Here is my list

Submitted by dhimmi no more (United States), May 28, 2013 at 13:14

Dr. Pipes you wrote

I seek to answer burning questions: Who was Muhammad? What is the historical impact of Islam? When is warfare jihad? Why did Islamism arise? How does tribal culture influence political life? Where can one locate signs of hope for Islam to moderate? In contrast, the NEH list offers a smattering of this and that – poetry, personal accounts, antiquities, architecture, religion and history, original texts, and a smidgeon of current events, preferably presented fictionally. For example, In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar, tells about a boy growing up in Qaddafi's Libya).

And you are very correct that readers want to know what is really Islam as it pertains to current events and here is my list

1. Readers want to know what really happened on 9/11 and here is a great book: "Fury for God the Islamist attack on America" by Malise Ruthven and it is indeed very good reading about that dark day 9/11/2001 and this book explains it all http://www.amazon.com/Fury-God-Islamist-Attack-America/dp/1862075735/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369758690&sr=1-8&keywords=ruthven+malise

2. Readers are also curious to know what does the word jihad mean and here is my selection: Jihad the origin of holy war in Islam by Reuven Firestone. Great work http://www.amazon.com/Jihad-The-Origin-Holy-Islam/dp/0195154940

3. I also suggest the great work by Rudolph Peters "Jihad in classical Islam and modern Islam" http://www.amazon.com/dp/1558761098 this book also explains very well what is jihad? I only hope that our leaders have read this great work

4. This book is a classic. It is very good reading about the roots of what is going now in Egypt and it is Gilles Kepel's "Muslim extremism in Egypt" http://www.amazon.com/Muslim-Extremism-Egypt-Prophet-Pharaoh/dp/0520239342/ref=la_B001IOH6X6_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1369759587&sr=1-3

Really outstanding work albeit written in 1984 but it is just as fresh and must reading today as it would have been back in 1984

5. Also Gilles Kepel's other book Jihad the trail of political Islam http://www.amazon.com/Jihad-Political-Professor-Gilles-Kepel/dp/0674010906/ref=la_B001IOH6X6_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1369759587&sr=1-2

6. For those readers that want an introduction to the Qur'an there is no doubt that Michael Cook's book "The Koran a very short introduction" is a must read http://www.amazon.com/Koran-Very-Short-Introduction/dp/0192853449 but I urge the readers to take your time and read this great work because there is so much information in this book

7. As for Muhammad's biography I suggest also Michael Cook's great book "Muhammad" http://www.amazon.com/Koran-Very-Short-Introduction/dp/0192853449

8. For a very interesting look at the life of Muhammad by a rational Muslim and a Shia: Ali Dashti's "23 years" great book who was killed by the ayatollahs http://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Three-Years-Prophetic-Mohammad/dp/1568590296

Amazing work and amazing scholarship

9. As for translations of the Qur'an the one that readers should avoid is the translation by Yusuf Ali and it is a shameful translation by a big time liar and the one I suggest is Pickthall's translation. but you must keep in mind that there is no perfect translation of the Qur'an it just does not exist

10. Jonathan Perkey's book "The formation of Islam" is a must read and in one voulme he was able to tell the readers what is really Islam and how did it come about? http://www.amazon.com/Formation-Islam-Religion-Society-600-1800/dp/0521588138/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369760854&sr=1-1&keywords=the+formation+of+islam

Great reading

I can assure those that wrote this bibliography that my above list is the one that readers would want to know about Islam

If there are any readers that are interested in more advanced reading about what is really Islam? Just let me know

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".