This book provides an excellent review of Islam and several suggestions that have the potential of improving the status of Islam and Muslims in the west.
Table of contents
- Western Muslims and the Future of Islam - Tariq Ramadan - Google Книги
- Western Muslims and the Future of Islam
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It is a very scholarly book and therefore must be read carefully.
And for a non-Muslim, it was, at east in the beginning, a very difficult book to read and understand b I gave this book four stars not necessarily because I really liked the book but because as a non-Muslim westerner, I think it was an important book to read. And for a non-Muslim, it was, at east in the beginning, a very difficult book to read and understand because it is talking about a religion that I am not familiar with from an inside viewpoint.
This book was a helpful read because I feel now like I have a better understanding of the complexities that a Muslim faces when trying to stay true to her religion but also live within a Western culture. And therefore it makes me more sympathetic to their difficulties and contradictions. I have a better understanding of the core believes of the religion and therefore can understand better why certain conflicts arise in our western culture. However, I also thought the author used a very broad brush and did not try to answer any of the really hard questions that he brought up.
Western Muslims and the Future of Islam - Tariq Ramadan - Google Книги
He would say, "This is a difficult situation and we must use these processes to try to find an answer," but he never actually did the work of trying to find an answer to the situation. I suppose finding specific answers to specific problems was outside the purview of this book as it is looking at Muslims in many western cultures, from America to various European countries. But I found it frustrating as I continued to read that the author seemed to broach each difficult subject only to say "we must find an answer" and then nothing more.
I was also frustrated that the author did not address at all the conflict of women's treatment under Islam. Finally I was frustrated that, in the conclusion, the author states that Muslims will have to continue to deal with intolerance and prejudice in the West without ever acknowledging the behavior of Muslims that led and continues to lead to the intolerance and prejudice.
Western Muslims and the Future of Islam
Perhaps it is necessary for the author to speak softly, if you will, because he is speaking to the Muslim communtiy, not the non-Muslim community. So perhaps he is trying to find a middle ground to send his message of reform in a way that the people will listen and not immediately shut out his message. But as a non-Muslim, it was a frustrating read toward the end of the book. But again, a very important and helpful book for me to read because it did give me an insight into the religion that I otherwise would not have.
Oct 03, Gabrielle Ghazali rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Muslims in the West. Tariq is the man! Jun 21, Chris rated it really liked it. Overall the book was good, yet I honestly was a bit disappointed by what felt like a more defensive engagement for most of the book. Now, that's not the say the "defensiveness" is not called for. Islam in the West has been under attack for some time and in many ways it will be Muslims in the West who hold the key to how Islam as a whole engages with both People of the Book Ahl al-Kitab as well as those who are considered unbelievers as well as those who are actively denying the truths of Islam Overall the book was good, yet I honestly was a bit disappointed by what felt like a more defensive engagement for most of the book.
Islam in the West has been under attack for some time and in many ways it will be Muslims in the West who hold the key to how Islam as a whole engages with both People of the Book Ahl al-Kitab as well as those who are considered unbelievers as well as those who are actively denying the truths of Islam. All to say, I was a bit disappointed until I reached chapter 9 in the book, "Interreligious Dialogue. He shared many much needed insights into the current climate of dialogue between these two faiths.
Moreover, whole sections of these communities are neither concerned with nor touched by the various dialogues that are taking place. Those who meet do not represent the various denominations, schools of thought, or tendencies of the adherents of their religion. Those who hold the most closed opinions, which in daily life are the cause of the real problem, never meet. Even if it is rigorous, even if it is necessary to give time to knowing, trusting, and respecting each other, even if we should take on ourselves the widest possible responsibility to report back, it is only one stage or one aspect of the encounter among the various religious traditions.
In Western societies, it is urgent that we commit ourselves to joint action. In dialogue, we soon realize that we hold a great number of convictions and values in common. We understand very quickly that we are facing the same difficulties and challenges. But we very rarely move outside these circles of reflection. Jan 28, Affad Shaikh rated it it was amazing.
Many a reader have been attracted to label Tariq Ramadan a modern day Martin Luther, a reformer of Islam and reconciler between modernity and Islam. However, I take serious issue with that typecasting. I find that it might be easy to refer to him as a reformer, however, such a label is an egregious misunderstanding of history and circumstances, and in its worst manifestation it presents an innocuous view that Islam, as a world religion, is somehow in the throes of European and Catholic turmoil.
The Muslim dilemma is far from that of Europe and the Catholic church, in ways our challenges are not as systemic and problematic, i would argue. What Tariq Ramadan is, and I see that more in this work then any other, is a modern day Muslim shaman, or in it's proper cultural context a Vizier of the people. Like ancient shamans, Ramadan helps individuals and the community reconcile themselves with their struggles and their environment with his insight, knowledge, wisdom and intellect.
The shaman was a healer and finder of lost souls that worked to restore wholeness and fullness of being to both individuals and communities. In that manner, "Western Muslims" is an exercise of applying compassionate application of Ramadan's knowledge and intellect to help push forward a intelligent discourse on what the community as a whole and as individuals needs to work on. For the purposes that I was reading this book I found that Part I is far more structured, poignant and applicable.
