Year of the Reading 5: "Islam in the world"

Been reading a lot of books this year on Islam and the Middle East. Spent the last twenty years doing that really, but I have been having a renaissance of reading as of late. This book, by author Malise Ruthven, was better than most of have read. It really wouldn't be a book for a beginner, even if that is what one of the blurbs says. I think you need to know quite a lot before beginning this one. I learned many new things from it, which is nice, since reading about the Middle East and Islam is now mostly about rereading the same things. This edition was published after 9/11, so there was more information on the rise of Islamic terrorist groups. Personally, I think the book needs a good re-writing, since the conclusion seems tacked on after 9/11. A new edition could incorporate more history of recent events in a broader historical context. Still if you know a lot about Islam and the Middle East I highly recommend this one. If not, please start elsewhere or you might find yourself a little lost.

One thing I have liked doing in Kuwait is learning a lot more about Islam. I haven't always been happy with what I have seen here, but I know that the behavior of some doesn't reflect on the religion anymore than the behavior of some Christians reflect on Jesus. I am glad that I am in the Middle East at this time in history. When I go home in the summers, what I see about the region makes me wonder if it is the same place I am living. Our media really does play tricks with one's head. I feel blessed at having the opportunity to travel around this region and meet people and learn about their lives. In the book, the author writes that in the West we see tyranny as the opposite of freedom. We try to push our beliefs of freedom on the rest of the world. But in Islam the opposite of tyranny is justice, not freedom. It creates a whole new dimension of possibilities. Bush and company should learn this important lesson, particularly in how they treat people in the region.

(Finally I decided to change the title of the year of reading to just that. No more Golden Pig, since so many of the books I am reading are about Islam. Must be respectful.)