5 comments about Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of aGeneration.

1. I finished this book the week before CNN began to air their three night special entitled "God's Warriors." If you haven't made time to watch God's Warriors for the 6 hour duration, you should. If you haven't read Eboo Patel's book, Acts of Faith - The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation,you must.
   
   Religious fundamentalism continues to be the spawning grounds for extremism that continues to ravage the soul of mankind. It is through the efforts of Eboo Patel and the InterFaith Youth Core (www.IFYC.org), that young adults from all faith persuasions are challenged to learn to live with one another, in collaborative harmony.
   
   The book recounts Patel's personal struggle with forging and cherishing his Muslim identity and faith, as an American, and then launching the InterFaith Youth Core as his vehicle for creating pluralistic understanding within the next generation of young adults who will become the leaders of our world. This book is about how one man decided to become part of the international interfaith youth movement.
   
   As Patel says, "In a world where the forces that seek to divide us are strong, I came to one conclusion: We have to save each other. It's the only way to save ourselves." P. 180
   
   This book chronicles how Eboo Patel came to participate in the movement of religious pluralism. In his own words, "Movements re-create the world. A movement is a growing group of people who believe so deeply in a new possibility that they participate in making it a reality. They won't all meet. They won't even know everybody else's names. But somehow, they all have the feeling that people on the other side of the city or country or the world believe in the same idea, burn with the same passion, and are taking risks for the same dream." P. 181.
   
   What's the meaning of this term "pluralism" from Patel's standpoint? He writes, "To see the other side, to defend another people, not despite your tradition but because of it, is the heart of pluralism." P. 179.
   
   In a world threatened and fractured by the isolationist requirements of religious fundamentalism and extremism, pluralism possesses the essential antidote. In Patels' words:
   
   "America is a nation that has constantly been rejuvenated by immigrants. For centuries, they have added new notes to the American song." P. 176.
   
   "The waters of faith, says one scholar, are so clear that they pick up the colors of the rocks they flow over." P. 176
   
   "Violence committed in the name of a religion is really violence emanating from the heart of a particular interpreter." P. 141.
   
   "Apartheid in South Africa was a violation of the spiritual principles of human togetherness." P. 116.
   
   In an interview with the Dalai Lama, he said: "Religions must dialogue, but even more, they must come together to serve others. Service is the most important. And common values, finding common values between different religions. And as you study the other religions, you must learn more about your own and believe more in your own." P. 96.
   
   "I realized that it was precisely because of America's glaring imperfections that I should seek to participate in its progress, carve a place in its promise, and play a role in its possibility. And at its heart and at its best, America was about pluralism." P. 89.
   
   A wonderful book. A guy I would like to meet. Consider joining Eboo and the Interfaith Youth Core at their convention in Chicago this fall entitled "Crossing The Faith Line" October 28th - 30th 2007
   
   Bill Dahl
   Author, Creator, Editor
   http://www.ThePorpoiseDivingLife.com



2. Patel warmly and understandably offers a solution to genuinely change the world - save it if you will!



3. I loved reading this book - couldn't put it down! I heard Eboo Patel speak at a Book Session in Chicago and he's really inspirational! I could relate to so many diff. things in his book. I've purchased several copies and distributed to friends and family! Great booK!



4. As the Director of the Center for Global Engagement at Northwestern University, I am always on the look out for books that help young people make sense of their place in the world and their potential to create meaningful change.
   
   What I felt the strongest connection to in Acts of Faith was Eboo's sense - which I felt throughout the book - that by exploring the intersection of one's own story and the legacy or history of the stories of which it is a part, each of us might better understand the potential of our own moment. Even more, each of us might be better able to access that potential and make it real.
   
   What I believe Eboo has come across - in this book and with IFYC more widely - is nothing less than a deep truth of human nature - that not only does our sense of self impact our impact on the world, but that by working to strengthen, round out and challenge that sense of self, we better enable everyone to contribute their unique assets, potentials, and perspectives to improving our shared future.
   
   What I've better come to understand after reading this is that what Patel calls "pluralism", the Center for Global Engagement calls "collaboration across borders," but it amounts to the same thing: a deep belief in the potential of the space we all share to make of this world all that it can be.
   
   Highly recommended for the young social entrepreneur, volunteer, or humanitarian on your list!



5. ACTS OF FAITH: THE STORY OF AN AMERICAN MUSLIM, THE STRUGGLE FOR THE SOUL OF A GENERATION tells of the author's coming of age and understanding of religious pluralism. He grew up outside of Chicago and was the subject of racist bullying and Muslim hatred - but learned in college what was at the root of prejudice. ACTS OF FAITH charts his ability to move beyond hate to deeper messages and provides inspiration for all, making it a special pick for any collection strong in spirituality or in Middle East politics and prejudices.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

5 comments about Through Our Enemies' Eyes: Osama bin Laden, Radical Islam, and the Future of America, Revised Edition.

1. Mr. Scheuer has rendered an invaluable service by writing this book. We have to understand what motivates al Queda in order to find a way to make peace with them... I'm three quarters of the way through the book and I wish there was some way to make every member of Congress and the Administration to read it. Whatever you think about the war in Iraq, you cannot help but learn some of the backstory that we in the West don't know about "radical" Islam and why our efforts there may be doomed to failure. My thanks to the soldier who recommended it to me.



2. Fabulous book, well written, eye opening. Every Christian in America needs to read this Scheuer book. The future is frightening, and Scheuer explains why in no uncertain terms.



3. A phenomenal perspective and one every citizen of the US should read (especially the idiots in the Bush Administration).



