Muslimah Media Watch thanks Aynur for the tip!
The title caught my eye.
The blurb promised that:
“The Muslim Next Door clears away the misconceptions about Islam and why they flourish –media distortion, confusion about what is cultural rather than religious, the language barrier, and the old tall tales that still persist after thirteen centuries.”
Lofty promises, I thought.
I bought it expecting another one of those “here’s why Muslims aren’t so scary, we are proud Americans and proud Muslims at the same time” books, but I was pleasantly surprised.
The first thing I noticed right off the bat is that this book is extensively researched: there are over 25 pages of endnotes citing sources (as well as a chronology, index, suggested reading list and discussion questions). But at the same time, it’s not a ‘true’ academic book—it’s conveyed through anecdotes and stories by the author, Sumbul Ali-Karamali, a South Asian Muslim who grew up in Los Angeles. In essence, you get the best of both worlds: scholarship and story telling.
The author has a graduate degree in Islamic Law from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), where she also taught Islamic Law as a teaching assistant. She’s also a research associate at the Center of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law. In other words, she’s qualified.
This book is basically what you wish you can give to those people who ask you all those questions that you have to answer over and over again. Now you can just hand them this book and trust that it’ll answer their questions.
Ali-Karamali doesn’t shy away from difficult questions, or gloss over them. She splits up her book into 11 chapters, and tackles the issues the media loves to talk about (veiling, stoning, jihad etc). She takes the major misconceptions about Islam and deconstructs them into base elements before explaining them.
The first half of the book introduces Islam to the non-Muslim reader and delves into more detail as the book progresses. The second half tackles the meaty topics: women in Islam, jihad and fundamentalism, stealing and adultery in Islam, American Muslim reactions to 9/11 and a concluding chapter on why misconceptions persist.
So…women.
From the very first chapter it’s made clear to us that the author and her interpretations play an important role in the novel. She gives the various opinions, and then her own interpretation when it diverts from mainstream belief. For example, with regards to prayer, she says:
“Standing behind the men [in prayer] is insulting because the men never stand behind the women. (If they took turns, that would be different).”
Throughout the book, she is honest that there are many aspects about some interpretations of Islam that she finds hard to reconcile with what she believes is essentially a feminist religion:
“It is difficult, as a woman and a Muslim, to understand why the Qur’anic picture of paradise includes [houris: "dark eyed female virgins."].”
She reconciles that by using an interpretation of a Muslim linguist that translates houris as “pure beings.” Elsewhere, with regards to the verse that is said to refer to a man’s right to “lightly slap” his wife under certain circumstances, she says:
“I wish this verse were not part of the Qur’an. […] I do not intend to blaspheme. A part of me can understand why it is there, but another part wishes away the need to explain why the Qur’an contains apparent permission for a husband to strike his wife lightly.”
Her honesty not only gives her book credibility, but makes it relatable to the average person.
Let’s move on to the 50-page chapter about Women in Islam (which is the longest chapter in the entire book). Ali-Karamali begins by giving us examples of Muslim women in history (Prophet Moses’s mother, The Queen of Sheba), and then moves on to discussing how the Qur’an treats women—the historical context, how the text treats women, and how 7th century scholars developed the law “imposing their own […] andocentric worldview onto the text and mixed culture with religion.”
She then tackles successively the veil, marriage, divorce, polygamy, inheritance, and what she calls “The Three Gorgons:” clitoridectomy, honor killings, and infanticide.
One of Ali-Karamali’s main arguments throughout the chapter is that women’s rights are a cultural issue and not a religious one. She is adamant that:
“Some countries oppress women by using Islam as an excuse. That is culture, not religion and largely the reason […] that Islam is perceived as sexist.”
She illustrates this by saying:
“When the Islamic empire appropriated Persian and Byzantine governmental institutions, Muslim rulers gradually appropriated their cultural practices as well, even those directly contravening Qur’anic reforms, such as harems, concubinage, veiling and seclusion for women.”
Onto “That Veil Thing:”
(I particularly liked the way she called it “that veil thing;” it somehow poked fun at the oppressive all-encompassing ‘Western’ belief that the veil is all there is to Islam, illustrated the ignorance attached to what exactly it was, and simultaneously conveyed how tired Muslims were of dealing with the same issue over and over again. The equivalent of rolling your eyes).
