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Reviewed by Uttam Sengupta READING yet another book on Islam would normally appear a singularly unexciting prospect. After all, few faiths have been written about so extensively in recent times. The study of the amazing spread of Islam has been mandatory, for quite some time, for diplomats, scholars studying religion and statecraft and for policy makers. It appeared unlikely that the book could throw up any fresh insights into jihad, hizab or talaq. That it actually manages to sustain reader interest is partly due to the author resisting the temptation to go overboard. He has kept the chapters short and simple without being superficial. The author, a long retired career bureaucrat, is understandably cautious in handling the subject, which he undertook as a research project supported by the Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library. But he is still forthright in dispelling popular myths that Islam teaches its believers to wage war against the non-believers, that it prescribes subjugation of women and that it has always been obscurantist and regressive.
Indeed, in the chapter on "Women in Islam", the author begins by quoting Seyyed Hossein Nasr as saying how "whole forests have been cut down to produce books by Western observers on the subject of women in Islam"! He then proceeds to point out that while in the Book of Genesis, woman was not part of God’s design for creation. Also, unlike the Bible, the sexual act is not considered a ‘sin’ but is deemed a noble endeavour for procreation. The book, however, boldly argues that many of the traditions that developed in Muslim societies are man-made and, therefore, in need of being adjusted and updated in response to contemporary values. The contradictions inherent in Muslim invaders fighting for wealth but describing their battles as jihad in order to induce the foot-soldiers to lay down their lives for the Masters and how rights of women have been trampled upon in contravention of the scriptures have been dealt clinically. Some other chapters which
deserve mention are "The Truth about India’s Partition",
"Islam and the West" and "Islam and Knowledge". The
painstaking compilation of references and annotation adds immense value
to the interested scholar. The author’s dexterity in handling history,
religion, popular perceptions, published works and contemporary contexts
stand out. It is an extremely valuable addition to the existing body of
works on Islam and is recommended even to the lay reader, specially as a
beginner’s guide to Islam.
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author is also careful to examine contrarian views before proceeding to
demonstrate their fallacies. Islam, he points out, supports war only in
self-defence and in order to protect the weak against oppression. The
veil was not prescribed as a rule but was recommended as a screen to be
used by the Prophet’s wives while meeting outsiders. Islamic
scriptures prescribe "modesty" for women and suggest that
their bosom should be covered; but they make no mention about covering
the face. Indeed the Prophet’s own wives joined him in battle and took
care of the wounded, obviously sans the veil.