I think one of the signs of becoming a suburbanite is joining a book group. I have a few friends in NYC who belong to book groups, but their numbers are not near the percentage of my suburban acquaintances who are book groupies.
I joined my alumnae book group - which actually discusses complex literature, instead of reading bestsellers and drinking copious amounts of chardonnay (though chardonnay is usually available and they all seem to bake excellent cookies).
Last month we read Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization by Akbar Ahmed. I volunteered to prepare the discussion for this light read. Since I did the work, I figured I'd share these questions with the blogosphere; plus a link to the author's bio.
I'm still not sure if I can recommend this book as a great read, but it is well written and provides a view into a world which many Americans know very little about - and, I agree with Akbar's argument, that they need to know more about.
If you've read the book, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
Discussion Questions:
Journey into Islam
1. Ahmed structures his explanation of the Muslim worldview by exploring 3 Muslim models for thinking: Ajmer, Deoband, and Aligarh (page 33). As you read Journey into Islam, did you feel these models were effective categories?
2. Ahmed refers to E .M. Forster’s A Passage to India as the book most non-Muslims have read that explores the Muslim world. Can anyone who may have read A Passage to India recently comment on any connections they see between Journey into Islam and the novel?
3. What is Ahmed’s definition of globalization? Do you agree?
4. Ahmed argues against looking at the Muslim world as a monolith. Did you think he had a broad enough sample of people that he spoke to in his travels? Or were his conversations too focused on Muslims involved in politics or education? In light of the differences Ahmed reveals in the way Muslims approach the world, do you agree with his assessment of how to build bridges between Muslim and non-Muslim societies?
5. What did you think of the narrative tone of this work/the author’s narrative voice?
6. What did you see as Ahmed’s own biases (if any)?
7. One of the many interesting areas Ahmed explores is Tribalism. What did you think of his distinctions between Islamic tradition and tribal custom? Also, what did you think about how internal politics between the Pakistani government and the tribal leaders played out on the national scene (e.g. how the reasons for sending the military to tribal areas was conveyed to the US and world media)?
8. Ahmed talks a lot about the treatment of woman, but less about their role in moving the dialogue between Muslims and non-Muslims forward. I found it interesting in the chapter on “Who is defining Islam” the he cited examples of several Muslim women who are trying to create change (p 143-4) but have a lack of legitimacy in their own communities and are therefore not good spokespeople. What did you think of his assessment?
9. Did the involvement of Ahmed’s students in his research influence the book/illuminate Muslim culture? How?
Moving Forward – Journeying Beyond the Book
1. Ahmed talks about changes that occur in how we approach others and changes within ourselves. What changes did you see in the author and the people he met throughout the book? What changes, if any, did you see in yourself as you read?
2. Were you convinced by Ahmed’s proposals on how Muslims and non-Muslims should proceed to build relationships?
3. One goal of this book is to create understanding by expanding the number of people who are knowledgeable about Islam and the Muslim world. How likely are you to recommend this book to someone? Why?
4. I don’t want to discuss politics or take us outside of the book, but since the book is political, therefore I think it appropriate to ask – do you believe Obama’s leadership style is in alignment with Ahmed’s proposal for talking with the Muslim world? Why or why not?
Akbar Ahmed bio
