In a Western world suddenly acutely interested in Islam, one question has been repeatedly heard above the din: where are the Muslim reformers? With this ambitious volume, Tariq Ramadan firmly establishes himself as one of Europe's leading thinkers and one of Islam's most innovative and important voices.
As the number of Muslims living in the West grows, the question of what it means to be a Western Muslim becomes increasingly important to the futures of both Islam and the West. While the media are focused on radical Islam, Ramadan claims, a silent revolution is sweeping Islamic communities in the West, as Muslims actively seek ways to live in harmony with their faith within a Western context. French, English, German, and American Muslims--women as well as men--are reshaping their religion into one that is faithful to the principles of Islam, dressed in European and American cultures, and definitively rooted in Western societies.
Ramadan's goal is to create an independent Western Islam, anchored not in the traditions of Islamic countries but in the cultural reality of the West. He begins by offering a fresh reading of Islamic sources, interpreting them for a Western context and demonstrating how a new understanding of universal Islamic principles can open the door to integration into Western societies. He then shows how these principles can be put to practical use. Ramadan contends that Muslims can - indeed must - be faithful to their principles while participating fully in the civic life of Western secular societies. Grounded in scholarship and bold in its aims, Western Muslims and the Future of Islam offers a striking vision of a new Muslim Identity, one which rejects once and for all the idea that Islam must be defined in opposition to the West.

Reviews
"In the spirit of interfaith dialogue, which Ramadan embraces, one might as well describe this book as a splendid practical catechism for Muslims in the West. There is much food for thought in it as well for non-Muslim majorities in the West and Muslim majorities in the Middle East. The book is at its best when it describes and interprets the recent explosion of accusations of witchcraft and other superstitions in the region and links them to the exercise of political power." --Foreign Affairs

Tariq Ramadan is very much a public figure, named one of Time Magazine's most important innovators of the twenty-first century. He is among the leading Islamic thinkers in the West, with a large following around the world. But he has also been a lightning rod for controversy. Indeed, in 2004, Ramadan was prevented from entering the U.S. by the Bush administration.

In What I Believe, Ramadan attempts to set the record straight, laying out the basic ideas he stands for in clear and accessible prose. He describes the book as a work of clarification, directed at ordinary citizens, politicians, journalists, and others who are curious (or skeptical) about his positions. Aware that  he is dealing with emotional issues, Ramadan tries to get past the barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding to speak directly, from the heart, to his Muslim and non-Muslim readers alike. In particular, he calls on Western Muslims to escape the mental, social, cultural, and religious ghettos they have created for themselves and become full partners in the democratic societies in which they live. At the same time, he calls for the rest of us to recognize our Muslim neighbors as citizens with rights and responsibilities the same as ours. His vision is of a future in which a shared and confident pluralism becomes a reality at last.

Reviews:

• "Tariq Ramadan, a prominent intellectual-activist in Europe and America, represents a new generation of Islamic reformers." --John L. Esposito, author of Unholy War and What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam
• "Tariq Ramadan is a Muslim Martin Luther."-- Paul Donnelly, The Washington Post
• "Ramadan's most important message--his advice to Muslims in the West to make the West their home--is one Americans should particularly welcome."-- Alan Wolfe, The Chronicle of Higher Education
• "Ramadan has started to pave out the road to reform and changes in the understanding of Islam in Muslim communities in the West."-- Le Monde Diplomatique
• "Deliberately brief, sensible and accessible.... What I Believe is not just a summary of Ramadan's own views but a primer on modern Western Muslim life."--Publishers Weekly starred review

Description
Since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, there has been an overwhelming demand for information about Islam, and recent events - the war in Iraq, terrorist attacks both failed and successful, debates throughout Europe over Islamic dress, and many others - have raised new questions in the minds of policymakers and the general public. This newly updated edition of What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam is the best single source for clearly presented, objective information about these new developments, and for answers to questions about the origin and traditions of Islam. Editor of The Oxford Encyclopedia of Modern Islam and The Oxford History of Islam, and author of The Future of Islam and many other acclaimed works, John L. Esposito is one of America's leading authorities on Islam. This brief and readable book remains the first place to look for up-to-date information on the faith, customs, and political beliefs of the more than one billion people who call themselves Muslims.
Features

• Comprehensive primer on Muslims and Islam, written by one of America's most respected authorities on Islam
• Fully updated edition features many new topics

About the Author(s)
University Professor, Professor of Religion and International Affairs, Professor of Islamic Studies and Founding Director of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University

In Islam Plain and Simple, author Tariq Jalil explores the basic beliefs of Islam as well as its most controversial topics. In this highly accessible introduction, Mr. Jalil expounds upon the basis of Muslim ethics and spirituality practiced by over 1.6 billion people. With an eye toward common misconceptions held by observers in the West, and to the sometimes troubling inheritance in Muslim countries, he has woven together a well-researched narrative that challenges both stereotypes and even some practices in the Muslim world itself. Mr. Jalil's perspective and depth of understanding is invaluable for enhancing understanding and providing a dialogue for many years to come.

