The House of Islam: A Global History

Description

'A powerful corrective' Guardian 'This should be compulsory reading' Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads 'For anyone interested in the future of Islam, both in Britain and the Islamic world, this is an important book' The Times The gulf between Islam and the West is widening. A faith rich with strong values and traditions, observed by nearly two billion people is seen by the West as something to be feared rather than understood. Sensational headlines and hard-line policies spark enmity, while ignoring the feelings, narratives and perceptions that preoccupy Muslims today. The House of Islam seeks to provide entry to the minds and hearts of Muslims the world over. It introduces us to the kindness of Mohammed, the beauty of Islamic art and the permeation of the divine in public spaces; and the tension between mysticism and literalism that still threatens the religion. Ed Husain expertly and compassionately guides us through the nuances of Islam and its people, contending that the Muslim world need not be a stranger to the West, nor its enemy, but a peaceable ally.

Ed Husain is the author of Among the Mosques and The Islamist, a memoir of his time inside radical Islamism. Having rejected extremism, he now advises governments and political leaders on Islam. He is a senior fellow at Civitas, Institute for the Study of Civil Society in London and a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre in Washington DC. He was a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in New York for five years and co-founded Quilliam, the world's first counter-extremism think-tank in Britain. He has written for the New York Times, the Telegraph, the Financial Times and appeared on CNN, BBC, and others. He lives in London. @Ed_Husain

A powerful and impassioned polemic ... This is strong stuff. And it is a compelling thesis from a British Muslim writer whose relationship with Islam has evolved dramatically over time -- Justin Marozzi * Sunday Times * Not just timely but important too ... This should be compulsory reading -- Peter Frankopan, author of 'The Silk Roads' The House of Islam is a plea for the renewal of classical, traditional Islam against its extreme and politicised versions ... For anyone interested in the future of Islam, both in Britain and the Islamic world, this is an important book -- David Goodhart * The Times * The House of Islam is a long awaited and desperately needed book from one of our foremost thinkers at the nexus of civil society and theology ... Incisive and thought-provoking -- Bruce Hoffman, author of 'Inside Terrorism' Husain's account is not sensationalist, tending more to understatement than to hyperbole ... A complete eye-opener -- Praise for 'The Islamist' * The Times * Captivating, and terrifyingly honest ... a wake-up call to monocultural Britain, it takes you into the mind of young fundamentalists, exposing places in which the old notion of being British is defunct -- Praise for 'The Islamist' * Observer * Persuasive and stimulating -- Praise for 'The Islamist', Martin Amis All who glibly generalise about the no-man's-land between terrorism and multiculturalism should read this articulate and impassioned book -- Simon Jenkins * Sunday Times *