The Growth of Islamic Thought in North America: Focus on Ismail Raji Al Faruqi [Paperback]

Muhammad Shafiq (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Amana Pubns; 1st edition (April 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0915957167
• ISBN-13: 978-0915957163
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,510,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but sparse, September 26, 2001

By 

Sheik Umar (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Growth of Islamic Thought in North America: Focus on Ismail Raji Al Faruqi (Paperback)

I was attracted to the title 'The Growth of Islamic Thought in North America', hoping that it would shed some light on the phenomenal growth of Islam in the US. However, the book is less about that than it is abt the thoughts and ideology of Dr. Ismail Raji Al Faruqi, a Professor of Religion at Temple University. It is written by a former student of his, and it is a summary of Dr. Faruqi's analysis on the current malaise in the Muslim world, and his prescription for it. His analysis of the problems of the Muslim Ummah is not very new, but his prescriptions are. Amongst other things, he wants there to be some sort of synthesis or symbiosis between the Western social sciences and the Islamic humanities. He wants Muslim students to be trained and to master both worlds of knowledge, so that they can be in the best position to elucidate and and propagate a new brand of Humanities that encompasses Islamic beliefs and ideals. His prescriptions have a deep emphasis in education, as he blames most of the problems of the Muslim world on their illiteracy and lack of purpose and aim in advancing knowledge. There is an almost revolutionary fervour in his ideology but it is one based on reason and rationality and not dogmatism. He even draws up some plans on the structure of an Islamic state which is sparse in details but is otherwise as close as one can get to modern political systems like democracy and socialism without being such.
The drawback to this book is its lack of details, but the author assures us that this book is just a summary, an that he is embarking on a deeper study of the works of Dr. Faruqi.