Two Score and Ten Impressive array of books on diverse topics indeed. Although I have read many but I must admit I am not familiar with some of the books by western authors mentioned by you.

What are your favourite books regarding Tafseer?. and what about books by luminaries like Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanavi, Moulana Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi, Shah Waliullah Mohaddis e Dehlavi (hujjatallahil - Baligha).

Greeco-Roman history has always fascinated me as has the history of ancient India

Anyway, it was heart warming to find out that there are still people in this day and age who love books as much as you do. May the tribe grow. Ameen.

regards

KNF

Must Reads on the Middle East It is interesting to note that the books recommended are by zionists known for their bias and prejudice against the people of that region. Here is a retort to what went wrong by B. Lewis. Read the whole link by Prof. Shahid Alam but I will copy the part about what went wrong.

http://www.twf.org/News/Y2003/0629-Bernard.html

What Went Wrong?

In an earlier era, before the Zionists developed a proprietary interest in Palestine, the least bigoted voices in the field of Oriental studies were often those of European Jews. Ironically, Lewis himself has written that these pro-Islamic Jews ``were among the first who attempted to present Islam to European readers as Muslims themselves see it and to stress, to recognize, and indeed sometimes to romanticize the merits and achievements of Muslim civilization in its great days.`` At a time when most Orientalists took Muhammad for a scheming imposter, equated Islam with fanaticism, thought that the Qur`an was a crude and incoherent text, and believed that the Arabs were incapable of abstract thought, a growing number of Jewish scholars often took opposite positions. They accepted the sincerity of Muhammad`s mission, described Arabs as ``Jews on horseback`` and Islam as an evolving faith that was more democratic than other religions, and debunked Orientalist claims about a static Islam and a dynamic West. It would appear that these Jews were anti-Orientalists long before Edward Said.

These contrarian positions had a variety of motives behind them. Even as the Jews began to enter the European mainstream, starting in the nineteenth century, they were still outsiders, having only recently emerged from the confinement of ghettos, and it would be scarcely surprising if they were seeking to maintain their distinctiveness by emphasizing and identifying with the achievements of another Semitic people, the Arabs. In celebrating Arab civilization, these Jewish scholars were perhaps sending a non-too-subtle message to the Europeans that their civilization was not unique, that Arab achievements often excelled theirs, and that Europeans were building upon Islamic achievements in science and philosophy. In addition, Jewish scholars` discussions of religious and racial tolerance in Islamic societies, toward Jews in particular, may have offered hope that such tolerance was attainable in Europe too. The discussions may also have been an invitation to Europeans to incorporate religious and racial tolerance in their standards of civilization.

Yet the vigor of this early anti-Orientalism of Jewish scholars would not last; it would not survive the logic of the Zionist movement as it sought to create a Jewish state in Palestine. Such a state could only emerge as a child of Western imperialist powers, and it could only come into existence by displacing the greater part of the Palestinian population, by incorporating them into an apartheid state, or through some combination of the two. In addition, once created, Israel could only survive as a military, expansionist, and hegemonic state, constantly at war with its neighbors. In other words, as the Zionist project gathered momentum it was inevitable that the European Jews` attraction for Islam was not going to endure. In fact, it would be replaced by a bitter contest, one in which the Jews, as junior partners of the imperialist powers, would seek to deepen the Orientalist project in the service of Western power. Bernard Lewis played a leading part in this Jewish reorientation. In the words of Martin Kramer, Bernard Lewis ``came to personify the post-war shift from a sympathetic to a critical posture.``

