Islam Explained

Description

Acclaimed novelist, Ben Jelloun clarifies the main tenets of Islam, the major landmarks in Islamic history, and the current politics of Islamic fundamentalism. He also sheds light on the keywords that have come to dominate coverage of the current crisis - terrorist, crusade, Jihad, fundamentalist, fatwa - offering lucid and balanced explanations, not only for youngsters but also for the general reader. In his landmark Racism Explained to My Daughter, which Elle magazine described as "a must read...clear, powerful, and right on target," celebrated North African novelist Tahar Ben Jelloun offered a powerful model for teaching difficult subjects to our children. Now, in Islam Explained, Ben Jelloun brings these same insights to bear on understanding Islam in the wake of September 11. In an accessible question-and-answer format, Islam Explained is at once an essential introduction to one of the world's great religions and a cry for tolerance and understanding in deeply troubled times. For general readers on foreign religions and particularly Islam (given the recent success of titles by Bernard Lewis, Karen Armstrong, and Ahmed Rashid), but especially adult readers looking to answer chi

Tahar Ben Jelloun was born in 1944 in Fez, Morocco, and emigrated to France in 1961. A novelist, essayist, critic, and poet, he is a regular contributor to Le Monde and winner of the 1994 Prix Maghreb. His novels include The Sacred Night, which received the Prix Goncourt in 1987, Corruption, and This Blinding Absence of Light. He is also the author of Racism Explained to My Daughter. He lives in Paris.

"Although this book presents only one of many "explanations" of Islam, its openness and emotional honesty, particularly when discussing the tragedy of 9/11, make it a valuable addition to a growing public discourse.... as a liberal Muslim voice of reconciliation, heartbreak, and compassion, it is priceless." - Booklist "[A] slender but ambitious treatise designed to make sense of Islam to young Western readers in the wake of September 11." - Publishers Weekly"