No God But God by Reza Aslan, subtitled "The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam", is a well-written yet strangely biased history. The author intrudes, first with a subtle touch, then more blatantly, as he describes the early development of his religion and its progress to the present time. Essentially, if a story agrees with what Aslan wants to believe, he presents it as factual truth; otherwise he dismisses it as a false legend or deliberately malign slur by Enemies of the Faith. And elements within Islam today that the author dislikes are likewise blamed to a large degree on sinister outside forces. In its final chapter No God But God shifts gears even further, from history to outright sermon. It's a tour of an exotic land with a literate but unreliable, prejudiced guide. Caveat lector ...

(cf. FaceToFaceWithGod (13 Nov 2001), SilenceNotIgnorance (5 Jun 2005), ...)

TopicFaith - TopicLiterature - 2007-08-06

(correlates: PullPush, PowerAnimalia, OnceARunner, ...)