In the contemporary world the meeting of Buddhism and Islam is most often imagined as one of violent confrontation. Indeed; the Taliban's destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001 seemed not only to reenact the infamous Muslim destruction of Nalanda monastery in the thirteenth century but also to reaffirm the stereotypes of Buddhism as a peaceful; rational philosophy and Islam as an inherently violent and irrational religion. But if Buddhist-Muslim history was simply repeated instances of Muslim militants attacking representations of the Buddha; how had the Bamiyan Buddha statues survived thirteen hundred years of Muslim rule?Buddhism and Islam on the Silk Road demonstrates that the history of Buddhist-Muslim interaction is much richer and more complex than many assume. This groundbreaking book covers Inner Asia from the eighth century through the Mongol empire and to the end of the Qing dynasty in the late nineteenth century. By exploring the meetings between Buddhists and Muslims along the Silk Road from Iran to China over more than a millennium; Johan Elverskog reveals that this long encounter was actually one of profound cross-cultural exchange in which two religious traditions were not only enriched but transformed in many ways.
#1904303 in Books University of Pennsylvania Press 2005-08-18Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.21 x 1.54 x 6.14l; 2.31 #File Name: 0812219368784 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A History of a People that has been hidden from US History books.By AlabamaBabeAmazing book; obviously well written given the author; but more importantly; a true; documented part of history of those who were sold into slavery from Africa that makes the history that I was taught in school equivalent to having learned from a comic book. The history; the cultures; the philosophies; the civilizations - yes; that is plural - in Africa from times prior to the era of slavery is captivating and truly enlightening. And the in depth explanations of the sociological; psychological; economic; educational environment of the slaves in this country and others and of the freed slaves in this country was truly worth the read. I definitely recommend - and have already recommended - this book to a anyone at all interested in the history of this country and particularly people of color - many of whom know the name Booker T Washington; but have most likely never heard of; nor read; this book.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A must have for any student or teacherBy Martin BrownAs a graduate of Howard University and student of African American history; The Story of the Negro: The Rise of the Race from Slavery is THE best chronological; data documented study of the African American people from the period of about 1800 to 1910 that I have read. A must have for any student or teacher.