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sounds like a great book actually…although from your description she makes arguments that i have heard before and have not found to be solidly backed up by the text (which is generally quite clear to a reader of Arabic, unlike the convoluted translations out there). you make two excellent points regarding the eternal nature of the Quran and the exclusion of hadith – major oversights in every way. anyway i will read it, if i can find it in this literary wasteland.
ah sa7ee7 you’re here…did you buy the book in egypt?
Great book review! I will have to look into that book. I think a lot of non-Muslim people forget how much sexism there was (and still is) in our history both in culture and religion. I remember that as a young teenager I thought that the veil was not something worn by choice. Ignorance can cause a lot of misinterpretations.
There should be some sort of education for all children on the differences between the many people in our society. If we teach understanding from a young age we do much to help the future of children of all backgrounds.
I’m going to buy the book! Again, I LOVE this blog (Media Watch).
Great review! This does sound like a very interesting book, and kind of reminds me of Asma Gul Hasan’s book “Why I am a Muslim.” I know a lot of people have issues with her politics (myself included), but when a roommate brought her book home, I read it, and I was impressed by the honesty in how she described her faith. THen again, this was years ago, and I didn’t have my MMW hat on!
Great review! I’m reading the book right now and am loving the personalization in the book. Having grown up in rural-ish Canada I find myself relating to so much of what she says. Can’t wait to continue reading it. Thanks!
Salams,
@ Forsoothsayer: I wish! No, I bought it from Amazon…I think I’m their best customer, no joke. I use Aramex’s shop and ship service, which cuts down the money I pay on shipping and customs. Alternatively, you can order it from Diwan, though it’ll take six weeks to get here.
(By the way, loved your Ramadan post and the al-Khan cartoon!)
@ Fatemah: I was thinking the exact same thing when I was reading the book. Though the difference is, of course, that this book is much more researched than Hasan’s, which falls more into the “this is why I’m a proud American Muslim” category I was talking about.
@ Sobia: I know, it really makes it ‘come alive,’ right?
Eid Mubarak everyone!
Question, I haven’t read the book, so does she mention the fact that there are other interpretations concerning the ayah that “condones” striking your wife lightly. Like the fact that the word can also mean “leaving” or something close to that?
Honestly, I don’t think this book (judging from the review) brings anything new to the table for me. Perhaps to others it will. But I do dislike that she didn’t give a reasoning as to why women would inherit less and why it makes sense in the context but may not nowadays.
Still, kudos to the author.
I’m half way into this book and I really Love it so far! Her views on the Qur’an and how it’s gender neutral is something ALL Muslims and non-Muslims should be aware of. It’s PERFECT for dialogue too. I’m going to distribute this book to all my non-Muslim friends, especially since that awful “Obsession” DVD is looming around.
If people can watch “Obsession,” they should read “The Muslim Next Door”!
I hate to be the wet blanket here but I sat with this book in Borders and was unimpressed. At the risk of sounding prejudiced, I have to say that I am growing tired of the same ole books penned by immigrant and second-generation immigrant Muslims (particularly Arabs and Pakistanis). I think it would be nice to hear the perspectives of other Muslims- for instance American convert women (no matter the ethnicity), other immigrant groups like West Africans, Asians (not from the South Asia), West Indian/Caribbean people etc.
@Jamerican:
Then why not write one?
Thanks for this great review. I’m adding this book to my Amazon wish list.
Sobia, I’m working on it. I’m thinking about a memoir. I also have another idea…
@Jamerican:
Very cool! I say if you see a gap, then why not try to fill it? Looking forward to your work!
“The only critique I might have of this chapter is that the author comes across as being very slightly apologetic, and keeps repeating that although now Islam’s status towards women may seem slightly strict, it was considered a revolution in 7th century Arabia and a revolution compared to women’s rights in European law as late as the 18th century. ”
This might not be an apologetic idea.. but rather a point that Islam was a revolutionary religion then.. but not anymore.. which to me indicates that we are drifting away from the true essence of islam… if the ‘essence’ of islam is revolutionary which allows it to fit for all time.. so reforms are always needed for the religion to by continue to be revolutionary…
@ ForSure: Yes, she mentions all the interpretations of the word daraba, talks about its roots, what scholars have said, and how people interpret it. I just didn’t want to go into details.
