Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization

Front Cover

T H E C R I S I S O F G L O B A L I Z A T I O N J o u r n e y i n t o I s l a m A k b a r A h m e d A h m e d Journey into Islam B r o o k i n g s Praise for Journey into Islam “Akbar Ahmed’s voice needs to be heard, and his courage strengthened.” Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Laureate “A fascinating account of how [Ahmed] and his students braved danger to build mutual understanding in Pakistan, India, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Qatar, Malaysia, and Indonesia.” Publishers Weekly “Akbar Ahmed takes us on a passionate and ambitious journey towards understanding the contemporary Muslim world.” Times Higher Education Supplement “This is a ‘must’ read for anyone concerned with the course of this planet.” Judea Pearl, UCLA and Daniel Pearl Foundation “Essential reading—wise, literate, insightful, optimistic, honest, and humane, the work of one of the great religious sages of our time.” Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of Britain and the Commonwealth “Ahmed combines the erudition of a scholar with the passion of an activist to point the way towards understanding and reconciliation.” Lawrence Rosen, Princeton University “A stunning achievement by one of the world’s leading experts on Islam. Readers will be fascinated.” Tamara Sonn, College of William and Mary and former president, American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies “Journey into Islam stands in a category by itself. It is refreshingly devoid of specialist terminology, eloquently written, and should be essential reading for anyone interested in making the world a better place.” Toronto Star Akbar Ahmed is the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University and a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution. He is a former high commissioner of Pakistan to Great Britain, and he has taught at Princeton, Harvard, and Cambridge universities. Brookings Institution Press Washington, D.C. www.brookings.edu Cover photograph © Arthur Thévenart/Corbis Cover design by Mea Rhee ahmed pbk cvr q6rev 9/25/08 10:21 AM Page 1 j o u r n e y i n t o I S L A M 00-0132-3 fm 4/6/07 3:46 PM Page i Akbar Ahmed speaking at one of the main mosques in Deoband, India, the most orthodox center of Islam in South Asia. On the left is the head cleric, while team member Hailey Woldt sits on the right. 00-0132-3 fm 4/6/07 3:46 PM Page ii ...