4. Michael Scheuer wrote an excellent, eye-opening treatise on the mindset of bin Laden and his camp. Indeed, it not only explains their thinking but also is a psychological exposure of the evolution of a a well-raised and kind man into a fanatical extremist. The comparison with American revolutionary heroes - John Bunyan, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine - shows that the state of righteous passion is treacherous, for it can easily advance from good into evil. Thus, we read that early in his life those who knew him described him as kind, humble, compassionate and gracious, while others saw him grow into a messianic zealot. Anyone wanting to understand the angry mind of the Arabs and the Islamic world should read what Scheuer enumerated as bin Laden's views of his foes and what he accuses them of: Islam's 1400 years of defensive struggle against the crusading worshippers of the cross; western atheism and barbarism in wars; the economic sanctions against Iraq and the starvation of its children, and so on. It is easy to see how an ill informed and opinionated mind can be beckoned into vengeful and retaliatory rage. Quickly, the eruption of explosive fear will create visions of an infidel predator or of the menacing claws of a hegemonic demon. Quickly also, the self-deception of divine inspiration can evoke Allah's order to slay the pagans wherever they can be found. All this can readily be seen as the derailment of a devoted, passionate and angry mind. Our leaders, who are charged with the handling of the enraged Islamic world will gain invaluable information from Scheuer's perceptive analysis. It is a must-read text for those who wish to avoid making tragic miscalculations.



5. 
   Having read this, not sure what to call it, in 2008 in retrospect this writing has not proved valid. To charecterize bin Laden as "distinguished" one wonders how the author would define Joe Stalin, Adolph Hitler, Idi Amin etc. Bin Laden has a "passion for martydom" seems easy enough to accomplish yet he has avoided "martydom" for more than 10 years. "Bin Laden has survived by the grace of God ... just as Iraq's Saddem Hussein has kept his regime intact". AHH on second thought...
   
   To compare this terrorist with the heros of the American Revolution is pure drivil. Who were the suicide bombers in 1776? Bin Laden started the jihad because american military were stationed in Saudi Arabia. Why where they there? Because bin Laden was trying to overthrow the Saudi government. This book is not worth 5 minutes of your time.

5 comments about Sins of the Assassin: A Novel.

1. Show me the future.
   
   We ask it all the time, and I don't mean tea leaves and Tarot cards. We check the weather forecast and market trends, maybe glance at horoscopes. Just about everyone gives in to that little tickle of curiosity.
   
   Tell me what's going to happen.
   
   Lucky hunches and divine inspiration aside, nobody can predict the future, but there are some who have a gift for intuiting plausible scenarios. Some of these are writers, and of these, a very few are very good writers. They hear the ancient Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times," and smile. Times get interesting and they start thinking.
   
   What if...?
   
   "Moseby needed to slow down. His haste stirred up a gray confetti of silt, disintegrating paper, and pulverized glass from the neon sign that once flashed OYSTER PO' BOYS, TREAT YO MOUTH."
   
   That's the opening to "Sins of the Assassin," the second novel of a trilogy set forty years in the future. Those who haven't read the first book, "Prayers for the Assassin," can enjoy "Sins" by itself. ("Prayers," too, stands on its own.)
   
   In "Sins," we're underwater with a scavenger who's after a specific Greek bust, a "stone queen" from one of New Orleans' great old houses. She was a "beautiful woman... her expression distant and dreamy, as though she had seen something that no one else had ever seen, and the sight had changed her. The world would never be quite fine enough for the woman now."
   
   Nor for anyone else in this part of the country: Moseby is sifting through the dissolving debris of one of America's great cities, submerged by hurricanes and floods that finished what Katrina started. But Moseby is looking for a Greek bust from the Hellenic period, itself a vanished culture. The queen and her lost-world gaze is for me an Atlantean image, and the gray silt evokes the ashes of Pompeii.
   
   So much of what we've built has sunk into historical background noise over the centuries, yet we're still here, still building. It's the nature of the species to pick up and dust off and move on.
   
   Mr. Ferrigno has posited a world ruptured by terrorism, but he occupies himself as a writer with how people take heart and carry on. Some of his people are exquisitely tough, some are preternaturally evil. He knows what tears people apart and what puts them back together again.
   
   And he can write. One guy's eyes are "the color of mop water," another's "boiled with a twisted intelligence." And my all-time favorite: "Wolf eyes under a full moon. All pupil." Perfect.
   
   Now here's the heart of the book, perhaps of the whole trilogy, in abstract (it gives nothing of the plot away):
   
   "This church... this little church... this is where God goes when he can't bear what's become of the world."
   
   Mr. Ferrigno's presentation of this grave new world is scrupulously fair-minded and balanced, as is his treatment of religious affiliation. "Church" here transcends the Christian connotation; it could be mosque or temple. There's one word for all of them, as he writes elsewhere: sanctuary.
   
   Consider that word for a moment. It's a form of shelter that offers safety and surcease, an inviolable refuge, a home place for the spirit. As Mr. Ferrigno has it -- rightly, I believe -- it's where even the deity might go for a moment's peace. With all the focus on dogma and ritual, on scriptural interpretation and the heavenly rewards of strict orthodoxy, it's hard to remember that the heart of any place of worship is that simple enveloping quiet, where we clear the mind and focus on matters greater than ourselves.
   
   Make no mistake, "Sins of the Assassin" is a page-turner. It takes hold from the first drowned-city scenes and doesn't let go even after you close the book. But there's also intelligence and wit here, depth of feeling and insight into character.
   
   And for this reader, living in these interesting times, there was in its pages a sort of sanctuary.