In this book consists of selections from Al-Ghazali's Ihya, translated into English, where in he leads us in his characteristically powerful and inspiring way into those dimensions of Islamic worship rites- Prayer, Almsgiving, Fasting, Pilgrimage, etc.-which are essential to the fulfillment of their inner quality and reaping the rich harvests of spiritual, moral and social up liftmen that must be their reward. The book will be of immense help to the countless young men and women of our times who are rapidly growing in their commitment to Islam and ever trying to bring their lives under the sovereignty of One God-a task which is impossible unless one can develop the immense inner resources which Islamic worship offers. In short, this text covers those dimensions of Islamic rituals of worship - prayer, almsgiving, fasting and pilgrimage - which are considered essential to inner fulfillment. About the Author: Al-Ghazali: One of the most celebrated scholars in the history of Islamic thought. His exceptional life and works continue to be indispensable in the study of jurisprudence, theology, philosophy and mysticism. The tens of books that he left behind were the result of an inquisitive mind that began the quest for knowledge at a very early stage.

This translation of "Khutabat" covers themes such as Iman, Islam, the prayer, fasting, almsgiving, pilgrimage and Jihad.

Islam, the West and the Challenges of Modernity attempts to demonstrate, using sources which draw upon Islamic thought and civilization, that Muslims have the means to respond to contemporary challenges without betraying their identity. The book argues that Muslims, nourished by their own points of reference, can approach the modern epoch by proposing a specific social, political and economic management that is linked to ethical values, a sense of finalities and spirituality. This still requires, however, that the western interlocutors make a distinction between modernity and the ideology of modernism which tends to impose westernization. The latter, in its substance and other than in its well-intentioned discourse, does not admit the reality of the pluralism of civilization, religions or cultures. Topics discussed include political orientations, the notion of Shura, democracy, contemporary problems and pitfalls, economic directives, individual spending, community life, general economic principles in Islam, profound reform, Islamic banks, human rights, freedom, fears and hopes, the problems of the modern age for Muslim nations, and more.

Path to Wisdom: A Guidance for Humanity focuses on the various aspects of human existence through the eyes of Muslim thinkers and writers of the past. It urges the reader to reflect upon their inner and outer existence and subsequently live a more aware and meaningful life, with a deeper consciousness of God, themselves and the world around them. It begins from the essence of human nature itself: "Reflection" and takes the reader on a journey through a range of human experiences, ending in "Death". It asks only that in the modern world of materialism and instant gratification, the reader chooses a more reflective and self-aware path. Through the range of Muslim thinkers used, the book seeks to establish that Islam is rich with wisdom that has often been acquired through intense study and soul-searching. Furthermore, it argues that the acquisition of such wisdom is within the reach of all of us via our own journeys through life, with a little help from our predecessors.

Struggling to Surrender: Some Impressions of an American Convert to Islam is a very personal account of one man's search for God and meaning in the midst of a culture that places no value on such a quest. Dr. Lang was brought up as a Catholic and educated in a Catholic school. However, one day he found that his religious beliefs could no longer provide satisfactory answers to his questions. And so his quest began: reason, agnosticism, atheism, and, finally "coincidence"—a chance encounter with a Muslim student in one of his classes that eventually led to his conversion. As he soon found out, however, this was not the end of the matter, for now he had to fit in with his new community, its beliefs and traditions, and the Islamic worldview and lifestyle. For American Muslims, most of whom come from a Judeo-Christian background and a mental framework that is almost totally alien to that of a traditional Muslim, this is no easy feat. How does one deal with demands for the blind acceptance of hadeeth and accepted interpretations, the gulf between what the Qur'an says and the reality of Muslim life, the "status" of women, the presence of religion in every sphere of one's life, cultural conflicts, and many other issues? Ever since his conversion, Dr. Lang has struggled to answer these questions for himself. At the request of numerous Muslim acquaintances, he decided to write about his experiences so that other American and western-educated Muslims could benefit from his insights.

“Remembrance and Prayer the Way of Prophet Muhammad” was one of the first works of Sheikh al Ghazaly to be translated into English. The book describes in vivid prose how the Prophet used to remember Allah and pray to Him. Not only are the exquisitely beautiful, deeply moving, and penetrating words of the Prophet given in the English translation, but in the original Arabic as well, thus allowing those desirous of memorizing the Arabic access to the original texts. The intimate relationship with Allah, which was the hallmark of the Prophet's life, becomes clear and vivid. The hook's contents are immensely relevant to the life and concerns of modem man, whose life has been made barren by the present secularist machinery. This book could be described as a short excursion into one of the many pathways in the awesomely vast territory that is the life of the Prophet of Islam, the way of dhikr and du'a. B>About the Author SHAYKH MUHAMMAD AL GHAZALI), the author of over fifty books on Islam, was one of the pioneers of the contemporary Islamic revival. Born in Egypt, he graduated from al Azhar University in 1941 and embarked on a career of writing, lecturing, and calling people to Allah. The Sheikh’s writings on contemporary ideologies and their challenges to Islam and Muslim society have been widely appreciated any Muslims all over the world. He served for many years in the Department of Awqaf in his native Egypt, taught at the Umm al Qura University in Makkah, and was an academic advisor at both Qatar University and the University of Amir 'Abd al Qadir in Algeria. He passed on to the mercy of Allah on March 9 1996 in Saudi Arabia and was buried at al Madinah. About the Translator YUSUF TALAL DELORENZO is an American convert to Islam. He was Chief of the Translation Bureau at the Islamic Research Institute of the International Islamic University at Islamabad, Pakistan. His translations from Arabic, Urdu, and Persian include works on Tafsir, Fiqh, haddith, 'Aqidah, and other classical Islamic disciplines. Yusuf Talal was formerly Advisor on Islamic Education with the Government of Pakistan, a research associate at the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) of Herndon, Virginia, and a member of the Fiqh Council of North America. He is currently Director of the Master's Program for Imams at the newly established graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences (SISS) in Leesburg, Virginia.