Huh?

Submitted by Middle Eastern Studies (United States), Jan 21, 2013 at 00:08

I am more familiar with Mark Gabriel than I am with Edward Said. I do not understand why this reviewer would recommend Said. In a nutshell, Said can be described as a writer who exposed Orientalism or unfair ethnic perceptions of the West on the people in a region typically referred to as the Middle East. Said is a scholar that some might enjoy reading his erudite and theoretical writing. Mark Gabriel has what Said does not, scholarly and academic devotion to the texts of Islam. Having completed an M.A. studying Islam and the Middle East at a secular university, Gabriel provides a fresh perspective. Gabriel goes beyond the role of the scholar and exudes emotions and desires for respect, harmony, and love. This is not something you will find reading Donner, Hallaq, Rapoport, Crone, etc...(but please read anyhow ) I find the above reviewer's comments suspicious. You will not find a better account of how historically Sunni Islam's practice of the Qur'an, Sunna, amal, etc of the earliest generations of Islam have been characterized by behaviors and actions based on na'ss (the texts of Islam). Comments above on atrocity of Westerners appears to me as an attempt of censorship. More importantly, If you care to see through the shallow, uninformed, and naive views of this topic and what we typically understand, read Mark Gabriel's book (s) for a loving and truthful man with rare insights into the na'ss and amal (texts and practice) of Islam.

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