2. Both Sins of and Prayers for the Assassin are a must-read for all -- esp. all the libs who keep insisting that Islam is a peaceful religion and that we should pull our troops out of Iraq. The first thing that will grab you is the map of the United States -- we're no longer united, and most of the states are now under Muslim rule. Talk about a punch in the gut! Set in the not so distant future, the books take you through a totally plausible scenario (which is why it is so scary and why we, as a nation, should wake up & smell the coffee!) whereby true Muslims (who laugh at the Westerners who keep insisting that terrorists have hijacked a religion of peace) are out to conquer the world -- bit by bit, person by person, country by country. There are heroes and villains aplenty -- and all the heroes aren't Catholic or Jewish and all the villains aren't Muslim. The plots are well developed, as are the characters, and it isn't a leap from today's headlines to see where cloning, eugenics, and political correctness will get us (trust me, it isn't pretty). An excellent read for fun and for thinking, I'm anxiously waiting (and waiting, and waiting) for the third book in the trilogy.



3. I will be honest here, one of the main reasons I HAD to read this book, was so I could see what the Bible Belt was like in Rakime's world. Ultimately I was thourghly impressed with Ferrigno's vision of the Dystopia America has degraded into. The mythology associated with both sides, the Wild West society of the Belt coupled with the semi civilized, totalitarian East, along with rumors (SPOILER) of a reunification.
   
   Sins of the Assassin is just that, our man Rakime is slipping into an abyss of sin (not the biblical variety, more akin to sanity), in the beginning things with Rakime seem normal, but as we progress, things are not as they seem & ultimately the very reason for his slip is revealed little by little.
   Rakime is tasked with venturing into the Belt, something he alone excels at and it is here along with scenes from Seatle we realize that, "literally divided we fall." Each side is in dire straits, and if something drastic is not done then both sides will crumble, differences in ideology or not.
   So sit back relax, open your Jihad Cola & watch images in your mind's eye of Branch Davidian theme parks, an American Atlantis, giant carbon skinned soldiers, smoke engulfed cities and the Old Man's next bid for power.



4. "Sins of the Assassin" continues the story of Rakkim Epps, a former shadow warrior living in mid-21st century America. Nuclear attacks on several major cities precede a second civil war, and the former country is broken into two major factions, the Islamic Republic and the Bible Belt, being primarily the South.
   
   Rakkim must venture into the South to inflirate the stronghold of the Colonel, who is busy searching for an early superweapon. Accompanying him is Leo, the nerdy 19-year-old with a technologically enhanced brain, able to meld with computers.
   
   In this story, we now see life on the other half. The Bible Belt is a loose assortment of warlords, with a vague capital in Atlanta. Foreign businesses pillage the Belt for its resources and cheap labor. Meanwhile, the residents of the Belt entertain themselves with a Mt. Carmal amusement park, complete with weekly reenactments of the 51st day of the siege. And everyone has guns.
   
   Meanwhile, the Old One, the superwealthy Muslim fanatic continues to pursue Rakkim and his family. It was he who was responsible for the attacks which split America initially.
   
   This book, said to be the second of a trilogy, explains some of the mysteries behind "Prayers," but fails to answer others. Like, how does the Christian-majority America convert to Islam? And how do two nations with near-"Star Trek" levels of technology are unable to build proper roads or cars?
   
   Look forward to the conclusion of the story.



5. I finished the prequel, "Prayers for the Assassin," (also reviewed by me last week on Amazon) and immediately started this second installment of what will be three thrillers set around 2040, when North America's split between incursions from Canada, an Aztlan Empire, and between the Islamic Republic over most of what was the Union and the Bible Belt over the South.
   
   Ferrigno's more relaxed this time around in telling the adventures of Rakkim Epps' second mission, into the Belt in search of a secret weapon as as undercover "shadow warrior." Less time's devoted, however, to stalwarts from the first book, such as police chief Colarusso, Rakkim's wife Sarah and her political ties and her research into the causes for the Republic's spying and diplomacy, or the Black Robe minions who terrorize the fundamentalist Muslims. Instead, the mission itself takes up more of the story. You meet his new sidekick, Leo, a likably annoying mental mastermind. You also find Rakkim squaring off against the Colonel, his new nemesis Gravenholtz, the conniving femme fatale Baby, and an ex-English prof, Crews, with his ragtag band of fanatics. Shekels of Tyre, Etch-a-Sketches, snake handling, and the aura of Darwin (a welcome if haunting spirit from the first novel) float over this tale.
   
   I admired the encounter at the Church of the Mists; this provided a nearly mystical pilgrimage that worked well as a counter to the bloody encounters and cruel regimes that lord over a cowed population ground down by corrupt Texas Rangers, press-gangs, foreign exploiters, and enviromentally disastrous corporate entities despoiling what's left of the South's natural resources in an era of the Big Warm and when most of what was the U.S. is backsliding into a Third World economy and class system. I also think that we have not seen the last of the splendidly named Getty Andalou in regards to the political shenanigans that lurk behind the scenes in the Beltway.
   
   You should read "Prayers" first. There's references to angelic flutters, arcane methods of eliminating your enemy, or strawberry shakes, for example, that will not mean as much otherwise. The book reads more rapidly if you already have a grasp of the ideological tensions and the social collapses that have occurred previously in "Prayers." Religious certainties again receive brisk skepticism, but there's also a respect for decency that permeates the decisions made by key characters when under attack, morally as well as physically.
   
   Finally, showing Ferrigno's growing ease with his bitterly infected milieu here. This book reveals maturity, as main characters are tested as to their loyalties. There's an added depth about the sadness and necessity of death, and the price exacted on assassins and hired killers, as well as the fragility of lives lived more morally in this harsh and sinister dystopia. You may not expect a consideration of dignity at the root of this fast-paced thriller, but this enriches this intelligently told narrative. The author writes with a steady focus here. I miss some of the epigrammatic asides of "Prayers," but "Sins" moves with more economy and a narrower scope. Also, the style moves steadily. It's sustained, less edgy if not less cynical in parts. Rakkim appears to be coming to a realization of his limits, and he seems more serious and less flippant three years after his earlier mission.
   
