Table Of ContentCritical Muslim 2
The Idea of Islam
Critical Muslim 2, April-June 2012
Editors: Ziauddin Sardar and Robin Yassin-Kassab
Deputy Editor: Samia Rahman
Publisher: Michael Dwyer
Managing Editor: (Hurst Publishers) Daisy Leitch
Cover Design: Fatima Jamadar
Associate Editors: Abdelwahhab El-Affendi, Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, Iqbal Asaria, 
 Michael Muhammad Knight, Vinay Lal, Hassan Mahamdallie, Ehsan Masood
Contributing Editors: Waqar Ahmad, Merryl Wyn Davies, Farid Esack, Iftikhar Malik, 
Parvez Manzoor, Usama Hasan
International Advisory Board: Karen Armstrong, William Dalrymple, Anwar Ibrahim, 
Arif Mohammad Khan, Bruce Lawrence, Ebrahim Moosa, Ashish Nandy
Critical Muslim is published quarterly by C. Hurst & Co (Publishers) Ltd on behalf of and in 
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The editors do not necessarily agree with the opinions expressed by the contributors.
© 2012 Critical Muslim and the individual contributors. All rights reserved.
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April–June 2012
CONTENTS
THE IDEA OF ISLAM
Ziauddin Sardar  INTRODUCTION: WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?  1
Bruce Lawrence  MUSLIM COSMOPOLITANISM  19
S Parvez Manzoor  JIHAD, ANYONE?  40
Samia Rahman  ‘THE RACE OF WOMEN’  57
Michael Muhammad Knight THE TAQWACORE VERSION  75
Soha Al-Jurf  DO YOU BELIEVE?  85
Carool Kersten  HERETICS  101
Ben Gidley  COUSIN TROUBLE  123
ESSAYS
Stuart Sim  THE TYRANNY OF PROFIT  137
Andy Simons  ALL THAT MUSLIM JAZZ!  156
ART AND LETTERS
Robin Yassin-Kassab  ERBIL DIARY  167
Hassan Blasim  WORK FROM IRAQ  178
Ahmad Saadawi   
Nazand Begikhani   
Samarqand al-Jabri   
Mimi Khalvati  FOUR POEMS  184
Said Adrus  LOST PAVILIONS  188
Aamer Hussein  SHORT STORY: THE MAN FROM BENI MORA 197
REVIEWS
Ehsan Masood  MARYAM AND THE MAULANA  209
Iftikhar Malik  PAKISTAN: RECKONING AND REDEMPTION 226
Hassan Mahamdallie  BEING AMERICAN  236
Jerry Ravetz  THE ARABIC MAIMONIDES  240
ET CETERA
Vinay Lal  ASSESSMENT: EDWARD SAID  245
  CITATIONS  261
Merryl Wyn Davies  LAST WORD: 9/11 AND ALL THAT  271
  CONTRIBUTORS  279
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THE IDEA OF ISLAM
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INTRODUCTION: WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA? by Ziauddin Sardar
MUSLIM COSMOPOLITANISM by Bruce Lawrence
JIHAD, ANYONE? by S Parvez Manzoor
‘THE RACE OF WOMEN’ by Samia Rahman
THE TAQWACORE VERSION by Michael Muhammad Knight
DO YOU BELIEVE? by Soha al-Jurf
HERETICS by Carool Kersten
COUSIN TROUBLE by Ben Gidley