The Islamic World: Past And Present

The Islamic World: Past and Present

Since the events of September 11, 2001, students and people everywhere are filled with questions about Islam. What do Muslims believe? Who is Osama bin Laden? What is a jihad? Even though Islam is a major religion with more than one billion followers worldwide and more than six million in the United States alone, there is still uncertainty and misunderstanding about the ideas, tenets, and practice of Islam.Understanding Islam and the people who believe in it has become crucially important in the greater world. The Islamic World: Past and Present is the ideal source for fostering understanding and answering questions. John Esposito's acclaimed four-volume The Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World (1995) set the standard in references on Islam. Adapted from this award-winning set, The Islamic World: Past and Present brings all the scholarship and information of the original to general readers and college and high school students.In addition to the more approachable language and user-friendly page layout, this reference covers events and changes of the last eight years. It also includes entirely new entries to provide coverage of the pre-modern world of Islam. Containing more than 300 articles, it provides an excellent, comprehensive resource for gaining understanding into a belief system that seems mysterious and incomprehensible to many. From School Library Journal Grade 8 Up-This comprehensive encyclopedia is the only one on the subject written specifically for teens. It contains more than 300 entries, ranging in length from a few paragraphs to several pages; many black-and-white photos; color inserts; numerous sidebars, including definitions of unfamiliar terms; an extensive bibliography; and (in each volume) a chronology, glossary, and list of "People and Places." The material is accessible, browsable, and current; topics treated include religion and history ("Prayer," "Prophets," "Crusades"), culture and customs, and political and social issues ("Architecture," "Clothing," "Intifadah," "Taliban," "Sexuality"). Unfortunately, the set also has a few problems. There is inconsistency in personal entries; some individuals are listed under first names (Malcolm X, Muhammad Khatami, Maryam Jameelah) and others under last names (Louis Farrakhan, Mu'ammar al-Qaddafi, Osama bin Laden). There are few or no cross-references for alternate spellings (such as emir/amir, Mohammed/Muhammad). The entire set contains only eight maps. The table of contents appears in volume one, the index only in volume three. Despite these flaws, Islamic World remains an appealing and valuable contribution to intercultural understanding and will be a useful addition.-Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY Copyright ? Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Oxford has published a series of well-received titles on Islam, including the Oxford History of Islam (1999) and the Oxford Dictionary of Islam (2003). This current offering, intended for a young adult audience, is based on the four-volume Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World (2001). All the articles have been rewritten, updated, and expanded to provide an accessible, comprehensive overview of the fundamental principles, history, and influence of Islam. Articles are arranged in alphabetical order and run from a few paragraphs to a few pages. Topics include individuals, countries, aspects of Islamic practice and their social implications, historic events, sacred sites, and Islam's impact on art, architecture, technology, science, and more. Numerous black-and-white illustrations and an assortment of charts and maps accompany the articles. Each volume also features a multipage, full-color photo essay (for example, "Daily Life," "Art and Architecture"). These pictures (and their descriptive captions), such as the one of a Bedouin astride his camel, talking on his mobile phone, are extrem