@ brokenmystic: I definitely agree.
@ Jamerican Muslim: Waiting for your book with baited breath
I agree there should be more diversity. If we don’t like something, we should change it.
@ Hissa: Your point has merit—but that’s not what the author meant. What she does is present an issue (ex inheritance) where women have less ‘rights’ than a man, and instead of explaining why this isn’t considered biased/ unfair or need reform today, she qualifies it with “but women back then didn’t get anything at all!”
@ Broken Mystic:
I wonder if there is an organization rich enough to mail out copies of the books to people in swing states? Is there any way to raise money to do that? Or to somehow promote this book in swing states – the places the DVD was sent.
Some things in this review should have been given more analysis.
1) Since when are Moses’s mother and the Queen of Sheba Muslim???
2) The reviewer writes: “..with regards to the verse that is said to refer to a man’s right to “lightly slap” his wife under certain circumstances, she says: “I wish this verse were not part of the Qur’an. […] I do not intend to blaspheme.”
She does not mean to blaspheme??? But, she will do it anyway?? That verse, like all of the rest of the Koran, is Allah’s literal, perfect word. How can the author wish that Allah had not said it??? How about the sin of blasphemy in Islam? Shouldn’t that be discussed?
3) “Some countries oppress women by using Islam as an excuse. That is culture, not religion and largely the reason […] that Islam is perceived as sexist.”
What is it about Islam that makes it so easy to use Islam as an excuse (not only for suppression of women, but for violence, too)?
4) The reviewer says: “The problem with this logic that I see is that the Qur’an is supposed to be for all ages: what does it mean if she says the Qur’an was great back then?”
The reviewer should answer her own question. Problem, indeed!
5) The reviewer says: she manages to cover almost everything of importance (though I do wonder why hadith [sayings of the prophet] make almost no appearance).
This is obviously, another gaping hole! After all, the Hadith, together with the Koran, form the basis of Islamic sacred law. And , this, from a professor of Islamic law???
6) The reviewer says: “Although the very orthodox might find some things in her interpretations objectionable, many Muslims might not. “Many”??? What is that supposed to mean? And, doesn’t the word “orthodox” indicate those who follow the doctrines of Islam most closely?
7) Why is there no discussion in the review of the meaning and role of jihad? Does the author deal with the question? After all, violent jihad against non-Muslims is part of Shariah law and supported by all Islamic legal schools. Many Muslim terrorist organizations even have the word “Jihad” in their name. Surely, they are not talking about internal self-improvement!
From the review, it sounds like the book should be subtitled “Islam Lite”.
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Ooh, sounds very interesting.
How many Americans have read a book this year? The answer is obvious. They
do not know how to differentiate between ancient customs which have preceeded Islam and Islam itself. They do not even understand that all Christians practice their faith in a different way, embracing ancient customs and traditions which were common before Christianity. Some of you might want to rent Zorba the Greek in order to acquaint yourselves with ancient Christian traditions which are not that much different from Sharia.
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Abdul Ameer,
I guess you have never read the Bible or Talmud, which contain the objectionable frases you just mentioned
I have the book and I didn’t like it. Her rationalizations for not wearing hijab are controversial and feed western non-Muslims thoughts that the hijab is oppressive.
She also made one major boo-boo. She said we pray in the direction of Mecca because it is the Prophet’s birthplace.
I couldn’t finish the book because these things made her lose credibility with me.
@ mariam:
“Her rationalizations for not wearing hijab are controversial and feed western non-Muslims thoughts that the hijab is oppressive.”
From what I remember she actually clarifies that the hijab is not oppressive and tries to debunk this stereotype.
What she does say is that the requirement of hijab is a debated question. Which is true. She recognizes that there exist a variety of views on the hijab. How does that “feed western non-Muslims thoughts that the hijab is oppressive”?
I think she presents the issue in a respectful and inclusive manner.