Ironically, this shift occurred when many Orientalists had begun to shed their Christian prejudice against Islam, even making amends for the excesses of their forebears. Another factor aiding this shift toward a less polemical Orientalism was the entry of a growing number of Arabs, both Muslim and Christian, into the field of Middle Eastern studies. The most visible upshot of these divergent trends was a polarization of the field of Middle Eastern studies into two opposing camps. One camp, consisting mostly of Christians and Muslims, has sought to bring greater objectivity to their study of Islam and Islamic societies. They make an effort to locate Islamic societies in their historical context, arguing that Islamic responses to Western challenges have been diverse and evolving over time, and they do not derive from an innate hostility to the West or some unchanging Islamic mindset. The second camp, now led mostly by Jews, has reverted to Orientalism`s original mission of subordinating knowledge to Western power, now filtered through the prism of Zionist interests. This Zionist Orientalism has assiduously sought to paint Islam and Islamic societies as innately hostile to the West, modernism, democracy, tolerance, scientific advance, and women`s rights.

This Zionist camp has been led for more than fifty years by Bernard Lewis, who has enjoyed an intimate relationship with power that would be the envy of the most distinguished Orientalists of an earlier generation. He has been strongly supported by a contingent of able lieutenants, whose ranks have included the likes of Elie Kedourie, David Pryce-Jones, Raphael Patai, Daniel Pipes, and Martin Kramer. There are many foot soldiers, too, who have provided distinguished service to this new Orientalism. And no compendium of these foot soldiers would be complete without the names of Thomas Friedman, Martin Peretz, Norman Podhoretz, Charles Krauthammer, William Kristol, and Judith Miller.

In my mind`s eye, I try to visualize an encounter between this distinguished crowd and some of their eminent predecessors, like Hienrich Heine, Abraham Geiger, Gustav Weil, Franz Rosenthal, and the great Ignaz Goldziher. What would these pro-Islamic Jews have to say to their descendants, whose scholarship demeans and denigrates the societies they study? Would Geiger and Goldziher embrace Lewis and Kedourie, or would they be repelled by the latter`s new brand of Zionist Orientalism?

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As for books on the region, I would urge readers to look here if they want to get an honest and intellectual and historical perspective abot the ME.

http://www.middleeastbooks.com/html/books/b-arabisraeli-title.html

http://www.middleeastbooks.com/html/books/b-islam-title.html

and also visit this site from time to time to get a balanced view of happenings in the ME
http://www.wrmea.com/

Muslims Vs. Modernity Ariel Shiraz,

Can you give a brief description of who a modern muslim is? I mean, the salient features or ingredients that go into making a modern muslim. You missed out on this little detail in your otherwise remarkably odious, malevolent, guache and tacky article.

MB

Orissa: A Gujarat in the making But Arundhat Roy donated her award to various organizations and did not keep anything for herself.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2003/01/23/stories/2003012303541200.htm

She says, ``It was not easy for her to decide what to do with the prize money (Rs. 1.15 crores after tax deduction), she said. Over a period of several days and discussions, she drew a list of 50 remarkable people`s movements, publications, educational institutions, theatre groups and individuals who are engaged in the struggle of making India a real democracy instead of just a notional one. ``Each in its own way is working to challenge the entrenched power structure of the society in which we live.``

Broaden your horizons....

MB

Mahathir’s Speech - An Alternative Muslim View Anne,

Good article that mirrors the feelings of a lot of muslims and others that share in the idealism and vision and that yearning for a better world for all of mankind. However, such yearnings must be tempered with pragmatism and an insight to/of the realities of life. You say, `` as a Muslim who wants the welfare of all Muslims, and as a citizen of the world who favors peace and diplomacy over war and injustice ``, you must also ponder and invest a considerable amount of thought as to whether there are any takers for such sentiments on the other side ( mainly the WEST and other non-muslims). Surely not all jews or ALL non-muslims are out to destroy Islam or annihilate muslims. But there are a sizeable number that do plan the destruction/plunder of muslims lands and resources and unfortunately this anti-islamic cabal is in power in most countries that have the wherewithall to effect just such a calamity. May be Mr. Mahathir was alluding to such a cabal. And too often, people like us who yearn for peace and diplomacy are left behind clasping our hands in angiush and pain as we watch from a distance dreadful events unfolding before our eyes. Indeed, the muslim world is in dire need of leaders of the caliber of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin luther King and Nelson Mandela with the proviso that they also possess the brains and bravery of a Salahuddin Ayyubi.

