Rating: 
Summary: Unbiased coverage of Islam in less that 200 pages
Review: This is one great book for beginners as well as advanced readers who would like to understand Islam and its history.
Karen Armstrong has done a tremendous job explaining both and at the same time making it very interesting to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring, badly written book
Review: Karen Armstrong takes a kind of non-judgmental, cultural-relativist approach to her subject that would lead the uncritical reader to believe that Islam is just another great religion that is terribly misunderstood in the West. She could have saved us all a lot of time if she had just written a bumper sticker: "Islam is Okay". It may well be. But I was looking for a little more critical analysis than that.
Her admittedly short book is too short for the subject; but it also treats the subject as a litany of factoids without ever brething life into anyone we meet in the story, least of all the Prophet Mohammed.
One of her most annoying conceits is to repeatedly use Arabic terms where none is necessary. Certainly there are some terms in Arabic that defy translation and must be rendered in the original language. Haj, the pilgrimmage to Mecca that muslims are expected to make, if at all possible, at least once in a lifetime, might be one. But Armstrong repeatedly insists on using the Arabic word for fairly routine concepts that one must believe have perfectly adequate translations in English. It's as if someone writing about some Spanish subject insisted on referring to houses and tables as "casas" and "mesas", as if using the foreign word gives us some insight into the culture being treated. The books is filled with dozens of these, which eventually go beyond just annoying to really silly.
All these are just minor complaints, though. The real problem with Ms Armstrong's book is that one never gets the sense of what is unique about Islam, what drove its incredibly swift rise across the Arab world and beyond in the year's after Mohammed's death in the 8th Centruy, and why even today it exercises a remarkable appeal to the dispossesed of the earth from the gutters of Africa to the prisons of America.
It's a shame Ms Armstrong had such good luck with the timing of this book...There must be 100 better books on the subject sitting on library shelves.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Concise Summary
Review: This book comes highly recommended for the following reasons:
1. It is concise and to the point, and reads like an epic or saga, with just enough information to be helpful, but not too much as to become bogged down. Hence, it is a good start for learning about Islam.
2. I found this book to be written in a neutral, descriptive manner, which is why I was surprised when I read some customer reviews which claimed that the book was anti-Christian. I did not see it that way at all, and I am, self-admitedly, very sensitive to unfounded criticism of Christianity, the religion of my heart. I believe that the book was trying to place Islam in the context into which it was born and thrived. Also, the author is a nun......
3. After having read the book, I will not be rushing out to convert, but I must admit that I have a greater respect for Islam, as one of the major religions of the world. Prior to reading this book, I, like many Christians, wanted to respect Islam but had reservations, due to issues which I found problematic, ie: mysogyny, polygamy, but this book again contextualised and explained said issues, without attepmting to justify them, which would have been counter-productive.
NB: a good post-script to this book, is "Uncovering Islam" by Edward Said, because after understanding Islam, one then should read about how Islam has been tragically misunderstood and maligned by the rest of the world.
Rating: 
Summary: Grow up and wake up.
Review: Timothy McVeigh (Oaklahoma City) was not Muslim, neither was Ted Kazinski (unibomber). The emotionally controlled immature writers of bad reviews here probably did not (maybe cannot) read this book but are letting their primate limbic system react to the name Islam. What worries me are the hypochristians and radical muslims, both completely asleep in the world and hypnotised by their own brand of fundamentalism. Long live Bill Maher (Politically Incorrect)! Death to the marching morons!
Rating:
Summary: Islam: A Short History An Excellent Survey of Islam
Review: I found this small book very helpful and devoid of Western prejudice. The index, glossary of Arabic terms, and time-line were also quite useful. I recommed this book, by British author Karen Armstrong, to any person who desires a more accurate appreciation of Islam.
Rating:
Summary: Well done Karen
Review: A wonderful peace of work. The book is very transparent and may be strongly attacked by some Intellectual elites and their followers who tried for many years to create hatred and negative image of Islam; some of them have never opened even a single verse of Quran. Karen a westerner and a former Christian Nun who you would expect to persuade readers and reinforce the western believe of Islam as a dangerous religion to the west has overcome that challenge. Her value of honesty and Profession integrity lead her to write what is true rather than what is targeted to be false truth. The book tries to erase those stereotypes but falls shortly to explain why those Stereotypes were created, who created them and who benefited on them!
I believe the following lines are enough to be the skeletons of the book and if one require more flesh then has to read all pages.· No religion in the modern world is feared and Misunderstood as Islam- Cover Introduction
· In Islam, Muslims have looked for God in History. Their sacred scripture, the Quran gave them a historical Mission. The chief duty was to create a just community in which all members, even most weak and vulnerable, were treated with absolute respect. The experience of building such a society and living in it would give them intimations of the divine, because they would be living in accordance with Gods will - Preface xi
· Muslims admire the efficiency and beautiful technology of the west; they are fascinated by the way a regime can be changed in the west without bloodshed. But when Muslims look at Western Society, they see no light, no heart and spirituality. They want to hold on their own religious and moral traditions and the same time, to try to incorporate some of the best aspects of western civilization. Page 185
Rating:
Summary: a good research effort
Review: it is interesting that while living in the 21st century, we tend to apply the scientific logic of research methodology in everything, including questioning the bases of christianity and the bilble, but when it comes to studying Islam, reference to "Zero ground" and the behaviour of Saudi Arabians are the only indicator we want to consider. Anyone who attempts to study Islam from reading and examining its main texts and context, they are titles biased and garbage. This only reflects a deepend fear and ignorance within the commom public in the US and the West in general who's primarly source of information is Fox News or Billy Graham's speachs. Whether it is the enemey or not, whether it is peaceful or violent, and whether Armestrong is biased or not, we know how to study and assess any research in an objective manner that will give us a clear and honest results. For that, i encourage everyone interested to study the subject, to read that and other books, and to try to study the people and thier geography and history before they reach thier conclusions. Those who already have thier mine set need not to waste their time, or ours'.
Rating:
Summary: Super, but dangerously incomplete as to true origins.
Review: Karen has detailed out a short but great account. However the true origins of Islam will have many shocked. The Crescent moon and star or "Logo" of the Islam faith comes from a early time when this faith was founded. The first accounts of the crescent moon being discovered by excavation reveal that the original founders of Islam were worshipers of the Moon God, who by which if you did a deed to the Moon god you would be rewarded a place in Paradise. As the researchers proceeded with the studies, they found the deeds to be, killing with revenge, those who so much as questioned the faith. This is a true finding and you can in fact research this out quite easily. Chick Publications has a Christian tract that goes into the details. Also read Karl Mark Maddox Book which is the best book I have ever had the pleasure, title is SB 1 or God
Rating:
Summary: Great book, everyone should read it!
Review: It's a terrific book; explains the concepts pretty well and the author can be trusted for genuinness... i strongly reccommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Don't bother.
Review: Here's a summary of this book: Everything Muslims have ever done is good. Anything you might think is bad isn't their fault; the Christians made them do it. Now you don't have to waste your time. Read Ibn Warraq's WHY I AM NOT A MUSLIM instead.
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