Islam: The Religion and the People (Hardcover)

by Bernard Lewis (Author), Buntzie Ellis Churchill (Author)
Key Phrases: Middle East, North Africa, Saudi Arabia (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Lewis (Near Eastern studies, emeritus, Princeton Univ.; The Crisis of Islam) and Churchill (former president, World Affairs Council of Philadelphia) offer an accessible introduction to Muslims and their faith. In clear language, the authors cover the faith's development, its five pillars, Scripture and tradition, law, the mosque, diversity, sectarian divisions, government, economics, women, dress, language, war and peace, and radicalism. There are three particular strengths. First, Lewis and Churchill insist that Islam cannot be reduced to extremes as either a bloodthirsty creed or solely a message of peace. The Qur'an advocates a range of responses according to specific circumstances. Second, the authors humanize Islam by including insets on "Islamic humor" in every chapter. Third, the book replaces dangerous characterizations of Islam as an enemy with an understanding of Islam as a faith intimately connected to Christianity and Judaism. Through understanding Islam, readers may see that the minority who espouse a radicalized totalitarian version of Islam represent neither the faith nor most of its followers. Highly recommended for all libraries.—William P. Collins, Library of Congress
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Product Description
Praise for Bernard Lewis "For newcomers to the subject[el]Bernard Lewis is the man." TIME Magazine "The doyen of Middle Eastern studies." The New York Times "No one writes about Muslim history with greater authority, or intelligence, or literary charm." British historian Hugh Trevor-Roper "Bernard Lewis has no living rival in his field." Al Ahram, Cairo (the most influential Arab world newspaper) "When it comes to Islamic studies, Bernard Lewis is the father of us all. With brilliance, integrity, and extraordinary mastery of languages and sources, he has led the way for[el]investigators seeking to understand the Muslim world." National Review "Bernard Lewis combines profound depth of scholarship with encyclopedic knowledge of the Middle East and, above all, readability." Daily Telegraph (London) "Lewis speaks with authority in prose marked by lucidity, elegance, wit and force." Newsday (New York) "Lewis' style is lucid, his approach, objective." Philadelphia Inquirer "Lewis writes with unsurpassed erudition and grace."WashingtonTimes An objective, easy-to-read introduction to Islam by Bernard Lewis, one of the West's leading experts on Islam For many people, Islam remains a mystery. Here Bernard Lewis and Buntzie Ellis Churchill examine Islam: what its adherents believe and how their religion has shaped them, their rich and diverse cultures, and their politics over more than 14 centuries. Considered one of the West's leading experts on Islam, Lewis, with Churchill, has written an illuminating introduction for those who want to understand the faith and the global challenges it confronts and presents. Whatever your political, personal, or religious views, this book will help you understand Islam's reality. Lewis and Churchill answer questions such as.../ How does Islam differ from Judaism and Christianity? / What are the pillars of the Islamic faith? / What does Islam really say about peace and jihad? / How does the faith regard non-Muslims? / What are the differences between Sunni and Shi'a? / What does Islam teach about the position of women in society? / What does Islam say about free enterprise and profit? / What caused the rise of radical Islam?/ What are the problems facing Muslims in the U.S. and Europe and what are the challenges posed by those minorities?

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wharton School Publishing (August 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0132230852
• ISBN-13: 978-0132230858
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #45,654 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Introduction, with Some Unfortunate Lacunae, November 17, 2008

By	George P. Wood (Santa Barbara, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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Of the making of books about Islam, there is no end, especially not in the post- 9/11 environment. Unfortunately, books about Islam published to a popular readership too often fall into the mutually exclusive categories of hagiography (e.g., those by Karen Armstrong) or demonology (e.g., those of Robert Spencer). Well, almost mutually exclusive. Stephen Schwartz manages both to sanctify Sufism and demonize Wahhabism in the course of one book (The Other Islam). What is needed is a just-the-facts-ma'am approach, which is what Bernard Lewis and Buntzie Ellis Churchill provide in Islam: The Religion and the People.

Lewis is a nonagenarian Orientalist of international repute and impeccable scholarship, formerly of Princeton University. Churchill is a past president of the World Affairs Council and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He has authored numerous books on Islam, Arabs, Turks, and all things Middle Eastern. This is their first book together.