   I liked this novel as much as the first one, but I found the plot of "Sins" easier to follow, with fewer characters, far fewer subplots, and no tangents from the main story. The climactic scenes did occur rather suddenly, but I suppose this fits the genre. (I'd rank this higher than the four stars I gave "Prayers," nevertheless, there is a slight tonal tilt and a hurried summation around the compressed climax. Yet, as I cannot judge the pacing of the end wholly until I read the final part of the trilogy-- I sense the narrative balance may be restored.) Perhaps more will be explained as to the machinations of the Old One vs. the Black Robes vs. the Fedayeen command, not to mention some of the Bible Belt contacts in deep cover, in the last book, so my criticism is on hold here!
   
   Ferrigno again makes you cringe and makes you ponder the consequences of strategies already glimpsed, on pp. 68-69, presciently in our current culture's regard for Islamist sympathies. The Old One's long-term plans may already be coming to fruition. Read those pages and you may reconsider very current events!
   
   Freed from the fascinating but admittedly complex setting-up of his near-future realpolitik and its religious tyrannies and social complications that underlay the exposition of the intricate storyline in "Prayers," there's much more room now for action. It's satisfyingly tense, and more militaristic in parts, as you get the sense that Ferrigno's itching to explore the fog of war and larger-scale maneuvers. His battle set between warring factions in a Southern forest makes for exciting reading, and the scene feels real, rooted in his understanding of how men behave under fire and how easily careful strategy gives way to bravado, fear, and greed.

5 comments about The Soul of Rumi: A New Collection of Ecstatic Poems.

1. If there is only one book of Rumi you purchase, this should be it. But warning, the purchase may send you into a frenzy to learn and read more.

   Barks' works as a translator here make poetry come alive, leap off the page and fly circles around your mind. A single poem can bring a person to great thoughts.

   The book begins with a great introduction to Rumi's life, work, culture, spirituality, but Barks also includes some history of Sufi poetry. Then Barks divides the poetry into logical sections. Some involve community, others involve love, some love of God, peace between religions, inner life, work, home, playing... The range of catagories Barks creates represent human life in a wholeistic manner. They make Rumi's poetry easier to grasp, much more enjoyable, and center on the needs of all human beings. Barks also introduces each section (usually no more than a page). Barks' intros are concise, clear, and point toward key ideas in the most notable poems of each section.

   This large collection of poetry is worth reading for a lifetime. Not to mention as Robert Bly asked of Barks years ago, Barks follows through in "releasing these translations from their cages."




2. It would be pointless for me to really try to "review" this book. I can only highly, emphatically recommend it. This book is the first introduction I've had to Rumi, and it's been an incredible literary experience for me. This book has really touched and inspired me. I've been reading it slowly over the last few months, digesting it bit by bit, because I wanted to savor it instead of rushing through it. One day in particular, I remember being in a foul mood, fed up with people and the world, and after reading a handful of Rumi's poems I felt peaceful and transformed. If you have any interest at all in spirituality or poetry, do yourself a favor and buy this book.



3. I find it absolutely amazing that those who claim to be admirers of Rumi, online reviewers and editorial reviewers, do NOT even know where he was born! Persia, not Afghanistan, was his birthplace. Afghanistan did not even exist until the 19th century, thanks to the British.The land that is now called Afghanistan was part of the Persian Empire and remained so for centuries AFTER Rumi's death (500 years to be exact!). Rumi is a Persian poet, has been and forever will be. His poetry exemplifies pure, eloquent Farsi (language of Persia/Iran). The utter ignorance of this fact on the part of some reviewers, nonetheless, does not detract from the brilliance of the poet and the excellence of this translation. An absolute gem.



4. Coleman barks translation in my opinion is superior to any others who have attempted Rumi. I really liked this book.



5. Rumi is one of my favorite poets but Barks does not do him justice. The translation poorly written so it feels choppy. Furthermore, he changes it so it water down the power of Rumi's poetry. Do not choose this book.

5 comments about Londonistan.

1. The author has taken an interesting subject and a large number of facinating, well-researched facts and managed to turn out the most boring, tediously written book on the subject that I have read so far. Think of your worst college history professor, droning on and on in that "Ferris Bueller teacher" voice until you want to jump out of your skin and you will have a good idea of the tone of this book. Maybe I'm picky about readability since I've been an editor for 20 years but I would recommend "While Europe Slept" or "America Alone" instead. However, if you've read all the other books, AND you are a glutton for punishment, this does provide a lot of information that could be interesting in the hands of a more talented writer.



2. She would be this author, who is well informed on this very important topic and, when simply presenting the facts, makes her case rather well. However, the facts are often overshadowed by the author's own prejudice and hyperreligiosity. President Bush said that the terrorists hate us because of our freedom; Ms.Phillip's solution seems to be to demolish those very freedoms and to capitulate to those very people whom she claims to be fighting against.Like many (if not most) of the neoCon authors on this topic, the solution that she presents for saving the West from the Muslim threat is simple: it's us or them, choose your theocracy. She shows how the Muslim extremists hate the West for its feminism, gay rights, freedom of speech, lifestyle, sexuality, and religion, and she agrees WITH the Muslim extremists! It's unbelievable. In her (and the neoCon establishment) mind, if the West would just go back to its lovely Victorian mentality the Muslims would see that the West has values and would leave us alone. Sorry, Mel, the Victorian era was not the happy time of corsets, bowler hats, and perfect morality that she seems to believe. Freedom was almost nonexistent, especially for women of all classes, nonAnglos, nonProtestants (including Catholics), and the working classes. The number of children who were sold into the brothels to be abused by "respectable" men should make that point clear enough. Also, the cat is out of the bag: women don't want to be forced into the kitchens to clean and have unwanted babies, gays will not go quietly back to the closet, and atheists, Jews, and freethinkers will not live in silence with their heads down for the Borg, I mean majority. Plus the Muslim fundies don't care if Europe goes back to a Christian orthodoxy. They believe that Christians and secularists are equally damned. What is the solution? Better immigration policies (how about opening Europe to North Americans who would love to live there? It worked for Johnny Depp), developing a backbone when dealing with extremists of ALL types, and standing for, not against, human rights and individual freedoms. If you want to read a good book on this topic that doesn't push our own surrender into theocracy as the only way; read "While Europe Slept". It's not perfect, but it is much more religiously open minded and less bigoted than this one. Once again, I acknowledge that Militant Islam is a massive threat; I simply refuse to believe that we in turn must follow blindly and allow the world to turn into a nuclear Crusade. Standing for freedom is the solution; not giving into religious bigotry and fear. Shalom.



