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A review by ashlightgrayson
A Closer Look at Islam by Syed B. Ali
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.
I started this book with an open mind in an attempt to learn more about Islam. I should not that I am not Muslim and that my knowledge of Islam is limited. The author introduces this book as refuting a lot of the negative press that Islam has. However, I feel that in this endeavor the author failed somewhat. I understand that this is not the only representation of Islam and I will continue to search for other works that are more favorable.
I will cite some examples of how this book did not do itself any favors. While discussing the prophet Muhammad and his marriage to his wife Safiya the author states "the Prophet did not force himself on her - he married her" (page 8). I immediately took issue with this passage since it implies that marital rape is not possible. Thereafter in that same chapter the author spent an excessive amount of time noting how Muhammad was not a womanizer or a lecher. It felt like they were trying too hard to defend the founder of Islam as if it was someone that they knew personally. It just felt unnecessary and didn't sit right with me after the implied denial of marital rape/sexual abuse.
This book also discusses prostitution by stating, "Throughout the history of our species, men have systematically abused women by maintaining the institution of prostitution." (page 59). This makes many incorrect assumptions about the institution of sex work. First, that only women are sex workers, which obviously isn't true since there are indeed male sex workers. Second, it attributes the continued existence of prostitution only to men, which is also inaccurate considering that women are also consumers of sex work. Sex work is a business and as long as there is a demand for sex, there will be a business to fulfill that need. Even if you agree with the premise of the argument presented, it seems very flawed to assume that men alone are to be credited with the continued demand for the industry. The author uses it as a jumping off point to argue that Islam is often accused of advocating for the mistreatment of women. I felt like this could have been an opportunity for the author to present some of the progressive ideas within the Islamic faith. They do somewhat on page 61 of the book quoting Quran passages that outline the proper treatment of women. I can say that they are reasonably progressive arguments. Unfortunately, they do also quote Q 4:24 and note that husbands are only allowed to hit wives as "just a one-time permit and that too only in relation to the specific offence detailed in the verse." (page 60). I take issue with the defense of physical abuse no matter how minor. The author goes on to explain that is only meant to be something akin to a mild stroke and quotes Q 38:44 (page 60). This does not take away from how problematic I find this passage and only serves to paint Islam in a worse light than necessary.
There are other examples of things within this book that I think made me question its value to the discussion around Islam. I'm sure there are probably better books on the topic out there, so I would not recommend this as a defense for Islam.
I will cite some examples of how this book did not do itself any favors. While discussing the prophet Muhammad and his marriage to his wife Safiya the author states "the Prophet did not force himself on her - he married her" (page 8). I immediately took issue with this passage since it implies that marital rape is not possible. Thereafter in that same chapter the author spent an excessive amount of time noting how Muhammad was not a womanizer or a lecher. It felt like they were trying too hard to defend the founder of Islam as if it was someone that they knew personally. It just felt unnecessary and didn't sit right with me after the implied denial of marital rape/sexual abuse.
This book also discusses prostitution by stating, "Throughout the history of our species, men have systematically abused women by maintaining the institution of prostitution." (page 59). This makes many incorrect assumptions about the institution of sex work. First, that only women are sex workers, which obviously isn't true since there are indeed male sex workers. Second, it attributes the continued existence of prostitution only to men, which is also inaccurate considering that women are also consumers of sex work. Sex work is a business and as long as there is a demand for sex, there will be a business to fulfill that need. Even if you agree with the premise of the argument presented, it seems very flawed to assume that men alone are to be credited with the continued demand for the industry. The author uses it as a jumping off point to argue that Islam is often accused of advocating for the mistreatment of women. I felt like this could have been an opportunity for the author to present some of the progressive ideas within the Islamic faith. They do somewhat on page 61 of the book quoting Quran passages that outline the proper treatment of women. I can say that they are reasonably progressive arguments. Unfortunately, they do also quote Q 4:24 and note that husbands are only allowed to hit wives as "just a one-time permit and that too only in relation to the specific offence detailed in the verse." (page 60). I take issue with the defense of physical abuse no matter how minor. The author goes on to explain that is only meant to be something akin to a mild stroke and quotes Q 38:44 (page 60). This does not take away from how problematic I find this passage and only serves to paint Islam in a worse light than necessary.
There are other examples of things within this book that I think made me question its value to the discussion around Islam. I'm sure there are probably better books on the topic out there, so I would not recommend this as a defense for Islam.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism and Misogyny