Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Karen Armstrong |
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| se7en |
| 04/25/01 at 13:45:49 |
| as salaamu alaykum, what do y'all think of her? |
| Re: Karen Armstrong |
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| Rashid |
| 04/25/01 at 15:52:54 |
| [slm] I've read two of her books: Muhammad the life of the Prophet and History of God. I thought they were written very well and she used a lot of sources and tried to present a balanced view. A couple of months ago I saw an interview with her and she was saying something along the lines of Islam is the most balanced religion. I was impressed bacause she used to be a catholic nun. So I think out of all the non-muslims that have written about Islam, she's one of the better ones |
| Re: Karen Armstrong |
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| AbdulBasir |
| 04/25/01 at 16:53:32 |
| [slm]I concur with Rashid, having also read the two books he mentioned. In terms of Islamic content, she is probably amongst the fairest and impartial authors out there, even though she writes some things that we might not find acceptable. When I see one of her books on the shelf, unlike practically every other book in the religion or Islam section, when I pick it up I tend not to have the usual feelings of disgust/skepticism/fear/anger/frustration I have when i pick up others. It is interesting that she has been accused and criticized by many for being biased [i]towards[/i] Islam. Taking the Islamic part out of the equation, from a purely literary, general religious studies, and historical studies perspective, I think she is good. She is very adept at analyzing the dynamics behind the confrontations between both ideologies and the people who follow them. For example, in her "biography" on Jerusalem, an underlying theme she makes is how much of the building done by all three groups throughout history was as much a way of asserting their religious and cultural hegemony as it was a glorification of God. It's an interesting read, and a good one, I must say. Anyone who goes to Jerusalem should read it. [slm] |
| Re: Karen Armstrong |
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| Anonymous |
| 04/26/01 at 00:45:38 |
| Assalamu Alaikum, I have just one question. Is she a Muslim? If she thinks Islam is a balanced religion...and so on...Who is she trying to convince? If she cannot even convince herself to become a Muslim? |
| Re: Karen Armstrong |
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| Rashid |
| 04/26/01 at 14:36:42 |
| [wlm] Last I heard she wasn't a muslim. I often wondered the same thing myself. She's obviously studied Islam for years. She even wrote a book exclusively about Islam, which I haven't read yet but intend to. It's just one of those mysteries I guess. |
| Re: Karen Armstrong |
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| se7en |
| 05/09/01 at 22:07:36 |
| wa alaykum as salaam wa rahmatAllah, the reason I ask is that I've heard of her for a while (there was an interesting discussion about her at a sumer program I attended), but only recently began to read one of her books "Islam: A Short History" which I was really impressed with.. About her not being Muslim... there are a lot of people who have studied Islam for years, know it better than a lot of Muslims, but don't accept it... it's Allah alone who guides and who allows people to be misguided... |
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