As long as we're talking Islam...

The New Yorker dropped a quiet bomb with that crazy Obama cover, so we figured we'd add to the conversation with a trio of books about Islam received by our religion editor. There's "Islam: The Religion and the People," which is an intro to the religion; "They Must Be Stopped," which purports to take on radical Islam; and "Heavy Metal Islam," which is exactly what it sounds like.

-- Veronique de Turenne

Comments

[DA]

Islam, for those how do not know it , is a peacful religion, and has no relation whatsoever to terrorism act. For those who want to know about islam , might find these webs of interest to them: www.islam-guide.com or www.islamalways.com . I ask GOD to let all of us, all the world’s inhabitants live in peace and harmony. Thank you.

[J Hubers]

Interesting selection. Bridget Gabriel is a venomous Muslim-hater of South Lebanese Christian extraction - famous for their barbarous violence against Muslims. Bernard Lewis, once honored for his scholarship, became a Muslim-hater in later life. This is one of his later books. The other, well, what's the point??

Wouldn't it be better to actually recommend some thoughtful books on Islam, ones that could help people understand what Islam is actually about? There are many. Unfortunately the popular press is more interested in sensationalism, so people read this dribble instead.

For those who are actually interested in discovering something approximating the truth about Islam I would recommend: Islam: Religion, History and Civilization by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University.