Letter to My Elders in Islam (P/B)
Highlights:
As a 1993 convert to Islam, Dr. Dirks uses an informal letter-writing format to raise a number of important issues. The topics covered are varied, both in style and content. Some letters are light, humorous, and tongue-in-cheek, while others are of the utmost seriousness (e.g., so-called honor killings, spousal abuse, and terrorism). While a firm believer in Islam, the author does not hesitate to cast a jaundiced eye from time to time at the faults, foibles, and shortcomings of the Muslim community in America and around the world. Other topics include Islamic education, politics, world affairs, and the sociology and psychology of being a Muslim in America. Addressed primarily to Muslims living in America, the book should also be of considerable interest to anyone who is interested in Islam or in the Muslim presence in America.
Abraham – The Friend Of God
Highlights:
Abraham, as a prophet and patriarch, is called “the friend of God” in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic scriptures, and has a place of eminence in the shared scriptures and histories of each of these three monotheistic, prophetic, and Middle Eastern religions.
In Abraham: The Friend of God, Dr. Dirks provides Jewish, Christian, and Muslim readers with a unique and original presentation of the life of Abraham. In constructing a chronological biography of Abraham, the author integrated and synthesized information from a wide range of Judaeo-Christian and Islamic traditions, including the Bible, the Pseudeigrapha (I.e. Jubilees and the Genesis Apocryphon), the Qur’an, the authenticated sayings (Sahih Ahadith) of Prophet Muhammad, and the classic books of ancient history authored by Josephus and Al-Tabari. This integrated biographical sketch is embedded in a framework drawn from the various historical and geographical contexts dealing with different aspects of Abraham’s life.
