Official Review: A little book of Islam

[raikyuu]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A little book of Islam" by Patrick C. Notchtree.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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A Little Book of Islam: A Short Guide for Curious Westerners is a non-fiction book that provides general information about Islam. The book, written as a short guide, also tries to debunk common misconceptions surrounding Islam. Based on his research and perspective as a non-Muslim, Patrick Notchtree hopes that this book will “help in a small way to spread a little more knowledge of Islam and its followers and help to bridge a widening gap between Muslims and the societies in the west where they live.”

The book starts with the nature of the Islamic God and contrasts it with the Christian Trinity. Then, the book describes the story and significance of the prophet Muhammad in the formation of Islam. Later, the book introduces the Qur’an and its teachings. The book also includes the Islamic Law (Sharia), the Five Pillars of Islam, and the divisions of Islam. Throughout the book, differences and similarities are pointed out among Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

As a short guide for curious westerners, the book does a good job of providing an organized and neutral description of Islam. Most chapters in the book transition to the next quite fluidly, which provides logical connections between chapters seamlessly. The book presents the information as raw as possible, without adding any positive or negative judgments about Islam. One can easily learn a lot about Islam from reading the book.

While the book aims to debunk common misconceptions by providing neutral information, the book fails to add justifications to some beliefs and traditions in Islam, which are seen by westerners as “scary.” An example is the concept of Jihad (Holy War), wherein the author writes, “Militants construe this as a call to subjugate non-Islamic parts of the world to the true religion, but most others in the modern world see it as a call to struggle against evil within man.” While this provides information on how different Muslims view Jihad, the author doesn’t explain why they view Jihad as such and such. The author does point out that other religions also have their own “Holy War,” but this merely suggests that other religions like Christianity can also be scary.

Nevertheless, the book achieves its humble goal of providing knowledge that can help westerners understand a religion of more than 1.8 billion followers. Overall, A Little Book of Islam: A Short Guide for Curious Westerners is a reliable book that does justice to the religion. For this, I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. I can recommend this book to those who are unfamiliar with Islam.

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A little book of Islam
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[kandscreeley]

I think just about all of us are curious about what true Islam is. This book would be enlightening in that area. Great review. Thanks!

[LinaMueller]

I genuinely love to read about different cultures/religions. This book seems to be very interesting. Thanks for your review.

[Wanjugush]

Most people including me are curious about some Islamic teachings and ideologies. I hope this book can answer those questions. Great review.

[Erin Painter Baker]

This book sounds interesting, much like research I would do on my own. But I am a little uncertain about a non-Muslim writing an introduction to Islam. My guess is that that is why some things are not explained, because the author doesn't have enough understanding of the religion or culture to explain them.

[OuKoyoo]

Even though I am a Christian, there is a lot that wish to understand about Islam. I hope to read this book to help me comprehend some aspects of the religion. Thank you for the insightful review.

[Juliet+1]

I was given a free copy of the Koran (translated into English) some years ago, and I read the whole thing. Helped a little, but I could have used some explanations too. Looks like "A Little Book of Islam" might do the job. Thanks for a very helpful review.

[Chrystal Oaks]

I have a couple of books on Islam, including the Qu'ran. I'm curious to see how they compare with the information. As far as the different viewpoints on Jihad, (this is strictly a personal observation) it depends on whether the groups are following the peaceful-loving Muhammad (personal battle) or the warring-conquering Muhammad (Holy War). I enjoyed reading your informative review. Thanks!