Ever since 9/11; fears about the shari‘a―Islamic law―have been spreading. A word that originally conveyed nothing more sinister than a direct path to water has become associated not with salvation but with brutality and compulsion. And as the legal historian and human rights lawyer Sadakat Kadri realized when he began writing this book; we are all worse off for not knowing its true meaning.In Heaven on Earth; Kadri recounts Islam's thrilling and turbulent history with wit and precision and shows how fourteen hundred years of tradition have been turned upside down in just forty years by hard-line extremists. Traveling through more than half a dozen countries; he explores how the shari‘a is currently perceived―by scholars; critics; and ordinary believers alike.Heaven on Earth is a brilliantly iconoclastic tour through one of humanity's great collective intellectual achievements. At a time when the shari‘a is shaping political crises and the lives of more than a billion Muslims worldwide; Kadri clarifies the realities of modern Islam―and helps us anticipate how it is going to look in the future.
#293534 in Books Farrar; Straus and Giroux 2013-07-02 2013-07-02Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.41 x 1.61 x 6.33l; 1.60 #File Name: 0374266298480 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A Wonderful BookBy Ms. Shy FunnybonesMac Griswold has written a fascinating book about Sylvester Manor; a slave plantation on Long Island's Shelter Island. The house was founded in the 17th century and inhabited until very recently by descendants of these founders; people that Griswold presents as complicated; three-dimensional individuals whose lives are shadowed by the slavery that built and maintained their beautiful home.I especially like the way she takes the reader along as she explores the manor; its inhabitants; its gardens and its cemeteries; and as she travels to such places as Amsterdam and Africa to walk in the footsteps of those who came to the New World; some via the Middle Passage; a journey whose horror she describes so vividly. Allowing the reader to share her shock; discoveries and surprises as she makes them creates drama and excitement. Indeed; I couldn't put the book down.I also learned a lot. For example; I hadn't read about a provisioning plantation before; hadn't seen so clearly the ship-born connections that were part of the Atlantic World; hadn't known that seagoing ships did not sail directly from Amsterdam but made their preparations at Texel; a nearby island; and hadn't heard of the wind-driven saw mills which revolutionized ship building by producing planks much more quickly than previously possible.At the core of this story about early colonialism and its aftermath are the contradictions: Rhode Island representing soul liberty but having the biggest slave trade in North America; Quakers exhibiting the impulse to exploit even as they dream of leaving oppression behind and starting over in the New World. I always find such contrasts puzzling; never quite understandable; yet undeniable. It is tempting to fasten upon just one side of the equation rather than acknowledge the difficult whole; as Griswold is willing to do. Anyone interested in history would enjoy and be moved by this wonderful book.11 of 12 people found the following review helpful. Great history; wonderful reading!!!By FredBremThe Manor is a powerful; evocative; poetic and beautifully crafted book. The contradictions and "subsurface" tragedy in the history of this northern island slave plantation go so deep -- and the human efforts (from today's vantage point) are so intentional; blind and immense -- that it's necessary to read The Manor slowly; valuing Griswold's impeccable work and doing one's best to absorb all the years and levels.Griswold's own experiences while writing The Manor unfold throughout the book; augmenting the primary narrative and at times providing a temporary (welcome) haven for the reader. The beauty of this historic landscape itself; through the years and seasons; also offers solace.Beyond the narrative itself; Griswold has captured the larger dichotomies brilliantly. So much of what is so seriously flawed in today's economic; political; and ecological human systems -- as well as the seeds of so much that is beautiful and good in American culture -- grew out of Early Modern European capitalism and the (Dutch) triangular trade. It's that portion of The Manor's legacy that all of us have inherited.I'm sharing this book with friends (and maybe a friend's book group?) as essential reading.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Bit scatteredBy Blue SkyMaybe trying to weave landscape history; historical documentation; oral history/fiction and myth together with archaeological data was a bit too much to tackle in one sitting. Or perhaps a more considered editorial direction would have made this a less scenic and better academic rendering. I did not like the writing style. However; many of the quotes included in the text were current scholarship and on target.
