Shattering the myth
Subtitle: Islam beyond violence
By: Bruce B. Lawrence.
Series: Princeton studies in Muslim politics
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Princeton, N.J
Language: eng
Number of pages: 237
Subjects: Islam -- 20th century; Violence -- Religious aspects -- Islam
Description: Islam is often portrayed, especially in Western media, as an alien, violent, hostile, and monolithic religion, whose adherents are intent upon battling nonbelievers throughout the world. Shattering the Myth demonstrates that these conceptions more accurately reflect the bias of Western reporters than they do the realities of contemporary Islam. Westerners are barraged by images of violence that usually originate from armed confrontations in one small corner of the world.

Islam, Bruce Lawrence argues, is a complex international religious system that cannot be reduced to stereotypes. As Lawrence demonstrates, Islam is a religion shaped as much by its own postulates and ethical demands as by the specific circumstances of Muslim people in the modern world.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 219-229) and index.