They're the only ones that provide actual intellectual textual criticism - What the Koran Really Says and The Quest for the Historical Muhammad are great. Of course, I also liked A Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Qur'an. It's sad that there isn't more serious skeptical analysis of the Qur'an and hadith, but then what can you do when half-educated mobs try to kill you for even suggesting that there might be a misreading in the Qur'an?
Judging by the Wikipedia article, seems he's not uncontroversial (in the academic West, I mean, among Muslims it goes without saying), I'll have to judge for myself. Seeing him mentioned in one sentence with Bat Ye'or makes my skin crawl, but that might just be an unfortunate coincidence.
It's certainly sad, there are efforts from within as well as from without (like the Mardin conference a few years ago), but they don't have much popular success due to socio-political reasons, obviously. Not a coincidence that that conference in question happened in Turkey, either.
I suppose this is sort of a survey. Or not. Whatever: world religions
- 28/08/2012 03:39:17 PM
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It's hard to suggest something when you can't elucidate a goal
- 28/08/2012 08:51:22 PM
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I know. I'm sorry.
- 28/08/2012 09:49:33 PM
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The best one I have is The Religious Experience of Mankind by Ninian Smart.
- 29/08/2012 02:09:14 AM
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Also, you might want to try typing in "Oxford World Religion" at amazon.com
- 28/08/2012 08:54:52 PM
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Haven't really read much about religion... interesting question.
- 28/08/2012 10:13:08 PM
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I've read her book on Muhammad
- 28/08/2012 10:38:31 PM
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Hm, yes, I can see that... that she doesn't really dare to tackle controversies too much.
- 28/08/2012 11:03:11 PM
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With respect to Islam, I prefer the Ibn Warraq edited ones.
- 29/08/2012 02:13:25 AM
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Sounds like I need to check him out.
- 29/08/2012 09:15:50 PM
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I think the main effect is it means they can't be read alone to get a balanced picture
- 29/08/2012 05:19:55 PM
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I think for what you're looking for, Wikipedia and related online resources is all you need. *NM*
- 01/09/2012 02:19:14 PM
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