3. I stopped reading this book in the middle because it becomes just another piece of pro-Israel propaganda.



4. The cult of death called Islam is spreading like the plague across the globe and only because it is allowed by the myopic, historically ignorant, illogical, naive and morally rudderless Western civilization. This book attempts to wake up the dozing Westerners who are more obsessed with saving the whales, trees, caribou and spotted owls while ignoring the danger growing right under their very noses. Westerners who are more concerned about multiculturalism and political correctness, and not offending anyone than with real nighmare sneaking in diguised as exotic "religion of peace".



5. Melonie Griffen's excellent book about the Muslim threat to traditional British values should be required reading for all English speaking people. The facts in her well-researched thesis convinced this 88-year-old reader that radical Muslims are well advanced in their plan to create a Muslim world. Londonistan should be required reading for all American High School Seniors.
   
   Al Kayworth; author
   
   Abenaki Warrior
   Legends of the Pond
   The Scalp Hunters
   Iceman to the Internet

5 comments about The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims.

1. I have no intention of reading this cover to cover, as this is quite a tome. The idea that "jihad" is simply a spiritual "striving" seemed like whitewash, and this confirms it. Plenty of energy has gone into diving in the medieval records, and other periods, through centuries of Islamic jurisprudence and commentary in fact. I cannot, however, countenance the reliance upon fanatical personalities like Khomeini and Qutb. There's a large burden of proof that these are representative of mainstream Islamic opinion, I think. Then again I have not done the work Bostom has. The final judgment needs to wait.



2. AN EXCELLENT WORK THAT MUST BE READ BY HISTORIANS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS.



3. Some people hate this book, some love it. I like it alot and here is why: it explains the Jiahd as explained by the traditions of Islam, using it's own stated rules and texts. It presents the writtings to the reader of the Qur'an and Haddith and explains why and how the Jihadists of old and new do what they do and how they justify it. Unlike the apologetics on TV this isnt a smokescreen, it uses the actual sources as refferences and it is current up to the present. Not only does the author use the source materials ranging as far back as the birth of Islam, but it sues speeches from today's exponents in the lands of Dar Al Islam. if you are interested in knowing where the Jiahd comes from then this is necessary reading. This should be on the news given todays climate as it sheds alot of lioght on a for some reason taboo subject.



4. The book basically is formation of what west want to see and be happy about it. There is no difference than the author of the book and the Denmark cartoonist who is making jokes about Islam.
   
   Unfortunately west perspective is to see , read , write and act on the things they feel comfortable with. Nothing more or nothing less. A crapy book.



5. "Execution of a Moroccan Jewess" is a recreation of the actual public execution, in Tangier in the 1830s, of 17-year-old Sol Hachuel, who was falsely accused of converting to, and then renouncing, Islam. In an introductory note on the painting and on the heartbreaking tale, Bostom asserts that Sol's cruel fate was shared by countless Jews over more than a dozen centuries, wherever Muslims ruled.
   
   The Legacy of Islamic Anti-Semitism calls to mind the work of Bat Yeor, who over the past 20 years has practically single-handedly forced recognition of the oppression inherent in what she calls dhimmitude - the institution of inferiority, humiliation and obedience that Muslims demand of non-Muslims under their control.

5 comments about In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammad.

1. An Islamist apologist through-and-through. While couching the traditional Islamic double-speak in PC terms appealing to many in the West, distorts the true history of Muhammad's actions and words, as well as the real method by which Islam spread which was by the sword and not by persuasion.
   His condemnation of intentional attacks on civilians is tempered by an innocuous-seeming suggestion: that they will cease when European, U.S., and Israeli foreign policies bend to terrorists' underlying demands.
   There is nothing of worth here or in any similar work which seeks to justify Islamist aspirations and methods, while ignoring the real problem which is the reformation of Islam, necessary in order to allow it to live in peace with other beliefs and customs.



2. this is a must read for all Muslims, curious non-Muslims and Islam-haters alike.
   
   Tariq provides a beautiful meditation on the life of the Prophet, quoting great ayats from the Qur'an and hadith. IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE PROPHET is an easily-digestable yet profound work of truth. This book provides all who read it with the essence of Islam and the life of the Prophet.



3. This book was great to show details about the prophet Mohammad's life. Tariq Ramadan captured in his very well researched book an unkown side of a great man. Unfortunately at some points he writes somewhat differential between sunni and shia, not realizing that at the prophet's time there was no such distinction.



4. Having read other biographies of Muhammad's (PBUH) life, I found this one particularly thought provoking and uplifting in that it explored the spiritual and not just historical or civic context of Muhammad's experiences. This compelling combination resulted in more than an interesting read, but a spiritual journey...along side a man many consider the most influential in human history.



5. Ramadan's scholarship, appreciation for pluralism, personal faith and passion for his Muslim heritage infuse this wonderful book. He takes us on a brief journey through the life of the prophet Muhammad and pauses to reflect on the way the Prophet used specific events to teach his contemporaries and on how those events and teachings have formed the Muslim community over the centuries.
   
