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Islam

December 14, 2009
Book of the Day: Islam: A Short History, by Karen Armstrong
Grade: C+
First published: 2000
1-word review: Ummahculate
8-word review: For Muslims, political history is inseparable from religion.

Armstrong is a former Catholic nun who writes books about religion, usually from a comparative perspective. This short book on Islam is fairly good, but not particularly insightful. A pronouncement is made at the beginning that, more so than other major religions, Islam's identity and systems of belief are inseparable from its political history. This is a valid stance to take, but in so taking it Armstrong gives short shrift to Islam's impressively rich cultural and intellectual history.

In my opinion, Reza Aslan's book No god but God is a much better introduction to the history of Islam.
Former Boise-area Congressman Bill Sali (pictured below) believed that the election of a Muslim to Congress in Minnesota was going to bring God's punishment down on our nation. It's no coincidence that Islam is currently illegal in Idaho.

Comments

  1. LauriAnnDecember 16, 2009 at 8:49 PM

    Recession, multi-front war, Oprah, I think Sali might be right.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Erik DrydenDecember 17, 2009 at 8:23 AM

    How dare you use Oprah's name in vain!

    ReplyDelete

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