By Bookreviews on 5-2-2009 12:57

By Magda Abu-Fadil Director of Journalism Training Program at the American University of Beirut

 

In his inaugural address, a cosmopolitan and well-traveled President Barack Obama reached out to the Muslim world, acknowledging its presence, influence and contributions to Western society. His gesture was mostly well received by Arabs and Muslims, all too often stereotyped as terrorists, underdeveloped and out to destroy the West. His Western listeners and viewers would do well to read a captivating new book by an American journalist featuring the Arabs' contributions to the sciences and philosophy that helped catapult the West from Medieval and Crusading fundamentalism into "real" civilization. "The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization" is a 320-page treasure trove of information for the uninitiated that packs a powerful punch of science, history, geography, politics and general knowledge at a time when so much disinformation about the Arab world is swirling around in various media.

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By Bookreviews on 28-1-2009 17:27

 

In Islamic Legal Theories by Prof. Wael B Hallaq, he discusses Muhammed Shahrour’s Legal theory. He calls Muhammed Shahrour's ideas the solution to the Muslim world. His insights are very intruiging.

Here is the PDF file:

Islamic Legal Theories by Prof. Wael B Hallaq on Muhammed Shahrour’s Legal theory

They are from this book by Professor Wael B. Hallaq who is professor at the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University. The same university of the famous Professor Toshihiko Izutsu who wrote "God and Man in the Koran".

By Bookreviews on 28-1-2009 17:21

"Hadith as Scripture is the only book that covers both the earliest and most recent discussions on the authority of the Hadith. The authority of Hadith is a concern to Muslims in their daily lives, as well as a question of academic interest. Hadith as Scripture contains the first-ever Western language translation of the earliest extant text on the subject. This work explores the earliest extant discussions on the authority of the Hadith in Islam and compares them with contemporary debates." In modern Islamic movements, a new trend has emerged, created because of the need to reform the Muslim society to make it progressive and 'to keep up with the times'. Famous reformers, Muhammad Abduh and Sayyid Qutb for example, were more focussed on the Qur'an and its message, than the Hadith and other historical materials deemed important as a basis for Islam. Their reason was that only the Qur'an could be seen as timeless...

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