Exploring the beliefs, history and politics of the ordinary people of Muslim countries, Grieve cuts through the complexities as he examines all aspects of Islam. He also addresses the big issues: can Islam support true democracy? Is true democracy what the West really wants for Muslim countries or are we merely seeking a cover of legitimacy for a policy of 'might is right'?

Paul Grieve is an unbeliever - he is not a born-again Muslim, a proselytizer or a frustrated desert romantic. His aim is to inform. The result is an accessible but never simplistic guide that challenges
stereotypical views, from women and banking to war and Malcolm X.

Complete with advice for visitors to Muslim countries, and with carefully chosen primary sources, maps and illustrations, this is the ideal summary for the reader looking for an unbiased overview of the religious and political world issues that have become part of our everyday lives.

The most comprehensive general guide to Islam available.

About the Author
While writing his critically successful novel Upon a Wheel on Fire, set against the organs of WWII, Paul Grieve became interested in the same events in the eastern Mediterranean, and particularly in the end of the Ottoman Empire and origins of the State of Israel. In order to understand the resulting conflicts in the present, Grieve decided to study Islam. After two years at the Mosquee de Paris he spent a further three years in the Middle East studying Islamic history, jurisprudence, politics and Arabic, with experts at Cairo University and the American University. The result is this book and a second novel. Grieve now lives in London.

Reviews
A sympathetic and sensitive treatment of a difficult subject: exploratory as well as explanatory; well-informed, confidently narrated and well-written. -- David Gardner, Middle East Correspondent * Financial Times *



Book Information
ISBN 9781845292744
Author Paul Grieve
Format Paperback
Page Count 448
Imprint Robinson Publishing
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 300g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 130mm * 32mm