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Muslims in the West: Redefining the Separation of Church & State

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It is difficult nowadays to get an objective, nuanced opinion on Islam, neither flattering nor biased against it. If I were to recommend a way to try and achieve that, I would suggest to read several good books on the matter, including this one among them: I like it because the author is extremely specific, i.e., he goes down to the detail and critizies what he does not like in muslim behaviour or thought. In that way, even if one does not agree with him on all (or part of )what he says, it is to be praised that he gives a fairly opportunity to answer back. Besides, it is very complete (but only as far as Switzerland is concerned) and reasonibly readable book (without being light).

Other books that I would recommend to read would be the following: A) ASSESSMENTS OF ISLAM: 1) The best, impartial, wise: "Islam. History, present, future" by Hans Küng (written in German, already available in Spanish, English translation coming in 2007); 2) Moderate Islam at its best: "The Great Theft : Wrestling Islam from the Extremists" by Khaled M. Abou El Fadl; and 3) Autobiography of a courageous woman: "Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. She is a controversial thinker with a very interesting life. B) HISTORY: 4) General: "The Venture of Islam", by Marshall G. S. Hodgson (nowadays a classic included in any bibliography on Islam); 5) Turks: "The Turks in World History" by Carter Vaughn Findley; 6) Political theory: "God's Rule : Government and Islam" by Patricia Crone; and 7) Jihad: "Understanding Jihad" by David Cook (it also seems interesting although I have not read it yet: "Jihad in Islamic History: Doctrines and Practice" by Michael Bonner).

Translated into English by Sheldon Lee Gosline, Muslims In The West: Redefining The Separation Of Church And State is accessibly written by Sami A. Aldeeb Abu-Sahlieh (Director of Islamic Law, Swiss Institute of Comparative Law, Lausanne) who drew upon his more than twenty years of personal and professional experience to examine the cultural, social, and political interactions of Muslims in Switzerland. Individual chapters address everything from conflicts of religion and the right to worship, to issues involving religious cemeteries and burial grounds. A very thoughtful and insightful work offering principles and wisdom that can be generalized to the Western world as a whole, Muslims In The West is an original and welcome contribution to Islamic Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

I offer many praises to Dr. Sami Aldeeb Abu-Salieh for writing this book and Dr. Sheldon Gosline for translating it into English. They have provided us with the first clear picture of Muslims in the West. Although much of the research is specific to Islam in Europe and Switzerland in particular, the conclusions are universal to all western nations. Dr. Aldeeb spent a lifetime studying this subject and his knowledge is totally evident. The translation into English of the original French and Arabic text was a massive task. It was undertaken with great care. If you are at all interested in the subject of Islam you must see this work!

This work is an outstanding compilation of Islamic and western law concerning all aspects of life. It is a subject that touches all of us since the tragic events of Sept. 11th.