Islam and Muslims: A Guide to Diverse Experience in a Modern World

271 Pages·2006·1.18 MB·English

by  Mark Sedgwick

Praise for Islam & Muslims
and Mark Sedgwick
“Sedgwick’s long experience of living in the Muslim world and studying Islam
gives authority to this book which successfully balances coverage of formal beliefs
and actual practices. This realistic analysis is sympathetic but not apologetic.
Islam & Muslimsis a very helpful resource for anyone trying to understand the
dynamics of Islamic history and contemporary Muslim life.”
—John Voll, Professor of Islamic History at Georgetown University,
and Associate Director, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center
for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University
“Islam & Muslimsis really very, very good. I can attest that I truly enjoyed read-
ing it, taking great satisfaction in the way that Mark Sedgwick managed time
after time to ‘get it right.’”
—L. Carl Brown, Garrett Professor in Foreign Affairs Emeritus,
Princeton University
“Looking for a really good one-stop book on Islam and Muslims to recommend
to friends and relations? Islam & Muslimsis up-to-date, well-informed, insight-
fuland sympathetic without being evasive.”
—Michael Cook, author of The Koran: A Very Short Introduction
“Mark Sedgwick’s Islam & Muslims is an accessible and informative survey
ofthe way Islam is actually practiced today, written in a refreshingly directstyle.
It will appeal especially to the general reader seeking a knowledgeable but non-
technical view of Muslim societies.”
—Carl Ernst, Director, Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East
and Muslim Civilizations, William R. Kenan Professor
of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
continued...
“Islam & Muslimsis a most accessible, intimately informative, andthoroughly
engaging read. Students and general readers alike will simply love this book.
Whether one is wondering about how Muslims worship, what Muslims think
about family and gender, why Islam has‘clashed’ with the West, or all of these
and more, this unique book is one that I would most highly recommend!”
—Bradley S. Clough, Abdulhadi H. Taher Chair in Comparative Religion,
The American University in Cairo
“Islam & Muslims draws on Mark Sedgwick’s expertise and experiences as a
scholar of Islam who has lived among Muslims for many years. The book
stands out for its insightful focus on the everyday life of ordinary Muslims.
Through comparisons between Islamic, Jewish and Christian traditions, Islam
& Muslims succeeds in explaining to non-Muslims in the West not only the
ideals of Islam, but also the diverse ways Islam is experienced by contemporary
Muslims.”
—Kambiz GhaneaBassiri, Assistant Professor of Religion and Humanities
Reed College
Islam
&
Muslims

Islam
&
Muslims
A Guide to Diverse Experience
in a Modern World
Mark Sedgwick
First published by Intercultural Press, a Nicholas Brealey Publishing
Company, in 2006.
Intercultural Press, a division
of Nicholas Brealey Publishing Nicholas Brealey Publishing
100 City Hall Plaza, Suite 501 3-5 Spafield Street, Clerkenwell
Boston, MA 02108 USA London, EC1R 4QB, UK
Tel: (+) 617-523-3801 Tel: [phone]
Fax: (+) 617-523-3708 Fax: [phone]
www.interculturalpress.com www.nbrealey-books.com
© 2006 by Mark Sedgwick
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in
any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher,
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or re-
views.
Cover photo courtesy of NATO images
Printed in the United States of America
10 09 08 07 06 1 2 3 4 5
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sedgwick, Mark J.
Islam & Muslims : a guide to diverse experience in a modern
world / Mark Sedgwick.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-931930-16-1
ISBN-10: 1-931930-16-3
1. Islam—Theology. 2. Islam—Customs and practices. 3. Islam—
Doctrines. 4. Islam—Essence, nature, genius. 5. Islam and politics.
6. Islamic countries—Relations—Europe. 7. Europe—Relations—
Islamic countries. I. Title.
BP166.S43 2006
297—dc22
2006004414
For Laila

Contents
Preface xiii
1. A Cave in the Desert: What is Islam? 1
Islam and Monotheism 2
The Early History of Islam 4
The Islamic Ideal 8
The Spread of Islam 11
Where Muslims Live Now 16
2. Who’s in Charge Here? The Construction of Islam 21
Denominations 22
Interpretation 23
The Ulema 24
The Sharia 26
The Ulema Today 30
3. Smiles and Frowns: Types of Muslim 35
Tradition 36
Modernity 38
Religiosity 41
Tolerance 46
4. God and Angels: The Muslim Worldview 51
God and Creation 52
Angels and Jinn and Unseen Forces 57
Saints and Miracles 60
Birth, Death, Destiny, and Judgment 62