Best regards and I really liked your article. Keep it up.

MianBhai

A Challenge to My Co-religionists http://63.194.130.82/cgi-bin/show_interactor_page.cgi?membername=rsridhar

``You have said your bit. Now, go back to your seat in your madrassas and start rocking back and forth, memorising those Arabic verses whose meaning is beyond you. But, you still must memorise them because they come from a superior Arabic race, your masters. You must never ever question those verses. How can you, when you do not even understand them? Meanwhile, you are baffled and all you can do is to take out your frustration on other people. ``

Sir,

I will debate with you when I see some postive reports about your intellectual capacities. Until then, you are welcome to believe whatever you want to believe. Your statements above betray a harrowing and dilapidated mental state. All those trishuls and innocent muslim`s blood on them may be having an effect on you, after all.

Baffled?. me?. I don`t think so. I am in the process of formulating a lengthy reply to Mr. Talib`s article. Look out for it in a couple of days, if I can get enough time to concentrate on the task on hand, in view of my other engagements.

...MB

A Challenge to My Co-religionists http://63.194.130.82/cgi-bin/show_interactor_page.cgi?membername=sameerJB

i The liberal education allows to create its own path that is not bound by the Esher`s triangle and consumer spending is not possible when there is nothing to buy in a music-free, video-free, toothpaste and tooth brush-free, jeans- free, trousers-free, underwear free, radio-free, tv-free, art-free, entertainment-free and so on world. Spending on quran, ja-nimaz, tasbeehs, kalashnikovs, rocket launchers, goats, camels and hajj are not possible to initiate consumer spending. Moreover, it creates an environment that is not conducive to spending of any kind.

What a deep analytical brain you have!!. Sounds and seems eerily similar to distribution of Trishuls to thugs, Destruction of places of worship based on spurious evidence, genocide against minorities as a hobby. Wow, I never knew emancipation and freedom would lead people to partake in pograms against hapless minorities. All this, while half the population is going hungry and does not know where the next meal is going to come from. When people do not have proper drinking water or basic sanitation. One only has to board a train from New Delhi to any other city in India during early morning hours and you can see the teeming masses with Lotas perched up on makeshift burbs with their rounded moons in full view releiving themselves. I guess all this adds up to consumer spending and makes a vibrant economy.?!!

Also, Show me one muslim country which is `free` of ALL the things that they are allegedly missing out on, according to you?.

Stop Sniffing maaaaan! get back to reality.

AND

The less said about Mr. Talib`s article, the better it is going to be for every one. What sort of a `cultural` muslim is he that finds fault only with Islam and not a word about others?. Need to work harder on your research, Mr. Talib, if you want to stand a chance in an honest debate. No one is denying the ills that aflict contemporary muslim society, but you need to use a brush with smaller and thinner bristles rather than a broad one, as you have done, which you are ill equipped to use.

MB

Feb 15 Rally #1 by taimurmalik `` While we Asians/Muslims save our energies for future protests. ``

Saving for what?. Why not join the rest of the world now when it is the need of the hour?.

US Attack on Iraq: Just Do It! The U.S. would not have had such a hard time finding `support` for it`s war on Saddam Hussain, had it not walked away from major international agreements, i.e., The International Criminal court, Arms reduction treaties with Russia and others, U.N. conferences on Racism, Trade, it`s continued immoral support to the racist zionist entity and it`s continued `belittling` of U.N. and the security council and the way it bullies nations and then calls them `allies`. Atleast the 41st had the ability to assemble a coalition. The 43rd doesn`t know the meaning coaltions and international support. Methinks, the 41st should be sued for raising such a dimwit.

USA and Muslims Sameer (aka) Keshtu,

Please support your lengthy tirade against muslims by verifiable links and facts. Otherwise it will just remain a tirade.

cheers....