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troy_s 's review for:
Aslan has done an good job of condensing the 14 centuries of Islamic origins, history, and current place on the world stage into a single, easy to digest, book.
The background into Muhammad was succinct and while it didn't go into Mohammad's life in as great detail as other books, it explained a lot more of the historical context, which is absolutely essential when reading about history. There are still certainly unsavory aspects of Muhammad's life that Aslan attempts to sweep away (for example: marriage to Zaynab - his first cousin, but also adopted son's wife; consummation of another marriage with his wife Aisha, age 9; slaughter and enslavement of the [traitorous] Banu Qurayza tribe, caravan raiding being completely acceptable, etc.), but it was far, far less apologetic than say, Karen Armstrong's biography on the Prophet.
I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the evolution of the Sunnis, Shi'ites and the Sufis, as well as the smaller more radical sects that have spurred more of the religious intolerance that we often hear about today. The history and fallout between the Sunni and Shi'ites is something that I'd like to learn more about, but I feel that this book did a good job of setting a basic understanding of that tension.
In the end he tries to be a bit to prophetic by arguing that there is hope for an Islamic democracy, but an indigenous one, not one forced on it from the outside. Similar to his "How to Win a Cosmic War", he mentions the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Turkey, and Iran as areas where this could take place. Mind you, this was written prior to the Arab Spring, but this is where I'd argue that Aslan is lost way up in the clouds of his ivory tower. Realpolitik dictates that this likely will not be happening anytime in the next few decades.
Overall, I would recommend this book (over other books) to readers who are interested in an introduction to the history Islam. As for the latter chapters, they're a bit more theoretical (and in some cases even more apologetic as to the reasons for why there is serious unrest within the broader religion), which I don't necessarily agree with and (as the past 15 years have shown) Aslan's assumptions are not in sync with reality, but the end wraps things up in a coherent fashion.
The background into Muhammad was succinct and while it didn't go into Mohammad's life in as great detail as other books, it explained a lot more of the historical context, which is absolutely essential when reading about history. There are still certainly unsavory aspects of Muhammad's life that Aslan attempts to sweep away (for example: marriage to Zaynab - his first cousin, but also adopted son's wife; consummation of another marriage with his wife Aisha, age 9; slaughter and enslavement of the [traitorous] Banu Qurayza tribe, caravan raiding being completely acceptable, etc.), but it was far, far less apologetic than say, Karen Armstrong's biography on the Prophet.
I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the evolution of the Sunnis, Shi'ites and the Sufis, as well as the smaller more radical sects that have spurred more of the religious intolerance that we often hear about today. The history and fallout between the Sunni and Shi'ites is something that I'd like to learn more about, but I feel that this book did a good job of setting a basic understanding of that tension.
In the end he tries to be a bit to prophetic by arguing that there is hope for an Islamic democracy, but an indigenous one, not one forced on it from the outside. Similar to his "How to Win a Cosmic War", he mentions the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Turkey, and Iran as areas where this could take place. Mind you, this was written prior to the Arab Spring, but this is where I'd argue that Aslan is lost way up in the clouds of his ivory tower. Realpolitik dictates that this likely will not be happening anytime in the next few decades.
Overall, I would recommend this book (over other books) to readers who are interested in an introduction to the history Islam. As for the latter chapters, they're a bit more theoretical (and in some cases even more apologetic as to the reasons for why there is serious unrest within the broader religion), which I don't necessarily agree with and (as the past 15 years have shown) Aslan's assumptions are not in sync with reality, but the end wraps things up in a coherent fashion.