Islam

Twenty years ago, the image of burning copies of Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses" held aloft by thousand-strong mobs of protestors became an internationally familiar symbol of anger and offence. Kenan Malik examines how the Rushdie affair transformed the debate worldwide on multiculturalism, tolerance and free speech, helped fuel the rise of radical Islam and pointed the way to the horrors of 9/11 and 7/7.

This compelling examination of the life and sayings of Muhammad offers the modern reader both a historical context for and a spiritual guide to the principals at the heart of the world's second-largest religion. Drawing on the Koran and the Sunnah, this collection of quotes is organized by topic from A to Z and provides a window into the eloquence, practicality, and ethical fortitude with which Muhammad preached to his followers. Covering a diverse range of topics, from marriage and civic charity to the individual's relationship to God and the afterlife, the Prophet's words dispel misconceptions about the history of the faith, its leader, and its core beliefs.

Growing up in a strict Muslim community in London, Alom Shaha learnt that religion was not to be questioned. Reciting the Qur'an without understanding what it meant was simply part of life; so was obeying the imam and enduring beatings when he failed to attend the local mosque. Shaha was more drawn to science, and as a teen, he lived between two worlds: the home controlled by his authoritarian father, and a school alive with books and ideas. In this charming blend of memoir, philosophy, and science, Shaha explores the questions about faith and the afterlife that we all ponder.