Islam

In the epilogue of Islam: A Guide for Jews and Christians, Francis EdwardPeters, an expert on medieval Arab thinkers and the author of several comparativeworks on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, describes what mighthave led him to write the present book: while sitting at his breakfast table,he watched the 9/11 events from his window. “My chief reaction on that terribleday was one of profound sadness […] at the sure knowledge of the hateand misunderstanding that prompted the act … I have spent half of my professionallife trying to explain the hate and unravel the misunderstandingthat pervades religious history” (p. 276).  This book seeks to describe milestones of Islamic history, as well as itscore beliefs and customs, to western readers who are supposedly familiarwith the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. It is not an academic workper se, since, like his two-volume The Monotheists: Jews, Christians, andMuslims in Conflict and Competition (Princeton University Press: 2003),whose paragraphs on Islam are in fact similar – if not identical – to considerableportions of the present work, it lacks footnotes and a bibliography.The book contains nothing new for those already involved in this field.However, as it is the outcome of his long acquaintance with the Arabicsources and considerable classroom experience, it is extremely valuable andaccessible both for students and interested readers. From this respect, anyoneteaching introductory courses on Islam might benefit tremendouslyfrom Peters’ historical and cultural insights as well as from the didacticmethod employed here ...