Avoiding the traps of sensational political exposes and specialized scholarly Orientalism, Carl Ernst introduces readers to the profound spiritual resources of Islam while clarifying diversity and debate within the tradition. Framing his argument in terms of religious studies, Ernst describes how Protestant definitions of religion and anti-Muslim prejudice have affected views of Islam in Europe and America. He also covers the contemporary importance of Islam in both its traditional settings and its new locations and provides a context for understanding extremist movements like fundamentalism. He concludes with an overview of critical debates on important contemporary issues such as gender and veiling, state politics, and science and religion.
About the Author
Carl W. Ernst is a specialist in Islamic studies, with a focus on West and South Asia. His published research, based on the study of Arabic, Persian, and Urdu, has been mainly devoted to the study of Islam and Sufism. His book Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World (UNC Press, 2003) has received several international awards, including the Bashrahil Prize for Outstanding Cultural Achievement (Cairo, 2004). He has received fellowships from the Fulbright program and the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 2009 he received a John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, and he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His current research projects include a study of the Qur’an as literature, studies of Muslim interpreters of Indian religions, and a translation of the Arabic poetry of al-Hallaj.
Bibliographic Information
Title: Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World
Author(s): Carl W. Ernst
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
Language: English
Length: 272 pages
ISBN: 978-0807855775
Pub. Date: August 30, 2004
Following Muhammad Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World