Western relations with the Muslim world are increasingly important to international stability; but; although more can be discovered about Muhammad than about any other founder of a world religion; much of what is known about him originates from prejudiced medieval accounts written at the time of the Crusades. Just as she used events in St Paul's life to examine Christian dilemmas in "The First Christian"; here Karen Armstrong draws on events in Muhammad's life to discuss Western problems and prejudices. In considering his dealings with his wives and female converts; she asks whether he and his religion are truly as misogynistic as Westerners tend to believe. She also asks how his extraordinary political success has affected our view of Islam. Christians are used to the spectacle of the crucified Jesus and have sanctified the notion of failure and humiliation. Sunni Muslims; on the other hand; tend to see worldly success as a sign of God's blessing and are suffering peculiar difficulties now in coming to terms with the weakness vis-a-vis the West. The book has been written for general readership; but with the aim of maintaining standards of scholarship; and it offers a view of Muhammad the prophet as a sympathetic man whose exciting life helps one to appreciate the rich complexity of the Muslim tradition. Karen Armstrong's other books include "The Gospel According to Woman" and "Holy War".
#3289815 in Books imusti 2002-10-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.80 x .83 x 5.00l; .66 #File Name: 0553814931336 pagesBANTAM PAPERBACKS
Review
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Arctic ExplorationBy Steven M. AnthonyI enjoy reading non-fictional accounts of exploration; and have found two geographic regions particularly interesting; ian and Arctic exploration. Perhaps this is because the issues faced by explorers of those regions are particularly challenging.This book is essentially a biography of Dr. John Rae; a longtime employee of the Hudson Bay Company; who spent much of his life on or North of the Arctic Circle. The author is an unabashed fan of Dr. Rae; and even points out in his preface that the purpose of the book is to elevate Dr. Rae to a position in the pantheon of Arctic explorers; a position that the author firmly believes that Dr. Rae has been unjustly denied.As a result; the question arises as to whether the author presents an unbiased picture of Rae and his achievements. For the greatest part of the book; this is really not a factor. There is no dispute as to Rae's exploits; his discoveries; or the incredible feats of endurance and competence he displayed in his endeavors. However; the final quarter of the book; dealing with controversy concerning his report on the Franklin expedition and the long running feud between Rae and Lady Jane Franklin certainly have the potential to present a biased and perhaps overly complementary picture of Rae's actions.The final segment of the book; dealing with discovery of the Northwest Passage and the honors associated therewith; give the author a final opportunity to argue the poor treatment accorded Rae. While virtually every other explorer with a hand in charting the region was awarded knighthoods and cash rewards; Rae was excluded from official plaudits. Doubtless; this was a political decision as was the decision by many to credit Franklin with discovery of the Passage (which he most certainly did not). However; to simply label Rae as the discoverer of the Northwest Passage borders on hagiography. Charting the Northwest Passage was a collaborative undertaking and required the combined efforts of literally dozens of explorers over the course of decades. While it is true that Rae identified the final piece in the puzzle (though it is unlikely that he knew it at the time); to give him full credit ignores the 95% of the puzzle that was already in place.Despite its sometimes biased viewpoints; it cannot be argued that Rae was anything other than a fascinating individual and perhaps the most physically gifted Arctic explorer on record. I can recommend this book to anyone with an interest in exploration in general and Arctic exploration in particular.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Chilling DiscoveriesBy ConstanceI chose to read this book as a way to prepare for a cruise along the Northwest Passage. While my journey will be (I hope) much different than that of early explorers; I now have a greater appreciation of their contributions to our knowledge of the Artic. John Rae was a man among men - brilliant in his approach to Artic exploration. He discovered the fate of the Franklin exporation searching for the northwest passage. A fascinating well written account well documented. A thoroughly engrossing book.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Felt that I was there.By peterRead this book some time ago on my e reader; thoroughly enjoyed it and as I read the book I felt I was actually travelling along with the expedition. Cannot believe how hard it was for explorers especially travelling through the freezing cold and with no modern conveniences that we have today. Should really rate as five.
