ChapterZero

Learning more about Islam has been in the back of mind for a while now– since that debaucle with the irreverent cartoon depictions of Mohammed– but I hadn’t found any books that promised to hold my attention. Apologetics don’t count: by nature such books would be dismissive of any serioous arguments against Islam. And I’m looking for the dirt, after all– religions are boringly consistent in proclaiming that they have the truth– that’s my measure of a religion: the degrees and kinds of inanity it promotes. Compared to Christianity, it has been surprisingly difficult to get ahold of serious commentaries on Islam (not that I have done an exhaustive search). It is simply not enough to spout out what the Quran says: I could read it myself if I cared to. Instead, I’m looking for information on the social and political impact of the Quran. My litmus test so far has been, if the book doesn’t at least mention the fact that under Sharia, rape victims have been lashed and stoned for adultery, it’s not worth looking at.

Today I found two candidates: Infidel and The Trouble with Islam. It was a tough decision, but I settled on the second, mainly because it was written by a lesbian Muslim. Given that women and homosexuals are the most oppressed persons in the Islamic world, it should be an interesting read. There’s the obvious question of how she reconciles being a lesbian with Islam. It’s shocking to me when Christians manage that, and I’ve always viewed Christianity as a more plastic religion than Islam.

Possibly relevant posts:

• virtue into violence (7/5/2007)
• How I discovered a roommate, and other sordid tales (12/4/2001)
• Brandi Carlile (10/9/2008)