   As an American, I appreciated how the book responds to Western mis-understandings of Islam (for example, the greater jihad is the personal struggle to follow Allah; the lesser jihad is armed struggle) without being defensive. As a Christian, I appreciated "going along" with Ramadan as he reflects on his faith and makes it accessible because it comes from the heart.

5 comments about A Hunger for Healing: The Twelve Steps as a Classic Model for Christian Spiritual Growth.

1. I read this book after I had worked through the steps, but I wish I had read it before. Miller does a great job breaking down each step and applying it to his own life. If you thought the steps were just for alcoholics, think again. This book will open your mind to behaviors that keep you stuck in the insanities of life. If your new to the steps or if you have lived them most of your life this book hits the spot.



2. First step - Get Real! It's time for the church not to be afraid to admit they're dysfunctional. read this book. Also get "A More Excellent Way" by Pastor Henry Wright. Let's get the church and the body healed!



3. In doing my own recovery work, this book has been an invaluable resource that has allowed me to inventory and begin to deal with my past. J. Keith Miller has great perspectives and anecdotes that you can relate to. I would recommend this book to anyone, even those who feel that they are spiritually and emotionally healthy. I can bet this book would allow anyone to find things about their past that they still need to heal and resolve. For those that feel as though they are at the bottom, this book is definitely for you. This is likely going to be a book that I am taking my time with going through the first time and will re-read again and again.



4. TIME magazine, Monday, Sep. 07, 1936
   
   
   "God-Controlled Dictatorship"
   When the followers of Dr. Frank Nathan Daniel Buchman wish to emphasize the fact that the Oxford Groups include all sorts of people, they often speak of their "former Communist" colleague, Scotsman James Watt. The Oxford Groups lay no claim to having a "former Fascist" in their midst, and German Buchmanite baronesses hedge when asked how the movement works in the case of German Jews. Last week, to a stray interviewer from the New York World-Telegram, brisk Dr. Buchman readily declared himself on Fascism, now No. 1 bugaboo to practically all U. S. churchmen.
   
   "I thank heaven," exclaimed Grouper Buchman, "for a man like Adolf Hitler, who built a front-line of defense against the anti-Christ of Communism. My barber in London told me Hitler saved all Europe from Communism. That's how he felt. Of course, I don't condone everything the Nazis do. Anti-Semitism? Bad, naturally. I suppose Hitler sees a Karl Marx in every Jew.
   
   "But think what it would mean to the world if Hitler surrendered to God. Or Mussolini. Or any dictator. Through such a man God could control a nation overnight and solve every last, bewildering problem. . . . Spain has taught us what godless Communism will bring. Human problems aren't economic. They're moral, and they can't be solved by immoral measures. They could be solved within a God-controlled democracy, or perhaps I should say a theocracy, and they could be solved through a God-controlled Fascist dictatorship."
   
   First religious journal to plumb the implications of Dr. Buchman's plea was Zion's Herald, influential New England Methodist weekly which editorialized: "Just what would happen if Adolf Hitler, shorn of all his pagan power, were suddenly to become a St. Francis of Assisi? Would not such a conversion immediately mark the end of all bluster, swashbuckling, regimentation, coercion, intolerance, and persecution? Dictatorship would instantly fade away at the touch of Christ, whose whole method was teaching and persuasion.
   
   "God-controlled Fascism! The terms are mutually exclusive. As well talk of a God-controlled hell! When God controls, Fascism is thereby ruled out."
   TIME magazine, Monday, Sep. 07, 1936
   
   
   
   Note that both of the cofounders of Alcoholics Anonymous, William Griffith Wilson, and Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith, were enthusiastic members of the Oxford Group at this time. Neither of them quit the Oxford Group in protest when Frank Buchman thanked Heaven for giving us Adolf Hitler, and neither of them had a problem with Frank Buchman's raving about the joys of a world controlled by "Christian Fascist dictators" -- a "dictatorship of the living spirit". And neither of them objected to Frank Buchman's praise of the Nazis.
   In fact, Bill Wilson even praised dictatorships himself, and later bragged that Alcoholics Anonymous had "all of the advantages of the modern dictatorship".
   
   Bill Wilson would remain in the Oxford Group for another year before he was kicked out for refusing to follow orders to stop recruiting alcoholics. Dr. Robert Smith would remain in the Oxford Group for another three years before starting an independent unnamed Oxford Group meeting for alcoholics -- still the same religion, just minus the leader Frank Buchman, and finally, minus the name "Oxford Group".
   
   from: Orange Papers verbatim



5. Having worked and read many 12-Step books, Keith Miller offers an easy to read and much needed Christian perspective to many
   in the church today. I intend to recommend it to all my family and friends who want to grow in their faith journey.
   
   Carolyn P

5 comments about The Message of The Qur'an.

1. Determined to find out the truth about Islam myself rather than rely on other people's impressions, I decided to read the Quran for myself. Over the last 2 years or so, I bought and tried about 3 different translations. I tried several times to get through the Quran, but found it difficult to wade through. I have read the entire Bible in the past, in the NASB translation, so I am not used to having trouble reading religious texts. I still needed to read the Quran, though. I found a website that discussed different translations, and the one by Muhammad Asad got good marks. So I decided to order a copy. I was not disappointed. The translation itself is wonderful - very readable and so much clearer to my American ears. Not only is the actual English translation of the Arabic excellent, but each page also contains Muhammad Asad's very learned and helpful commentary. I am grateful for this. In addition, the book itself - the physical book and its pages - is a work of art. I don't say this lightly - The book is filled with gorgeous calligraphy throughout. The pages are not thin onion skin like so many bibles - the paper is heavy and has a gloss which really shows off the art work and renders the text (the original Arabic, the English translation, and even the transliteration which is provided to help you sound out the Arabic should you so desire) crystal clear. This edition also contains essays and basic instruction on the Arabic system of writing. There is also an attached ribbon to keep your place. This edition is pure class - full of beauty both visual and textual. Definitely worth the cover price - especially if you are a native speaker of English trying to read the Quran for the first time. Also: this edition is promoted by CAIR, so I trust its orthodoxy.



