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42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book led directly to my conversion to Islam, May 18, 2001
This review is from: Even Angels Ask: A Journey to Islam in America (Paperback)
Jeffrey Lang has presented the mercy and compassion of Allah, in particular, so persuasively that I, another former atheist, have followed him to Islam -- I was interested in learning about the religion but had not thought I would actually convert. For other potential converts it might be the way he describes the logic and intelligence of the Qur'an which would do it, or his obvious sincerity and honesty in telling why and how he converted, with many of the emotional components of his experience. In my opinion this book is better than his other book, Struggling to Surrender, and I'm glad I read this one first. I wonder if those who have been Muslims all their lives have any idea how many converts this book is likely to produce. It is too bad it is not better known.
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38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Honest reflections on Islam in America, March 13, 2002
This review is from: Even Angels Ask: A Journey to Islam in America (Paperback)
Dr. Lang bravely bares his soul for the benefit of American Muslims. His journey through various spiritual stages is inspiring - especially the difficulties he faced as a convert to Islam. He tackles many of the challenges/obstacles/controversies that face Islam in America: how to separate Islam from culture, tradition, and politics. He is not afraid to expose what he believes to be the shortcomings of the Muslim ummah. But he turns the same sharply critical eye on his past and admits to his own mistakes. His criticism though, is meant to show where American Muslims need to progress and grow. Though I do not agree entirely with Dr. Lang's practice of Islam (since he places a great deal of emphasis on the Quran but is less heedful of Hadith/Sunnah), he inarguably has some very important things to say. His book will appeal to young American Muslims because Dr. Lang explains the basis of his faith in a very logical, realistic, and *American* way. And certainly this book is a very important resource for new Muslims who may be feeling lost in a new world. Dr. Lang uses very clear, simple language to express himself so the book is very easy reading. I am not sure this book would be comprehensible to a non-Muslim who is unfamiliar with the internal dynamics of Muslim communities (not knowing the differences between sects, nationalities, cultures, age groups, political inclinations, etc). If one has a new or casual interest in Islam, this book is too focused to be a good starting point. It might be interesting reading for someone with a core knowledge/understanding of Islam and the Muslim world.
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Some Insightfull Reflections by an American Muslim, June 10, 2000
This review is from: Even Angels Ask: A Journey to Islam in America (Paperback)
Written by an ex-atheist who accepted Islam almost twenty years ago, the book is an account of Jeffrey Lang's struggle to find answers to the various issues he has faced since his conversion. This makes the book a post-conversion, not conversion story. Lang recounts the two-fold difficulty of being a "Westerner" and a "Muslim". On the one hand he or she is a member of a faith that, in a Western context, is hardly considered a viable intellectual alternative. This prejudice, points out Lang, has deep historical roots: Islam was the only major force that seriously threatened Christian Europe. This led to the emergence of biases that continue to loom in the Western psyche's Subconscious. You can become Buddhist and your decision is respected - perhaps even admired - but becoming Muslim is almost like treason since it means joining the "other", the age old-enemy. Lang relates the story of his Catholic mother who was more at ease with his atheism than his Islam. Lang's other difficulty as a Western Muslim comes from the Muslim side. He finds that many Muslim immigrants to the West bring their "version" of Islam, failing to realise that their's is just one version among others. Often these various "Islams" have grown on very different social and cultural soils and are inseparable from the contexts from which they emerged. What Lang argues for is the need for a "Western Islam", one which caters to the particular psychology of modern Westerners. This, he feels, is the only way Islam can survive, and even flourish, in the West. To deny the West in toto while dogmatically holding on to everything from their own Eastern culture on the part of immigrant Muslims is dangerously counter-productive -- dangerously because the sour fruits of such an approach can be seen in the number of Western Muslims (born into Muslim homes or converts) who have apostazised or simply stopped practicing. The most distinctive feature of this Western Islam should be its ability to the meet the demands of the spirit of inquiry that dominates the contemporary Western mind. But this spirit of inquiry, argues Lang, doesn't go against Islam, since "even angels ask". Although the book is written primarily for Muslims, anyone with some basic knowledge of Islam can benefit from it. The work is essentially a loose collection of almost random reflections, which is why Lang deals with such diverse subjects as the status of women, the practicality (or impracticality) of jihad, and interpreting the Koran. The second half of the book -- my favourite -- makes an excellent resource for those interested in a sociological analysis of Islam in the West. Here Lang relates some humorous (and not so humorous!) anecdotes, not all of which are positive. Some Muslims may take offence here since he airs a lot of dirty laundry. In short: if you want a book that goes ra! ra! for Muslims, this is not for you. But If you want a book that forces you to reflect over the paradoxical predicament of Muslims in the West, and the tremendous challenges they face -- culturally and intellectually -- you've come to the right place.
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