Part II, however, is an exercise in creative problem solving by providing ideas but not necessarily solutions, therefore, Part II had very little applicability for me directly as I was looking for information to frame my own internal search for structuring identity and prioritizing effort. Overall this book is dense and its filled with information that requires a person to be well versed in Islam, Muslim history as well as terminology. Those who are not Muslim that read this book, I applaud you because it is not an easy read whatsoever because it requires the reader to have such in-depth background on the topics discussed.
Dec 11, Mishelle Masri rated it liked it. Even though it is not mentioned in the Qura'an, it is actually a part of the contemporary political views of Islam. Other matter to notice is the notion of a 'west muslim', one cannot simply add a normativity to a concept that works as a status and on its behalf state that this should be or it tends to be the closest future of Muslims who move to the west; clearly they have radical distinctions but those are not because of an islamic paradigm, be it religiously or ethically addressed, but rather because of a political status and ideological position: Even though I admire its views on the women status, and the condemnation of violence in any form of terrorism.
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Some facts turned out to be interesting and some of his political views are cleared out in this book. May 07, arafat rated it really liked it Recommends it for: If there's one contemporary 'mainstream' Muslim author worth reading, it's probably Tariq Ramadan. While not without its problems, I agreed with a lot of what's said in this book. Ramadan's analysis of existing tendencies in Muslim life in the West, though not entirely novel, is extremely perceptive. And he has a talent for writing, which we can hope will lead to more developed works in the future.
The sections in this book that I liked best were the one in which he offers a classification of co If there's one contemporary 'mainstream' Muslim author worth reading, it's probably Tariq Ramadan. The sections in this book that I liked best were the one in which he offers a classification of contemporary Islamic thought into six trends, and the one in which he elaborates the place of Islam in epistemology related to that is the critique of pseudoscientific Muslim apologists of the Quran-and-Science business.
Jul 27, Zul Azim rated it it was ok. Ugh, this book is such a bore. He goes on and on about the same points. Probably because I have learnt about almost everything he talked about. But I respect his effort to reconcile his identity as a European and a practicing Muslim. All that mental gymnastics can be quite exhausting but he manages to put them in a book. And that is how I felt upon finishing it, exhausted.
Nov 09, Ashik Uzzaman rated it really liked it Shelves: Finally Professor Tariq gave some concrete recommendations for western Muslims, unlike his other books and speeches where he would only analyze various situations at a high level or theoretical point of view.
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Jun 06, Shifaa rated it liked it. It's a bit confusing at first, but once you start getting used to turning the pages it gets interesting. There were times when I didn't feel like continuing it, because it goes around the point that you're trying to get, but it gets better when you proceed with the reading: May 15, Zahrah Awaleh rated it liked it. Good, comprehensive, but those who know little of Islam would benefit the most from this one. Sep 17, Joshua rated it liked it Shelves: Very intelligent - takes a lot of concentration and patience to get through.
Mar 02, Beth rated it really liked it. Useful read for understanding Muslim identity formation in the secular West, and the challenges that one must face. Oct 03, Hafizuddin is currently reading it. Baru nak start baca. Introdution by abang ipar is not bad. Oct 25, Sabah rated it liked it. Great forward thinking writer who is an asset to western Muslims rethinking their role in assimilation.
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Apr 23, Fatimah Elfeitori rated it it was amazing. Tariq Ramadan's writing "You find God only by rediscovering your own nature, and the essence of your nature is the only thing that can free you from its appearance Tariq Ramadan's writing is extremely intelligent and theoretical. I especially enjoyed -His definition of Islamic Spirituality and his focus on an 'intimacy of the heart', -how he defines this journey as a return to God, to our fitra and the retention of the need of Him which gives birth to humility, -his review of al-maslaha in the context of Usul al Fiqh, -emphasizing the centrality of certain civil liberties as a central pivot in the Muslim identity, -and what he called 'third stage associational structures'; a vision of future Muslim Associations run and established by Muslims who identify as exclusively Western.
I also found interesting his use of the term 'Islamic feminism' as integral to the reformist movement needed in Western Muslim communities, but he did not elaborate beyond the basic criticisms of current discriminatory and sexist practices. Jul 25, Khaled rated it it was amazing. Western Muslims and the Future of Islam by Tariq Ramadan is an excellent book for understanding the circumstances and the challenges that Western Muslims living in the west are facing.
This is a book of mutiny; calling for a tumultuous change in the mentality in which Western Muslims are dealing with the current socio-economical situation in the West.
Ramadan is able to convey his thoughts and his recommendations scrupulously in this unique book. Most importantly, he calls for an economic resist Western Muslims and the Future of Islam by Tariq Ramadan is an excellent book for understanding the circumstances and the challenges that Western Muslims living in the west are facing. Islam as Intellectual Property 'My Lord! Increase Me in Knowledge. Ali Khan - manuscript. Islamic Education, Possibilities, Opportunities and Tensions: Introduction to the Special Issue. Media Representations of British Muslims. Hardy - - Journal of Islamic Studies 15 1: Should Educators Accommodate Intolerance?
Mark Halstead,1 Homosexuality, and the Islamic Case. Merry - - Journal of Moral Education 34 1: Kymlicka on British Muslims: Kaul - - Philosophy and Social Criticism 38 The Pen and the Faith: Eight Modern Muslim Writers and the Qur'an. Kenneth Cragg - - Routledge. Added to PP index Total downloads 4 , of 2,, Recent downloads 6 months 1 , of 2,, How can I increase my downloads?
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