From School Library Journal
Grade 6 Up—Friedman gives an overview of Islam, terrorism, oppression of women, respect for human rights, and a clash of civilization. While the format is user-friendly, the book's content is peppered with subjective narrative and factual error. The overview states that Islam was founded by Muhammad, but it declares its origin from Prophet Adam. The author states that Abu Bakr was Muhammad's uncle and raised him. Abu Bakr was Muhammad's friend and later became his father-in-law; he was not an uncle. There is mention of the Five Pillars of Islam, which are rituals, but nothing is said about the Seven Articles of Faith, the bedrock of Islam. The postures for salah are inaccurate. Zakat, the third pillar of Islam, is to help the poor but it is false to say that it is to "help the spread of Islam." The hajj practice originated with Abraham; here it is attributed to Muhammad. The author says Islam has subjugated women and suggests that honor killings are linked to the religion. Islam liberated women and unequivocally outlawed the killing of girls, which was a common practice in pre-Islamic Arabia. These historical facts are well documented even in the West. This book contains many primary-source quotes, but its bias, inaccuracies, and misinformation make it a poor choice for libraries.—Fawzia Gilani-Williams, Oberlin Public Library, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.