2. Just a short review as others have expressed better than I the unsurpassed job of interpretation of the Holy Qur'an into English which Asad was able to achieve - his interpretation and footnotes are far, far better than any before.
   
   The layout of the book is also a gift to those who are learning Qur'anic Arabic: with English, Arabic, and a transliteration on one page (along with the all-enompassing guide to pronouncing the transliteration) Asad has provided a powerful tool to those who are students of Arabic.
   
   A wonderful, wonderful work. The best interpretation of the Holy Qur'an in English that I've read, and a book of beauty printed on fine paper and with exceptional typography. This should be the standard text for all English speaking Muslims as well as any English speaking person desiring to raed the Qur'an in the very best interpretation.
   
   My only complaint, and the reason I 'deducted' a star, is that the book with its fine heavy paper does not have a proper heavy-duty binding. After 2 or 3 weeks I had to have my copy re-bound as the cover began to tear off and the signatures began to break the stitching. I would hope that in subsequent editions the publishers would provide a better binding so that this text would not unravel after a short period of heavy use,



3. This is the greatest translation of The Holy Quran in English. It is complete for it contains the meaning, the Romanized form of the Quran, and it is also in Arabic. Make no mistake this is an authoritative translation of The Holy Quran for the English reader and you will not be disappointed. The paper on which it is written is nice and one of the best that I have held. Just get it for what you are getting is the closest thing that man can get to GOD. For those who are unable to afford Asad translation there is a website, it is www.geocities.com/masad02/ be warned sometimes the daily bandwidth is reached so it becomes inaccessible.



4. This is the seventh time I have read the Qur'an all the way through and this is the most enjoyable translation I have ever read. The book is printed in Bahrain and is beautifully printed with pages 8 1/2 x 11 in size on heavy glossy paper. It has plenty of white space to make notes and everything is in readable type.
   
   Muhammed Asad's translation is a gentle not in your face translation. While there are Briticisms [words not normally found in American speech] and English spellings, most words are not difficult to make out. I am impresed that everytime I have a question about what I've read, there is a note to clarify for those not familiar with Islam tradition.
   
   I consider this to be a wonderful addition to my library.



5. This explanation of the Qur'an provides clarification of a religion which has been portrayed very poorly on the media, or better yet, of which the media is extremely afraid of. This commentary of the Qur'an elucidates that Islam is a religion of peace and mercy, unlike the way it is portrayed on the media. After all, news media's motto is: "If it bleeds, it leads." Mohammad Asad, an Austrian Jewish convert to Islam, is a perfect example to show that the arms of Islam are open to embrace people of any religion or race. In fact, just like in the case of Asad, the doors of Islam are open to those converts to reach the highest spiritual and intellectual positions in Islam, such as becoming Islamic scholars who are regarded as the inheritors of the prophets, according to one tradition of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

5 comments about The Final Move Beyond Iraq: The Final Solution While the World Sleeps.

1. 2005-07, when it still seemed likely that George Bush would expand the war in Iraq to Iran, religion-based pundits, megachurch preachers and other asortments of Christian authors created a boom in apocalyptic, Bomb Iran Now books. "The Final Move Beyond Iraq" by Mike Evans probably didn't get the same amount of PR as the latest cash cow by John Hagee, but its vision is just as frightening. Evans is part of the religious right-wing club that makes excuses for imperialism by sounding the alarm off on phantom threats like Iran's "nukes" and despite the fact that the U.S. military is essentially "broken" according to Colin Powell, they are desperately pleading for yet ANOTHER war in the Middle East. Evans is a favorite on Fox News, which should tell you something about the accuracy in his work, but let's just judge his book for what it has to say. According to Evans, the current situation involving Iraq, Iran and the occupied territories in Israel are all part of some larger plan pushing us ever closer to the Apocalypse and Second Coming of Christ. Israel is of course considered by Evans and his ilk as "God's Chosen," and us, who use Israel as a client state in the region, are therefore destined to protect Israel no matter what, not for strategic purposes, but because it's God's will, this includes needing to bomb Iran and destabilize an already volatile region. Evans, like Hagee, ignores basic modern history, presents flimsy "evidence" and coded Bible talk and interpretations (how can anyone really know what a guy in a 2,000 year old world was seeing, he wouldn't even know how to describe a helicopter, so therefore his visions could mean anything) to promote a neocon agenda of military expansionism and colonialism. The main target of the book is of course Muslim anger towards the U.S. and Israel, with Evans fully ignoring Israeli atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank or the fact that it's been proven more than once that Iraq was invaded based on false information. Evans like his colleagues takes a few looks at ancient Persian history, never exploring Middle Eastern history from say, the 1950s or 1960s, when we actively overthrew democratic, progressive governments in Iran and Pakistan. Evans also fails to explain how close U.S. client states like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will participate in the glorious coming war, in fact, Evans doesn't even mention if anything will even happen to the U.S. domestic population (we wouldn't want to see Hagee's or Kenneth Copeland's mansions get blown up right?). The evidence Evans presents for attacking Iran is based on mostly outdated sources or "Israeli intelligence" that has now been mostly disproven, unless Evans believes the NIE report is some sort of conspiracy against his glorious leader, George W. Bush, a pity the book was published before that crucial bit of intelligence was released. Look deep into "The Final Move Beyond Iraq" and you'll see the hidden agenda of the neocons wrapped in a religious flag: Israel is the only good guy in the Middle East, superficially because Jews are "God's Chosen," but in reality because they are a vital client state for U.S. interests, Iran needs to be stopped because of its nuclear program, eventhough Israel already has nukes as well as U.S.-ally, and hotbead of radical Islamists, Pakistan. This is important, crucial information Evans conveniently leaves out. This is the typical kind of hollow propaganda used to whip-up a frenzy among religious devotees desperately waiting for deliverance from this "liberalized" culture, it is also a useful tool to make lots of money off of people's current worries, but in the end, it's just bad writing, bad history, and not worth a dollar, much less $14 and up.



