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Book reviews

Books are a cornerstone of our civilisation. They allow one person to speak to many, and they allow the dead to speak to the living. I review books that have made some kind of impression on me. The books are listed below in strict alphabetical order of their titles, with a clickable link to the actual review.

"7/7:Muslim Perspectives" by Murtaza Shibli (editor)

25 Muslims write about what they were doing on 7 July 2005, how they were affected by this terrible crime, and how they feel about it five years later. I contributed so much to this book that I cannot review it. However, you can read the full text of my chapter, the book introduction and profiles of all the other contributors.

“Among the Truthers: A Journey Through America's Growing Conspiracist Underground” by Jonathan Kay

Why do people believe in conspiracy theories? The author spent three years researching the American "9/11 Truth" movement and provides some insightful answers.

"Celsius 7/7" by Michael Gove

A short and very readable book setting out Mr Gove's views regarding the threat posed by "Islamist terrorism." Opinions about the book are very polarised. I think the author is right to emphasise the importance of the terrorist ideology.

"Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings" by Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri

The full English translation of Dr Qadri's meticulous fatwa. It systematically demolishes every Islamic argument the terrorists can put forward to justify their actions.

"Free Capital: How 12 Private Investors Made Millions in the Stock Market" by Guy Thomas

This book is based upon detailed interviews with 12 private investors. Two are identified, while the others use pseudonyms. The anonymity allows them to speak frankly about how they became full time investors. Everyone will learn something from this book, regardless of the extent of their previous involvement with investing.

“Holy Terror” by Frank Miller

Frank Miller is the author of such famous graphic novels as "300", "Sin City" and "Batman: Dark Knight Returns", all of which have been filmed. However this 120 page graphic novel has cardboard characters, is filled with anti-Muslim propaganda and is best ignored.

"Islamic Banking and Finance: What It Is and What It Could Be" Editor Tarek El Diwany

1st Ethical put in significant effort to enable this book, which has 11 authors as well as the editor, to be published. It is aimed at professionals new to Islamic banking and finance, and at students at undergraduate level and above. I found it interesting to read, but conclude that it fails the objectives it set itself. As well as the review, there is a response from the Editor Tarek El Diwany.

"Islamic Commercial Law: An Analysis of Futures and Options" by Mohammad Hashim Kamali

This is my favourite book on Islamic finance and provides the reader with a sound grounding in the Quranic and Hadith sources before going on to analyse futures and options. It is the book I always recommend to people who are new to Islamic finance.

"Jacob's Legacy: A Genetic View of Jewish History"

The author is professor of molecular genetics and director of the Institute for Genome Science and Policy's Center for Population Genomics and Pharmacogenetics, Duke University, USA. He has written a short and gripping book which is accessible to everyone regardless of scientific or religious background.

"Jesus, Prophet of Islam" by Muhammad Ata'ur-Rahim and Ahmad Thomson

The early history of Christianity is not well known by most Muslims, or indeed by most Christians. This book explains who doctrines such as the Trinity and salvation by the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus on the cross entered the early Christian church. Most Christians are also unaware of how much coverage Jesus gets in the Quran.

"Minority Verdict - The Conservative Party, the voters and the 2010 election" by Michael A. Ashcroft

Lord Ashcroft was at the heart of Conservative campaign strategy from 2005 - 2010. He gives a fascinating, short and very readable insight into how the Conservative Party needed to change, and why it just failed to win an overall majority.

“Muslim Civilisation: The Causes of Decline and the Need for Reform” by M. Umer Chapra

The author is a leading economist and Islamic finance specialist. He attributes the decline to causes internal to the Muslim world, and places greatest emphasis on political illegitimacy.

"Muslims on the Map: A National Survey of Social Trends in Britain" by Serena Hussain

This book by an academic geographer contains some fascinating insights into Britain's Muslim population.

“Old New Land (Altneuland)” by Theodor Herzl

A novel by the founder of modern Zionism, setting out his utopian vision for the future of Palestine.

“Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence” by Mohammad Hashim Kamali

This book is probably the leading work on the subject in English. In 500 very readable pages, the author explains how Islamic law is developed from the original sources of the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh). It helps one to understand the diversity and depth of Islamic thought.

“Qur’anic Concepts of the Ethics of Warfare: Challenging the Claims of Islamic Aggressiveness” by Joel Hayward

In this short paper, Dr Hayward reviews what the Quran says about when Muslims are permitted to fight and the rules which apply. He shows that these rules are almost identical to the Christian "Just War" concept.

"The Cambridge companion to the Quran" edited by Jane Dammen McAuliffe

This book comprises 14 independent chapters written by academic experts on the Quran, both Muslim and non-Muslim. It is an excellent short introduction to the study of the Quran, and is very easy to read.

"The Constitution of Liberty" by Friedrich Hayek

This book has inspired an entire generation of people who believe in personal freedom and its relationship with free market capitalism.

"The Israel lobby and US foreign policy" by John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt

In the USA this book was very controversial. I believe it provides a blueprint for British Muslims.

"The Jewish State" by Theodor Herzl

This short book was the founding text of modern Zionism. The seeds of the Middle East conflict can be found inside it.

"The Monster Hunter's Handbook" by Ibrahim S. Amin

This is my eldest son's first published book. It is both funny and informative.

"The Myth of Digital Democracy" by Matthew Hindman

The internet gives ordinary citizens the power to publish material that can be read by everyone in the world who has computer access. Many commentators have argued that this is democratising public discourse, since the old media such as newspapers and TV concentrated power in the hands of only a few publishers. The author demonstrates with detailed research that this view is incorrect because although it is easy to speak in cyberspace, it is very difficult to be heard.

“The other Schindlers: Why some people chose to save Jews in the Holocaust" by Agnes Grunwald-Spier

Hiding a Jew risked death for you and your family. Most people looked the other way, but some risked everything to help complete strangers. How do people make these choices? It is a fascinating short book, and very readable.

"The Road to Mecca" by Muhammad Asad

Muhammad Asad was born as Leopold Weiss in Poland, but became one of the most famous Muslims of the twentieth century. This autobiography covers his first 32 years. It paints a vivid picture of his early life, recreates the Middle East of the 1920's, explains what brought him to Islam, and reflects upon the radical message of the Prophet (pbuh).

"The Theory of Investment Value" by John Burr Williams

This is one of the seminal works on investment valuation. Written in 1938, it is still worth reading today.

"Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History" by David Aaronovitch

Why are some people so ready to believe in conspiracy theories? The book covers a number of modern conspiracy theories in depth and then comes up with a theory about the types of people drawn to them.