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Praise for Bernard Lewis "For newcomers to the subject[el]Bernard Lewis is the man." TIME Magazine "The doyen of Middle Eastern studies." The New York Times "No one writes about Muslim history with greater authority, or intelligence, or literary charm." British historian Hugh Trevor-Roper "Bernard Lewis has no living rival in his field." Al Ahram, Cairo (the most influential Arab world newspaper) "When it comes to Islamic studies, Bernard Lewis is the father of us all. With brilliance, integrity, and extraordinary mastery of languages and sources, he has led the way for[el]investigators seeking to understand the Muslim world." National Review "Bernard Lewis combines profound depth of scholarship with encyclopedic knowledge of the Middle East and, above all, readability." Daily Telegraph (London) "Lewis speaks with authority in prose marked by lucidity, elegance, wit and force." Newsday (New York) "Lewis' style is lucid, his approach, objective." Philadelphia Inquirer "Lewis writes with unsurpassed erudition and grace."WashingtonTimes An objective, easy-to-read introduction to Islam by Bernard Lewis, one of the West's leading experts on Islam For many people, Islam remains a mystery. Here Bernard Lewis and Buntzie Ellis Churchill examine Islam: what its adherents believe and how their religion has shaped them, their rich and diverse cultures, and their politics over more than 14 centuries. Considered one of the West's leading experts on Islam, Lewis, with Churchill, has written an illuminating introduction for those who want to understand the faith and the global challenges it confronts and presents. Whatever your political, personal, or religious views, this book will help you understand Islam's reality. Lewis and Churchill answer questions such as.../ How does Islam differ from Judaism and Christianity? / What are the pillars of the Islamic faith? / What does Islam really say about peace and jihad? / How does the faith regard non-Muslims? / What are the differences between Sunni and Shi'a? / What does Islam teach about the position of women in society? / What does Islam say about free enterprise and profit? / What caused the rise of radical Islam?/ What are the problems facing Muslims in the U.S. and Europe and what are the challenges posed by those minorities?
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 It should be required reading for everybody in the Western World
I read the book in two days and enjoyed it inmensely.
Extremely well written, encyclopedic in range, but clear and simple for most of us whose knowledge of Islam is limited mainly to the headlines in the newspapers.
Most enjoyable, most instructive.
It should be required reading in every course about Islam
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 Textbook level explanation of Islam ( caraleisa )
This book could be read both from start to finish, or browsed through to read up on the topic of choice, though I'd recommend reading the first three chapters at least as background before jumping to other areas of the book.
The writing style is engaging but dry. It's an easy read, but don't think for a moment that means it lacks lots of relevant information.
For me, personally, "Islam, the religion and the people", has educated me on multiple levels - explaining the religion, of course, but also how these Muslim beliefs translate into societal behavior and individual actions. I'm reading Robert Baer's "The Devil we Know", just now, and with both books combined, I feel as if I've discovered an entire new world, one which is both intriguing and certainly at times, frightening.
In the discussions of the treatment of women, for example, we learn that Muslim men can find a way to have almost anything they want -- fully sanctioned. If they wish to visit a prostitute, they can have a 'temporary' marriage, for a set term which can be a day, or years, as the man wishes. In general, women's rights in strict Islamic countries are regressing, not progressing.
This book is full of information like this - and it doesn't just tell you the fact, it explains WHY they believe and act as they do in each case. In his conclusion, Lewis leaves us with a rather chilling overall picture of Islam, and tells us "To fight an enemy, it is necessary to understand him."
For students of both comparative religions as well as world politics, this book is a fascinating MUST read.
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A readable and effective introduction to Islam and Muslims ( arthurdigbee )
This book provides a good introduction to Islam and to the Muslims who practice this religion. It's written at a level that would be appropriate for lower-division undergraduates and most high school students. If you're a typical Amazon shopper who reads a fair amount already, there's a lot of things here that you already know. Even so, it's sometimes useful to see a subject presented "from the ground up," and this book certainly does that.
The book does a good job trying to dispel common myths. It also makes a clear distinction between the teachings of Islam and the cultural contexts in which Muslims are found - - and it's willing to point out cultural practices and political beliefs that are (or may be) inconsistent with Islam. In doing this, the authors bend over backwards to be sympathetic to Islam and Muslims, and pass up a few opportunities to be a bit more critical. Even so, I found their consistent distinction between "the religion" and "the people," which begins on the front cover, very helpful.
My only complaint is that the book has about 150 pages of text with a 50 page appendix of terms. Having definitions of terms at the back of the book is a good idea, but some of these "definitions" are more than a page long. I would rather have had an appendix with one or two sentence-long definitions, with the other material moved forward into the main text where it belongs.
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 Falls short ( tgpaul )
Islam is one of the world's most important religions. With more than a billion adherents in 56 sovereign nations and growing minorities in many other countries, it is important that those of us who are not followers of Islam at least understand it. This books offers a basic look at Islam and the Muslim people throughout the world. Unfortunately, it leaves many unanswered questions and answers many questions that seem trivial at best.
A simple example should explain my point. The authors remind us that only Muslims are permitted to enter the sacred city of Mecca but they fail to answer the most basic question... how does once become a Muslim? Does Islam have a form of baptism? Does one get a certificate when one joins? Is there a quiz? How are non-Muslims prevented from entering Mecca? These most basic questions apparently never occurred to the authors. But they do devote a chapter to the clothes Muslims wear. In fact, this is a basic problem with the book. The choice of topics seems to be almost random rather than selected for importance and their lack of order makes the book feel more like a series of articles than a book.
There also seems to be an attempt to be an apologist for Islam as well. The violent overthrow of a government in the Arab world is claimed to be the moral equivalent of using money to buy influence in the West. The authors try to claim that polygamy is justified because it prevents adultery and prostitution. They make the claim that women were historically better treated in the Muslim world than the Christian world without offering any evidence to justify the claim. They make the absurd claim that a 10th century passage about the evolution of language prefigures the Darwinian theory of evolution which shows a complete lack of understanding of Darwin's theory. They try to make the claim that suicide bombings are not acceptable in Islam by claiming historical backing but since Islam does not condemn them today, the claim has no basis other than wishful thinking.
I had hoped the book would be like an "Islam for Dummies" but it falls far short. The history is fragmented and there is more information in the definitions list at the back of the book than in the text. Overall, the book is a fair introduction to this most important topic but it falls far short of being a complete introduction.
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Very clear and surprisingly entertaining ( chomphosy )
This gracefully written book combines history, philosophy, theology, and humor to explain the central concepts of Islam and its relationship with other populations.
Lewis explains the sometimes confusing varieties of Islam, as well as the changes in political and theological positions over time. He approaches difficult topics such as the place of women in Muslim society, suicide bombings, the concept of the jihad, and radical Islam. Throughout, the tone is compassionate and respectful.
The level of detail is sufficient for comprehension without becoming overwhelming. Readers will enjoy the book, and will come away with a greater understanding of Islam, and of the people of the Muslim world.
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