2. I like this book even though it is more chicken little extremism. I was initially interested in the book because I listened to the author on a talk radio show and found his points interesting. An assistant of his even answered some questions I had via email and offered to send me a free copy. Not long into reading the book I found some contradictions to his claims and tried emailing with questions. At first I got reasonable answers, but after a while I think the questions became to difficult and required thinking out of the paranoia box. In particular I asked the author about what he thought about the over throw of the democratically elected Iranian leadership in the 1950s and wondered if that might be a reason we've had such trouble with Iran. The question was brushed off.



3. "The Final Move Beyond Iraq" by Mike Evans was the best mistake order I ever made. My husband has not put it down. He says it is enlightening and in depth with interviews with dignitaries of other countries,not often seen or heard.



4. My mother-in-law handed this book to my wife to read. I found this book lying in the toilet (which is exactly where it belongs) on the pot because my wife started reading it. So I decided to browse through the introduction section and boy was I "NOT" surprised to find such garbage.
   
   The author's target audience are those Americans who have no prior knowledge of history of US policies abroad. These are the people who are easy targets for such propaganda. Ronald Reagan famously warned that the Nicaraguans were only "2 days from Brownsville, Texas" implying that if we don't take care of the Sandinistas we might face the Nicaraguan army on US soil. Most "informed" public in the US are also aware of the Communist threat and the wars fought over such fear mongering. This book is an extension of such propaganda from the right-wing of this country.
   
   A small example is present right at the beginning of this book in the Introduction:
   
   On December 6, 2006, James Baker and Lee Hamilton released the Iraq Study Group Report on what their bipartisan commission believes should be done in Iraq. In it they recommended that:
   
   - the Golan Heights be returned to Syria (a terrorist state);
   
   - Judea and Samaria be given to a terrorist-led government (the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority);
   
   - Iran and Syria be invited to the negotiating table as a "support group" with no preconditions and UN resolutions against those two nations forgotten;
   
   - right-of-return into Israel be given to Palestinians (terrorists) in Lebanon;
   
   - Israel be required to return to pre-1967 borders (which would mean the dividing of Jerusalem);
   
   - the UN be allowed to determine the destiny of Iran?s nuclear program (which would, in my opinion, guarantee Iran with the bomb in a matter of a few years);
   
   - and amnesty be granted to terrorists (insurgents) who slaughtered American soldiers in Iraq.
   ----
   I will now point out the fallacies and ridiculously disingenuous method of writing of the above points:
   
   1) The author refers to Syria as a "terrorist state" in parentheses which is not from the ISG report in order to reiterate to the reader which side we should be on, on the issue of Golan Heights i.e. Israel's. Obviously an ignorant reader doesn't know the illegal status of Israel's occupation of Golan Heights according to the UN Charter.
   
   2) Judea and Samaria - Typical Biblical propaganda from the American Christian right and the Zionists who depend on them for their occupation of Palestine. The above territory is now known as the "West Bank" but the author tries to stir up religious emotions of the reader by referring to their beloved bible in order to grant silent legitimacy to Israel for their occupation.
   
   The other lie is the fact that this point doesn't feature in the ISG because
   a) It wasn't proposed in such a way
   b) Hamas is in control of Gaza not West Bank
   
   3) Iran and Syria negotiations: What are the authors preconditions? What right do we have to place preconditions on these states for negotiations? Isn't that the purpose of negotiations to make the other side agree to some conditions?
   
   4) Right of return for "terrorists" - This is my favorite. The word "terrorists" is placed next to Palestinians. You don't need to have knowledge of history to know that this is not only illogical but WRONG to label all palestinians as terrorists.
   
   The other aspect of this is those refugees were driven out through systematic deportation in 1948 by Ben-Guiron and gang which is now being found out after Israel opened up its archives in the last 2 decades. So much for a state formed to save a population from persecution!
   
   5) Israel and pre-1967 borders and dividing of Jerusalem: For am American who is well content with the fact that his own country was formed through occupation, it won't be hard to make him digest this idea. Pre-1967 borders means the armistice lines drawn after 1948 war when the UN Security Council determined the rights of State of Israel. Ironically the author fails to bring up the innumerable resolutions passed by UN against Israeli occupation of "Judea and Samaria" like he does for Iran
   
   6) UN be allowed to determine Iran's nukes: Its not as uncommon for right-winged pundits to promote unilateral action circumventing the rules and regulations followed by the International Community through the UN. We are Americans, we don't need to follow rules because they're for everyone else.
   
   Hey Mike, do you want to talk about Israel's 200 nuclear warheads which is a fact admitted by the CIA?
   
   7) Amnesty for insurgents: These insurgents happen to be Iraqi citizens fighting against occupation by a foreign country. They also happen to have the support of the bulk of the population. I don't remember reading the word "amnesty" anywhere in the ISG report but we can't expect anything better from Mike Evans. The ISG report calls for formation of a unity government between Sunnis and Shias which if not done will lead to further violence. That isn't amnesty but a logical approach. However, promoters of the Wild West style democracy want to punish everybody for fighting America who btw lied their way to Baghdad.
   
   The book is full of such ridiculous comments, lop sided reviews and misquoted texts (with parentheses) designed to promote an agenda and brainwash an already ignorant reader. I didn't even want to give this book a star but I clicked on it accidentally.



5. The book is okay, but it is overrated. I also found dozens of copies at my local dollar store shortly after delivery.