Muslim worst- and vice versa
Where I'm at...
*In my mind things are coming together, but...I can't really explain it to someone else
*When I hear things in the media, I understand how things fit together more
*As a Christian, I hope to build a bridge and find some Muslim friends- to talk about what we share in common, a prophet named Jesus- and to go from there
*I still don't have fond memories of the "call to prayer" at 4am in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Annoying!
My recommmendation:
It's well written book, but not an easy read.
You have to keep track of a lot of Arabic terms (with help from a glossary in the back)
You have to follow the trajectory of the story from the Prophet as orphan to Meccan radical to Medina exile to the succession challenges following his death
But the book will eventually bring you home to the relevance to our lives today, whether you are Muslim, Christian, Jews, something else, or atheist. I'm hoping to get some folks to talk about this book sometime.
Peace, salaam, shalom,
Duh-sciple Tim
My sorry, housebound self turned being cooped up last Friday into an opportunity to read No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam by Reza Aslan.
Finally, six plus years after 9-11 I got to learn a little bit and put some pieces together...
*the story behind Muhammad the prophet
*How the Qur'an (= recitation) came about
*Understanding various parts of the Qur'an in historical context
*The origins of the Sunni versus Shiite divide
*Shariah, or Islamic law- where it came from- how some folks are trying to make it civil law today in Muslim countries
*the Sufi "sect" of Islam, a radical, mystical group that I find kind of cool (don't worry, I'm not converting!)
*the rise of political Islam in the 19th and early 20th centuries, from the Muslim Brothers in Egypt to the radical, fundamentalist sect called Wahhabisim- a group I find not cool at all- and I'm saddened that the oil in Saudi Arabia with the Wahhabi sect leaders and the political leaders funded the spread of this brand, "Petrol Islam," that now threatens the West and, even more so, other Muslim communities
*the anti-colonial origins of the Iranian Revolution and the Ayatollah Khomeni's whacked out model of Islam affecting several generations, including the author's
*Aslan's theory that after 1500 years Christianity endured a violent, bloody Reformation period, including a 30 Years War- and how it is now 1500 years after the Prophet- and it is Reformation time for the Islamic faith- and there is a battle going on to define what is true Islam
*Did you know that the 7-7 bombings in London were Muslims attacking other Muslims? I didn't. Aslan helped me to see anti-Muslim terrorism committed against other Muslims. Which version of Islam will prevail? I now see more clearly who I am rooting for.
What I realize...
*Wahhabism + Saudi oil + terror= bad news
*Need for majority Muslims to counter this form of Islam
*Need for the west to not lump Islam into one pot- there is as much diversity in this faith as there is in Christianity- it is unfair to compare Christian best with Muslim worst- and vice versa
Where I'm at...
*In my mind things are coming together, but...I can't really explain it to someone else
*When I hear things in the media, I understand how things fit together more
*As a Christian, I hope to build a bridge and find some Muslim friends- to talk about what we share in common, a prophet named Jesus- and to go from there
*I still don't have fond memories of the "call to prayer" at 4am in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Annoying!
My recommmendation:
It's well written book, but not an easy read.
You have to keep track of a lot of Arabic terms (with help from a glossary in the back)
You have to follow the trajectory of the story from the Prophet as orphan to Meccan radical to Medina exile to the succession challenges following his death
But the book will eventually bring you home to the relevance to our lives today, whether you are Muslim, Christian, Jews, something else, or atheist. I'm hoping to get some folks to talk about this book sometime.
Peace, salaam, shalom,
Duh-sciple Tim
posted by Duh-sciple Tim at 7:22 PM
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