Where can I get the Islamic equivalent of Jewish Literacy? [more inside]
posted on Jul 30, 2008 - 8 answers

IslamFilter: I'm looking for examples of regional cultures/ethnic groups within the present-day Ummah that were bypassed by the expansion of Islam. For example, most of the people of the mountainous and hard to access Nuristan province of Afghanistan only converted to Islam ca. 1890. Prior to that it was known to everyone outside Nuristan as "Kaffirstan" (land of the unbelievers/infidels). [more inside]
posted on May 26, 2008 - 11 answers

As a student of international relations, I'm trying to acquire a broad understanding of Islam and Middle-Eastern culture. I'm looking for a few books to read in my spare time that touch on these subjects. [more inside]
posted on Apr 2, 2008 - 14 answers

The Rowan Williams fiasco brought to mind a book that I read within the last year, but I cannot retrieve it now. In it, a Republican presidential candidate surprises everyone by calling for the adoption of sharia law in the United States. Can anyone help to identify it?
posted on Feb 19, 2008 - 1 answers

Has there been higher criticism (such as the documentary hypothesis) or textual criticism of religions other than Christianity and Judaism?
posted on Jan 10, 2008 - 10 answers

Can you refer me to sophisticated discussions of violence that is driven by hybrid forms of capitalism and religion? [more inside]
posted on Nov 16, 2007 - 2 answers

In Islamic discourse, how harsh a pejorative is the term "kafir"? Is it necessarily a pejorative at all?
posted on Aug 28, 2007 - 8 answers

A happy Eid Al Adha? [more inside]
posted on Dec 31, 2006 - 7 answers

Can anyone help me locate a list of the 114 surahs that indicates from which period each dates? [more inside]
posted on Oct 31, 2006 - 6 answers

Genuine question: Given that Mohammed was a succesful military leader who led armies to kill many thousands, at what point did he switch approach and promote peace? [more inside]
posted on Sep 16, 2006 - 10 answers

Is God perfect? [more inside]
posted on Jun 25, 2006 - 32 answers

The Christmas holiday is fast approaching as we all know. My fiancee is Muslim, and we have always celebrated religious holidays separately. This year, I would like him to be a part of the family celebration. For my family it is more of a family bonding time (and become more of an American Tradition) than a religious event. If I'm correct, the celebration of Christmas is for the birth of Jesus. From what my fiancee has told me of Muslims, they believe in Jesus as a prophet, but have many differences in beliefs from Christians overall about who he was.

So would there be a debate between the two religions over the actual birth of Jesus (how he was conceived, is he the son of God....etc.) that would be conflicting for him to join us for dinner and this particular holiday itself? I want to be well informed when talking to him about it, and try to find a way to celebrate the holiday.
posted on Dec 8, 2004 - 20 answers

The Koran. I read it long ago. I found it confusing, odd, hard to understand, in dire need of unpacking. I'd like to try reading it again. Can anyone recommend a superlative translation, or perhaps even better, a great paraphrase. Or at the very least one with decent annotations. I'm not averse to a version that does intelligent re-arranging of the sequence, as I recall chapters on cows following stuff on love. There are a number of current translations so pointers to informed reviews of them would be welcomed too.
posted on Nov 15, 2004 - 11 answers