Product Description: The meaning and message of Islam has been corrupted and perverted by a particularly virulent strain of Islam. Writer and critic Ziauddin Sardar tells the stories of different interpretations of Islam and argues for a critical version of a religion that has a long and distinguished history—but appears to have been swept aside by a fundamentalist interpretation...read more

Product Description: Tahir Abbas explores the enigma of modern Islamist Turkey, Ahmet Kuru discovers Turkey's political history, Nagihan Halilo?lu gets tangled in Turkish heritage wars, Zeynep Ökten has reservations about the country's Islamic finance industry, Gokhan Bacik wonders why Turkey fails to have a social contract, Iftikhar H Malik is enchanted by the whirling dervishes, John Crofoot revisits the Seljuk era, Charles Allen Scarboro listens to local stories, Onur Suzan Nobrega fights for the oppressed Zaza Alawis, Semiha Topal is appalled by violence against women, Rebecca Soble witnesses a killing, and Mohammed Bakari remembers Istanbul...read more

Product Description: Jeremy Henzel-Thomas argues that educational reform is the biggest challenge facing Muslim societies, Richard Pringle highlights the purpose of education,Abdelwahab El-Affendi suggests how Muslim education should be reconfigured, Abdulkader Tayob argues that issues of identity are intrinsically linked with Islamic education reform, Farid Panjwani is convinced that conventional approaches to education in Islam are deeply flawed, Ebrahim Moosa rethinks the whole idea of the madrassas, Ali Asani experiments with new methods of teaching Islam, Keri Facer explores the future of public knowledge building, Moneef R...read more

Product Description: Ziauddin Sardar explores the limits of power, Barnaby Rogerson is enchanted with the notion of governance in the life of Prophet Muhammad, Bruce Lawrence deconstructs the idea of 'Islamic State.', Kecia Ali surveys sexual politics of Muslim groups, Abdelwahab El-Efendi travels to 'Londonistan...read more

Product Description: Mecca is, for many, the heart of Islam. It is the birthplace of Muhammad, the direction to which Muslims turn when they pray, and the site of pilgrimage that annually draws some three million Muslims from all corners of the world...read more

Product Description: Hassan Mahamdallie argues that racism is twenty-first century's main problem, Shannon Shah detects racial overtones within Islam, Robert Irwin examines race and racism in the Arabian Nights, Hugh Kennedy uncovers the ninth century Zanj slave uprisings, Sejad Mekic looks for signs of hope in Bosnia, Sadiyya Shaikh explores religious imaginaries of ibn Arabi, Avaes Mohammad evokes parallel lives in Blackburn, Gary MacFarlane revisits the Christian fundamentalism of abolitionist John Brown, Ziauddin Sardar has unsavoury encounters in Saudi Arabia, and Naima Khan accuses South Asian Muslims of looking down on Africans...read more

Product Description: A great deal has been said and written about 'women in Islam' - from how they should behave and dress to their 'duties' and position in society. Muslim men, on the other hand, have escaped all scrutiny. With contributions from leading Muslim women scholars and writers, including Amina Wadud, Kecia Ali, Sheikhah Halima Krausen, Ziba Mir Hosseini, Asma Afsaruddin, Mohja Kahf, Alev Adil and Leyla Jagiella, this issue of Critical Muslim balances the equation...read more

Product Description: Malaysia and Indonesia are seen as bastions of liberal Islam. Is this really true or simply a widely held misconception about south-east Asian Muslims? What is the contribution of the Muslim archipelago to the world of Islam? What can we learn from Malaysian and Indonesian experiments in democracy? This issue of Critical Muslim addresses these questions by examining the politics, history, culture and religious traditions of Malaysia and Indonesia...read more

Product Description: This box set contains three brilliant Introducing Graphic Guides on mind-blowing ideas that have revolutionised our view of how the universe works - Relativity, Chaos and Quantum Theory.Using comic-book style illustration combined with accessible but authoritative text, the Introducing Graphic Guide series is a uniquely brilliant way to get your head around some of humankind's most thrilling ideas...read more

Product Description: In this book: 'A pioneering writer on Islam' - Guardian Who was the real Muhammad?Muhammad: All That Matters, by bestselling expert on Islam Ziauddin Sardar, seeks to look beyond Muhammad the prophet, to find Muhammad the man. By returning to the original sources, and incorporating new research on pre-Islamic Mecca, Sardar is able to focus on Muhammad's character, his values, and on events in his life which up until now have largely beenignored...read more

Product Description: The management of social, religious and ethnic diversity is a key social policy concern in Britain, and Muslims in particular have become a focus of attention in recent years. This timely and topical volume examines the position of Muslims in Britain and how they are changing and making social, political and religious space...read more

Few books have had a more profound impact on human history than the Qur'an. It shapes the beliefs, lives and behaviour of over 1.5 billion Muslims, who regard it as the Word of God, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Speaking directly to Muslims, it has been the basic source of law, morality and politics for over 1,400 years. Almost everything that happens in a Muslim society is a direct or indirect product of what the Qur'an says. But what does the Qur'an really say? How should it be read and interpreted? What is the significance of its teachings, if any, for the 21st century? In this enlightening and highly readable book, Ziauddin Sardar, one of the foremost Muslim intellectuals of our time, offers a refreshingly new interpretation of the Qur'an. Emphasising plurality and inclusiveness, Sardar demonstrates the importance of reading the verses of the Qur'an in the context in which they were revealed, and highlights the relevance of its teachings for today. Sardar reads the Qur'an from several perspectives. He begins with the traditional, verse-by-verse interpretations and subsequently shows how the multilayered verses and stories of the Sacred Text are open to a number of different and more enlightening interpretations. He also reads the Quran thematically, exploring its basic concepts and themes, painting a dynamic picture of the kind of society that the Qur'an aims to create. Also scrutinised is what the Qur'an says about such contemporary topics as power and politics, the rights of women, suicide, domestic violence, sex, homosexuality, the veil, freedom of expression and evolution. Throughout, Sardar uses several different methods, from traditional exegesis to hermeneutics, critical theory and cultural analysis to draw fresh and contemporary lessons from the Sacred Text. He shows what the Qur'an means to individuals like himself, why its interpretation has been so controversial throughout history, and how translations can be used to promote misunderstanding as well as enlightenment. Argumentative and lively, Reading the Qur'an is an insightful guide to understanding the Sacred Text of Muslims in these conflict-ridden and distressing times. Whatever one believes or does not believe, the central importance of the Qur'an in today's globalised world cannot be ignored.

Product Description: Weaving an informative travelogue with an illuminating autobiography, this account combines the history of Asians in Great Britain with the author’s personal recollections. From the arrival of the first Indian in 1614 to the young extremists in Walthamstow mosque in 2006, this portrait conveys a vivid and rich chronicle of a people’s past...read more

Product Description: This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work...read more

'Third Text' has been the world's leading journal on art in the global context. Divided into sections that cover history, representation, identity, film, 'post' theory, globalization, this reader brings together classic essays by some of the best-known critics in global art and cultural studies.