If the oceans were ink :an unlikely friendship and a journey to the heart of the Qurʼan /
Power, Carla,
If the oceans were ink : an unlikely friendship and a journey to the heart of the Qurʼan /
Carla Power.
- First edition.
- x, 336 pages ; 21 cm.
- A Holt paperback .
- Holt paperback. .
Includes bibliographical references (pages 319-322) and index.
Introduction: A map for the journey -- The origins. The Quran in twenty-five words ; An American in the East ; A Muslim in the West ; Road trip to the Indian madrasa ; A migrant's prayer mat -- The home. Pioneer life in Oxford ; Nine thousand hidden women ; "The little rosy one" ; Veiling and unveiling ; Reading "The women" -- The world. A pilgrim's progress ; Jesus, Mary, and the Quran ; Beyond politics ; The pharaoh and his wife ; War stories ; The last lesson -- Part one. Part two. Part 3. Conclusion: Everlasting return.
"If the Oceans Were Ink is Carla Power's story of how she and her longtime friend Sheikh Mohammad Akram Nadwi found a way to confront ugly stereotypes and persistent misperceptions that were cleaving their communities. Their friendship -- between a secular American and a madrasa-trained sheikh -- had always seemed unlikely, but now they were frustrated and bewildered by the battles being fought in their names. Both knew that a close look at the Quran would reveal a faith that preached peace and not mass murder; respect for women and not oppression. And so they embarked on a yearlong journey through the controversial text. A journalist who grew up in the Midwest and the Middle East, Power offers her unique vantage point on the Quran's most provocative verses as she debates with Akram at cafes, family gatherings, and packed lecture halls, conversations filled with both good humor and powerful insights. Their story takes them to madrasas in India and pilgrimage sites in Mecca, as they encounter politicians and jihadis, feminist activists and conservative scholars. Armed with a new understanding of each other's worldviews, Power and Akram offer eye-opening perspectives, destroy long-held myths, and reveal startling connections between worlds that have seemed hopelessly divided for far too long."--Publisher's description.
9780805098198 0805098194
Henry Holt & Co, C/O Mps 175 5th Ave, New York, NY, USA, 10010 SAN 631-5011
2014017543
GBB551106 bnb
Power, Carla. Nadwī, Muḥammad Akram.
Muslim converts--Biography. Islam--Appreciation. Islam--Essence, genius, nature. Islamophobia. Islam--Public opinion.