Recommended Reading

Recommended Reading

The following list of religious / geopolitical books deals with various aspects of Islam and / or issues related to Islam / Muslims, the other monotheistic faiths (specifically Judaism and Christianity), and the world at large. The books listed are owned and / or reviewed by the webmaster and contributing associates. These readings were selected based on scholarship and intellectual / academic integrity. We encourage visitors to review commentaries on the suggested reading material based on their areas of interest (e.g., at Amazon.com and other well-known sites) before investing in or acquiring any of the following books.

Books Authors
The Message of the Quran Muhammad Asad
The Principles of State and Government in Islam Muhammad Asad
This Law of Ours and Other Essays Muhammad Asad
Islam at the Crossroads Muhammad Asad
Islam Fazlur Rahman
Major Themes of the Quran Fazlur Rahman
Islam and Modernity: Transformation of an Intellectual Tradition Fazlur Rahman
Coming to Terms with the Quran: A Volume in Honor of Professor Issa Boullata Khaleel Mohammed and Andrew Rippin
No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam Reza Aslan
The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists Khaled M. Abou El Fadl
And God Knows the Soldiers: The Authoritative and Authoritarian in Islamic Discourses Khaled M. Abou El Fadl
Qur'an Liberation & Pluralism: An Islamic Perspective Of Interreligious Solidarity Against Oppression Farid Esack
Interpreting the Qur'an: Towards a Contemporary Approach Saeed Abdullah
Against Islamic Extremism: The Writings of Muhammad Sa'id al-'Ashmawy Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban
Islam and the Secular State: Negotiating the Future of Shari'a Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im
Toward an Islamic Reformation: Civil Liberties, Human Rights, and International Law Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im
Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought Daniel W. Brown
Introduction to Islamic Theology and Law Ignaz Goldziher, Andras Hamori, and Bernard Lewis
Western Muslims and the Future of Islam Tariq Ramadan
Crescent Between Cross and Star: Muslims and the West after 9/11 Iftikhar H. Malik
Islam, Postmodernism and Other Futures: A Ziauddin Sardar Reader Sohail Inayatullah and Gail Boxwell
The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam Muhammad Iqbal
The Religion of Islam Maulana Muhammad Ali
Muhammad The Prophet Maulana Muhammad Ali
The Early Caliphate Maulana Muhammad Ali
"Believing Women" in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qur'an Asma Barlas
Qur'an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective Amina Wadud
The Veil And The Male Elite: A Feminist Interpretation Of Women's Rights In Islam Fatima Mernissi
Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate Leila Ahmed
The Crescent and the Pen: The Strange Journey of Taslima Nasreen Hanifa Deen
Islam and the Discovery of Freedom Rose Wilder Lane and Imad-Ad-Dean Ahmad
Islam Under Siege: Living Dangerously in a Post-Honor World Akbar S. Ahmed
Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization Akbar S. Ahmed
Rethinking Islam: Common Questions, Uncommon Answers Mohammed Arkoun and Robert D. Lee
The Ethics of Disagreement in Islam Taha Jabir Al-Alwani
Source Methodology in Islamic Jurisprudence (The Usul of Islamic Fiqh) Taha Jabir Al-Alwani
Issues in Contemporary Islamic Thought Taha Jabir Al-Alwani
Islamic Thought: An Approach to Reform Taha Jabir Al-Alwani
Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World Edward W. Said
Peace and the Limits of War: Transcending Classical Conception of Jihad Louay M. Safi
Struggling to Surrender: Some Impressions of an American Convert to Islam Jeffrey Lang
Even Angels Ask: A Journey to Islam in America Jeffrey Lang
Losing My Religion: A Call For Help Jeffrey Lang
Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources Martin Lings
What Is the Origin of Man? Maurice Bucaille
The Bible, The Qur'an and Science: The Holy Scriptures Examined in the Light of Modern Knowledge Maurice Bucaille
The History of the Quranic Text, from Revelation to Compilation: A Comparative Study with the Old and New Testaments Muhammad Mustafa Al-Azami
Studies in Early Hadith Literature Muhammad Mustafa Al-Azami
Studies on the Origins and Uses of Islamic Hadith G. H. A. Juynboll
The Sources of Islamic Law: Islamic Theories of Abrogation John Burton
The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam Yusuf Al Qaradawi
The Cross & The Crescent Jerald F. Dirks
The Philosophy of the Kalam Harry Austryn Wolfson
Who Speaks For Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed
Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam John L. Esposito
What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam John L. Esposito
The Oxford History of Islam John L. Esposito
Islam: The Straight Path John L. Esposito
The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality? John L. Esposito
Islam and Democracy John L. Esposito and John O. Voll
Islam: A Short History Karen Armstrong
A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam Karen Armstrong
The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions Karen Armstrong
The Battle for God Karen Armstrong
Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet Karen Armstrong
Muhammad: A Prophet for our Time Karen Armstrong
Holy War: The Crusades and their Impact on Today's World Karen Armstrong
Islam: The Alternative Murad Hofmann
Islam 2000 Murad Hofmann
Why They Don't Hate Us: Lifting the Veil on the Axis of Evil Mark LeVine
A Deadly Misunderstanding: A Congressman's Quest to Bridge the Muslim-Christian Divide Mark D. Siljander
Muslim-Jewish Encounters: Intellectual Traditions and Modern Politics Ronald L. Nettler and Suha Taji-Farouki
Abraham: Signs of Hope for Jews, Christians and Muslims Ronald L. Nettler and Suha Taji-Farouki
The Invention Of The Jewish People Shlomo Sand
The Thirteenth Tribe: The Khazar Empire And Its Heritage Arthur Koestler
Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid Jimmy Carter
Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why Bart D. Ehrman
The Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible's Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love John Shelby Spong
The Dark Side of Christian History Helen Ellerbe
The Curse of Cain: The Violent Legacy of Monotheism Regina M. Schwartz
The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East Robert Fisk
Forcing God's Hand: Why Millions Pray for a Quick Rapture ... and Destruction of Planet Earth Grace Halsell
Prophecy and Politics: Militant Evangelists on the Road to Nuclear War Grace Halsell
Journey to Jerusalem Grace Halsell
Passion for Islam: Shaping the Modern Middle East - The Egyptian Experience Caryle Murphy
Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA Tim Weiner
State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration James Risen
Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance Noam Chomsky
The Fall of the House of Bush: The Untold Story of How a Band of True Believers Seized the Executive Branch, Started the Iraq War, and Still Imperils America's Future Craig Unger
Satanic Purses: Money, Myth, and Misinformation in the War on Terror R. T. Naylor
Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army Jeremy Scahill
The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals Jane Mayer
The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict Joseph E. Stiglitz and Linda J. Bilmes
The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt
Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War Michael Isikoff and David Corn
The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder Vincent Bugliosi
Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Lawless World: The Whistle-Blowing Account of How Bush and Blair Are Taking the Law into Their Own Hands Philippe Sands
The Ballad of Abu Ghraib (previously published as Standard Operating Procedure) Philip Gourevitch and Errol Morris
The Autobiography of Malcolm X Alex Haley

Recommended Reading