Unveiling Islam: An Insider's Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs [Paperback]

Ergun Mehmet Caner (Author), Emir Fethi Caner (Author), Richard Land (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2002

(Foreword by Richard Land) An insider's look at the reality of Islam by two former Sunni Muslims widely respected for their ability to clearly explain the Muslim mind. More than 150,000 copies in print! (20041115)

Editorial Reviews

Review

. (20070312)

. . . A useful framework to help Christians to witness to Muslims, particularly in the Western countries. (Christian Library Journal 20050401)

The single greatest strength of this book is that it is not published as an exercise in academic research but rather as a tool for Christians to equip themselves. (Between the Leaves 20070312)

This is fascinating. Two former Muslims talk about Islam from the inside. It's a fairly simple but complete read, among other things I think I now get why we supported Iraq as opposed to Iran. I'm not really sure how to describe it, but I think in this day and age, we all need to read it. (journals.aol.com )

"This informative, well-written book should be read by every Christian who desires to understand Islam and to see Muslims come to Jesus Christ for salvation" (Roy B. Zuck Bibliotheca Sacra )

From the Back Cover

Islam is often obscured by a veil of unfamiliar beliefs, customs, and practices. We watch intriguing images of Islamic nations on our televisions. We hear words like Muslim and Jihad defined in conflicting terms.

What is Islam, truly, when you peek behind the veil? Who can explain this culture with clarity and precision?

Raised as Sunni Muslims by a leader in the Muslim faith, brothers Ergun and Emir Caner have lived the Muslim life. Now Christians and highly respected theology professors, the Caner brothers are in a unique position to present an unprecedented insider’s look at Islam.

Unveiling Islam is a sympathetic yet uncompromising presentation of the entire scope of Islam—its practices, ethics, and beliefs, including the primary differences between Christianity and Islam. With a basic knowledge of Islam in place, the authors then present a practical strategy Christians can use to open a productive dialogue with Muslims.

Ergun Mehmet Caner (Th.M., Southeastern Seminary; Th.D., University of South Africa) is currently Professor of Theology and Church History at The Criswell College in Dallas, Texas. During his seventeen years as a pastor and now as a professor, Dr. Caner has lectured on apologetics, world religions, and theology in eleven countries and has been interviewed on CNN, the 700 Club, and the BBC, among many others.

Emir Fethi Caner (Ph.D., University of Texas) is currently Assistant Professor of Church History and Anabaptist Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He speaks regularly on church history and Islam around the world and on such programs as Janet Parshall’s America and Billy Graham’s Decision Today Radio. His past experience includes pastoring, missions work, and church planting.

(20040603)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 251 pages
• Publisher: Kregel Publications; Reprinted edition (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0825424003
• ISBN-13: 978-0825424007
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (167 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #440,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

87 of 106 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting introduction, but not the whole story, June 4, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Unveiling Islam: An Insider's Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs (Paperback)

I seem to be one of the very few reviewers on this page who has mixed feelings about this book. The message it preaches is not an easy one to swallow. Though it claims to be a 'sympathetic' portrayal of Islam, I found it to be far more negative than sympathetic. It is also, I am sad to say, much harsher with individual passages from the Qu'ran than with isolated passages from the Bible - and I say that as a practicing Christian. Consequently it is all-too easy to rush to take an extreme view of the book. Those who have little experience of Islam outside the atrocities of 9/11 will find it an illuminating expose on the true nature of the religion. Those who are Muslim, or are familiar with practitioners of the faith, will probably find that it grossly distorts the true religion in a poor attempt at propaganda. Neither of these views are quite correct.

Although the Caner brothers ask interesting questions which do need asking (namely: have Islamic terrorists twisted the true message of the Islamic faith...or, alternatively, have peace-loving Muslims deceived themselves into neglecting key tenets of the religion?) the refusal to acknowledge the positive aspects of Islam weakens their argument somewhat. I have numerous Muslim friends in this country, and I can confidently say that much of what the Caner brothers assert comes down to matters of culture, NOT matters of Islam. For example, my best friend informs me that in no way does the Qu'ran advocate the wearing of the Burkha. Women, apparently, are instructed to cover their hair - not the entire face. The Caner brothers imply that the wearing of the Burkha is an instruction of the Qu'ran. Nor do the westernised Islamic men I know beat their wives. Finally, it is usually *much* easier to make friends with an Islamic family than is portrayed in "Unveiling Islam".

However, I am very surprised by some of comments in the one-star reviews on this page. I am left with the feeling that some reviewers stopped reading the text once they realised it would not conform to their expectations. One reviewer writes: 'One has to only take the Crusades into consideration to realise how much innocent blood was spewed at the sword in the name of Christ, the savior.' Fair point. Unfortunately, this point was addressed several times by the authors in their book. They make it patently clear that the Crusades were bloody and horrible - but contrary to the teachings of Jesus. The point they make throughout the book is that any blood shed in the name of Islam may not necessarily be contrary to the teachings of Muhammed. Another reviewer asserts: 'this book does not use any authentic Hadiths'. Hadiths, however, appear repeatedly in each chapter. Whether they are 'authentic' or not, I don't know - what, exactly, is an unauthentic Hadith? Another reviewer states that: 'The brothers never bother to explain...why their father disowned them.' Yes, they do. They point to the passages in the Qu'ran which advocate the parental rejection of children who turn away from Islam. The brothers also put forward a pretty convincing argument for the interpretation of Jihad as a physical war, not an internal war.

