The No-Nonsense Guide to Islam

Even before 11 September 2001, Muslims were generally viewed in the West as enemies of "freedom" and "progress". Yet there is far more to Islam than the stereotypical Occidental view. This No-Nonsense Guide looks at how Islam, a complex faith and civilization, can reconcile itself with the twenty-first century.

Critically minded Muslims everywhere are rethinking and reformulating Islam as a contemporary moral and ethical force. Merryl Wyn Davies and Zia Sardar explain the Islamic worldview, examining the Qur'an and Islamic law (sharia), Islam in history, Islam's relationship with the West and its contemporary nature. They analyse the struggle within the faith for a more humane and holistic interpretation of their religion; examine the issues surrounding women, democracy, and economic development; and suggest how we can all move forward after 9/11.

"The No-Nonsense Guide to Islam is a warts-and-all guide to the complex world of Islam. Sardar and Davies show what Islam has achieved; and what it is capable of achieving. They suggest how both Islam and the West can transform themselves to see each other as fully human and capable of laying the foundation for a just world order." - Dr. Ghayasuddin Siddaqui, Director, The Muslim Institute, London

Merryl Wyn Davies, a writer and anthropologist, is a former BBC journalist. She is the author of Knowing One Another: Shaping an Islamic Anthropology and Introducing Anthropology. Ziauddin Sardar is a writer, broadcaster, and cultural critic. His numerous books include Introducing Islam, The A to Z of Postmodern Life, and Islam, Postmodernism, and Other Futures: A Ziauddin Sardar Reader. Sardar and Davies co-authored the international bestseller Why Do People Hate America?