In addition to its just-the-facts-ma'am approach, this book is welcome for its concision, evenhanded tone, historical depth, and scope of coverage. This book introduces the reader to the broad spectrum of ethnic groups that identify themselves as Muslim, their faith, their scripture (the Koran), their religious habits, their attitudes toward nonbelievers and deviant believers, their divisions (especially Sunni versus Shia), their history, their attitude toward government and the economy, the role of women, and the challenge of "radical Islam." It also does a good job of comparing and contrasting Islam with its predecessor religions, Judaism and Christianity, and of outlining the competing schools between and within Sunni and Shia Islam. An Appendix addresses issues of Arabic language, the Muslim calendar, and food and drink. And a glossary defines a cornucopia of terms from abaya to Zaidi. One interesting feature of the book is its citation of examples of Muslim humor throughout. Interesting, and very humanizing of Muslims and their faith.

On the other hand, in an introduction of such brief length, there are bound to be disappointments. I was surprised that Lewis and Churchill did not devote a chapter to Muhammad, which is standard in such introductions. The book does not have footnotes, a bibliography, or a list of suggestions for further reading. If this is your first book on Islam, you won't know what to read next. Finally, while the book outlines the various Sunni and Shia schools, it does not explain in sufficient detail the fundamental points that divide them from one another, the exception being its explanation of the basic division between Sunni and Shia Islam itself.

Overall, however, I found this to be a good introductory level text to the religion and people of Islam. If it does nothing else, it will provide interested readers with a tolerant, fair-minded treatment of a group and its faith whose perception in the American mind is too often tainted by apologies or excoriations, but not balanced scholarship.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Puzzling lack of religious history..., October 14, 2008

By	J. N. Mohlman (Barrington, RI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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I am an avid student of Middle Eastern History, Military History and Foreign Policy History, and while I know the basics of Islam, I am by no means well versed in its subtleties or religious tenets, modes of worship, etc. So this slim volume seemed an excellent opportunity to learn something about a religion that weighs so heavily on the subjects above. Unfortunately, what I got was a book that felt like the outline for a much larger book and which says almost nothing about the life and message of Mohammed.

This absence of any discussion of the actual religion of Islam is so puzzling (and glaring) it is almost hard to explain. The best way I can think of is to imagine a non-Christian reading a book ostensibly about Catholicism in which the only discussion of Christ's life is "The apostles spread Jesus' message throughout the Mediterranean basin, eventually supplanting the official pagan religion of Rome." Well, OK, but what was the message? Why did they spread it? Why was it embraced? Etc.

These questions apply equally well to Islam and would seem fundamental to any outsider understanding the religion and yet none are addressed. The authors do a succinct job of explaining the spread of Islam and the various schisms it has faced, but they never actually explain at all what it is Muslim's believe and in what ways it is different from other religious traditions (i.e. Isaac vs Ishmael as the heir of Abraham). Moreover, vastly more lines are spent on Islamic Humor than is spent on what Mohammed did or said or is believed to have done or said.
It is almost as if the book assumes a grounding in Islamic religion prior to reading, which makes no sense because this clearly is a survey text that reads like the textbook (albeit a well written one) for a 100 level college course. Ample attention is paid to subjects of genuine interest like the role of women, finance and radical Islam (to name a few), but absent a grounding in the doctrines of the faith it all seems oddly disconnected.

This isn't a bad book, per se. As I indicated above, it does offer an interesting survey of topics relating to Islam, but I suspect that most potential readers, like myself, are interested in a grounding in the religion, rather than its attendant political and cultural effects, and in that regard "Islam: The Religion and The People" sorely disappoints.

Jake Mohlman

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Antidote , October 14, 2008

By	Hrafnkell Haraldsson (Indiana) - See all my reviews

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Bernard Lewis' Islam is an antidote to the lies being circulated about Islam by Christian fundamentalists. The first thing that springs to mind on opening up this book is it's sober, matter-of-fact approach to the subject, something which stands in marked contrast to approach taken in fundamentalist circles, where we are commonly told that Muslims worship a black stone, or that they are pagans, etc.

In fifteen chapters, the authors look at such topics as what Muslims DO believe, the role of the mosque, diversity and tolerance, the role of women, of dress, language and writing, as well as radical Islam. By no means is the book perfect. Sometimes a subject seems to end abruptly, without going into detail. An example of this is the section on "Honor Killing and Mutilation." We are given a little information but no examples are provided. At times the text seems choppy, and the book takes on the appearance of a collection of short articles or, in places, factoids. This is less surprising when you consider the broad range of subjects addressed against the book's modest length (223 pages).

These complaints aside, the information provided is useful. The prose is clear and easy to follow and terms are translated. The reader will walk away from this book with a better understanding of what Islam is and what it is not, and in today's volatile religious environment, that can only be seen as a good thing. Highly recommended.