The best thing about this book is that I put it down thirsting for more information. Because of "Unveiling Islam" I will be reading the Qu'ran, and then comparing it with the Bible. I wish to read the Hadiths. I want to find out more about the Crusades, and more about the different Islamic sects.

I recommend it as a starting point, because the questions it raises are uncomfortable, yet highly valuable. Unfortunately, though, the biased slant makes this book too unreliable to be regarded as the whole story.

102 of 128 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AMERICA WAKE UP - THIS IS ISLAM, July 22, 2002

By 

Solide O Gloria (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unveiling Islam: An Insider's Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs (Paperback)

* MY OPINION: I'm an Indonesian who happens to be Christian, which is a minority back home - Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population - and often persecuted though not as bad as Christians in e.g. Saudi Arabia. As I read the book, I can't thank the authors enough for giving light to the world about the real Islam. Maybe in the good 'ol US of A, where there is freedom of religion (thx to the Judeo-Christian influence), Islam is a peaceful religion. But can't you see how many more Christians are being persecuted in Sudan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia etc, because non-Christians has to "SUBMIT" to the "PEACEFUL" religion? How odd that the effort of Drs Caner is blasted with condemnation. They're just writing about the real deal here, not about bigotry or racism.
* CONTENT: This book is ideal for those who just started learning about Islam. Some chapters start with real life example based on cultural differences between Muslim and Christian. Like in Ch. 4, Tony (a Christian) has a Muslim roomate Askar, and they shared about their religion. Tony found out that Askar knew some Bible stories, but Askar's version somehow came out "changed". My Muslim friends like to say they've read all the contents of the Bible, but actually they're just making a statement that the Quran is the final revelation from God and it's the most complete Book, and once you've read it, then you've read the whole Bible. Or about the Trinity, how Muslims believe that Christians worship 3 gods, and one of the Trinity is Mary. So you see, Christianity and Islam is NEVER the same. Drs Caner approach to Islam in this book is gentle, but firm in stating the fundamental difference between the two faiths. They're not bashing Islam as some review has overly stated. If I were to write a book on Islam based on how Islamic countries treated its non-Muslim minions, I wouldn't be as compassionate as Drs Caner...
* OTHER MUST READ: If you want to go deep, read Norman Geisler's "Answering Islam" - it's got all the works; and Bruce McDowell's "Muslims and Christians at the Table.." - good how-to book in befriending Muslims. Don't miss "Torn Veil" by Gulshan Esther, riveting account of a Pakistani woman conversion to follow Christ. This lady literally had to go through all the trials, from being disowned by her rich family to being thrown to jail, but she would not forsake Christ.

257 of 344 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read For Our Time !, September 27, 2002

By 

M. D Roberts (Gwent, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unveiling Islam: An Insider's Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs (Paperback)

After September 11 2001, this book could not be more appropriate or more timely. Many in the West are seeking an understanding of a religion that could so mercilessly and indiscriminately slaughter so many innocent people at a given moment in time. The religion is Islam.

Islam, as the authors of this book declare, is often obscured by a veil of unfamiliar beliefs, customs and practices. The book `Unveiling Islam' is a very sympathetic yet uncompromising presentation of the entire scope and field of Islam, including it's practices, ethics and beliefs. Not least, it deals with in detail the primary differences between Christianity and Islam.

Ergun Mehmet Caner and Emir Fethi Caner, were both raised as Sunni Muslims by a leader in a Mosque and have lived the Muslim life to the full. This crucial book by the Caner brothers, both esteemed and learned Professors in their own right, is a phenomenal work. The work shows extensive research and knowledge and is articulate and authoritative, with a deep understanding and comprehension of Islamic politics, theology, beliefs and mindset.

This vivid analysis of Islam is by two former devout Muslims who are now Born Again Christians.

The authors openly reveal that at this moment for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, men, women and children are being bullwhipped into submission, tortured, imprisoned, beaten, battered and broken. Homes are being burnt and families are being executed. Conversion from Islam to Christianity and faith in Jesus Christ often means being disowned, disinherited, expulsion, arrest and even death. The authors insist and expose that if you believe that persecution, torture and murder for belief and faith in Jesus Christ are things of the past, then you are sadly, badly mistaken.

The authors dismiss the claim so popular today that `all religions are the same' and the Muslims and Christians worship the same God. They state that either Islam is correct in the assumption that "there is only one God, Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet" or that Christianity is correct when Jesus Himself says, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no-one comes to the Father except through Me." They cannot both be correct and both Gods cannot be the same. Muslims overtly declaring that `Allah has no son' and Christianity declaring that `Jesus is the Son of God'.

This book is not a diatribe filled with hostility against Islam. There is no hostility here at all. No hatred, only sadness and love and a desire to share the Truth that the authors have found. It is a genuine, honest attempt to portray Islam as it is and from a Christian perspective, by two learned Muslims who have been there and trodden both paths.

The authors state that the events of September 11 2001, were regretfully only a very sad validation of Islam to those familiar with the Qur'an and the Hadith, and those familiar with the protocols of Jihad and the beliefs surrounding the worldwide expansion of Islam & the beliefs surrounding an Islamic martyr's eternity.

There is so much detail here that it is not possible to cover it all in a review. Read it for yourself. We all owe it to ourselves to be aware of the entire context of what we face in the `war against terrorism' and those who sadly fight against the West in the name of Islam.

I highly recommend this book.