“Journey into Islam is essential reading—wise, literate, insightful, optimistic, honest and humane, the work of one of the great religious sages of our time.” Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of Britain and the Commonwealth
“Akbar Ahmed’s voice needs to be heard, and his courage strengthened.” Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Laureate
“This book is a breakthrough in our understanding of the complex relationships between globalization and Islam. . . . an essential resource for anyone interested in some of the key questions of our times, concerning not just the role of Islam in world society, but differing concepts of religiosity.” Lord Anthony Giddens, House of Lords and former director, London School of Economics
“Why?” Years after September 11 we are still looking for answers. Akbar A
hmed, the internationally renowned Islamic scholar, knew that the question could not be answered until Islam and the West found a way to move past the hatred and mistrust escalated by the war on terror and the forces of globalization. Seeking to establish dialogue and understanding between these cultures, Ahmed led a team of dedicated young Americans on a daring and unprecedented tour of the Muslim world. His book Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization is the riveting story of their search for common ground.
From the mosques of Damascus to the madrassahs of Karachi and the malls of Jakarta, Ahmed and his companions set out to listen to the fears, hopes, and beliefs of everyday Muslims. We hear from students and professors, sheikhs and presidents (including President Musharraf of Pakistan), prime ministers and cab drivers as we have never heard them before. Ahmed and his team returned from their groundbreaking journey through nine Muslim countries with both cause for concern and occasion for hope.
As Western leaders wage a war on terrorism, Ahmed, rejecting stereotypes and conventional thinking about Islam and globalization, offers a new framework for understanding the Muslim world and makes suggestions on how the United States can improve relations with this vitally important region. Written with equal parts compassion and urgency, this bookmakes a powerful plea for forming bonds across religion, race and tradition to create lasting harmony between Islam and the West. Journey into Islam is compulsory reading for Muslims and essential reading for anyone concerned with the future of the planet.
Akbar Ahmed is the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University and a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution. He has taught at Princeton, Harvard, and Cambridge Universities and is former high commissioner of Pakistan to Great Britain. His many books include After Terror: Promoting Dialogue among Civilizations, with Brian Forst (Polity, 2005), Islam under Siege: Living Dangerously in a Post-Honor World (Polity, 2003) and Discovering Islam: Making Sense of Muslim History and Society (Routledge, 2002).