*New Book Connects Vision of Prophet Muhammad and Founding Fathers* by Amy McCaig (Senior Media Relations Specialist at Rice University). Photo by Jeff Fitlow.
What did Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, think about freedom of religion and women’s rights? Did the likes of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson imagine Muslims as future citizens of the United States? What is it really like to be a follower of the Islamic faith in the U.S.? A new, first-of-its-kind book from a Rice University sociologist answers these questions and more. “Islam in America: Exploring the Issues” (ABC-CLIO, 219 pages, $40) takes an honest and positive look at the Islamic faith and its followers living in the U.S. Craig Considine, a sociology lecturer at Rice and the book’s author, challenges the “clash of civilizations” theory by dispelling common misconceptions about Muhammad, the Islamic tradition and American Muslims. He focuses instead on the “dialogue among civilizations” to show the historical and present-day connections between the “Muslim world” and the U.S. “First and foremost, this book tries to synthesize American values and Islamic values,” Considine said. “It’s unfortunate that there are people in the U.S. who view Islamic values and civilization as polar opposites of our own, and it’s also not really true.” The book examines the rich diversity of Muslims living throughout the country — including Arab, European, Latin, African and Asian followers — and separates fact from fiction regarding Islamic traditions. Considine also tackles more controversial issues in the book, diving into apostasy, jihad, sharia and Islamophobia. “The entirety of the ummah, or the world’s Muslim population, is represented in the United States, a country that provides freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of conscience and equal rights as outlined in the U.S. Constitution,” Considine said. “Many people may be surprised to hear it, but Muhammad worked to protect these same human rights over 1,000 years before the United States even existed.”
“The ink of the scholar is more sacred than the blood of the martyr.” I came across this saying of Muhammad, the prophet, when I began my studies in 2005. In those early days I learned about the importance that he placed on ilm, the Arabic term for KNOWLEDGE. I still imagine Muhammad as a young man traveling on various caravan routes & interacting/speaking with a diverse range of people, all to incorporate their various perspectives into his worldview. I will be speaking in a few weeks on the importance of ilm & fostering environments of learning at @respect_gs in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The talk will also explore sociological concepts like empowerment, religious pluralism, & DEUCE. I hope to see you at this important event.
