Muslims and the West

Children's Literature

This eight-book series is a solid, interesting and informative look at Islam. Individual chapters can be read as the basis for classroom discussions. Good bibliographies, chronology, indices and additional resources make the series excellent for student research as well. The pages are heavy with text, but the illustrations are generally high quality. While the authors are often writers or journalists, the editors of the series are Muslims and respected scholars in the field. One aggravating detail is the different spelling for certain names and places in the series. Transliterating Arabic into English is always problematic, but students new to the Middle East may not immediately realize that Saladin and Salah al-Din are the same. From the earliest days, contact between Muslims and the West has been rocky and Muslims have a long memory—as do most oppressed people when relating to their oppressors. There is great detail on each of the Crusades, when Muslims were generally brutalized while the hero Saladin was magnanimous in victory. Today, only in the West does the word "crusade" carry a positive connotation. Well into the 20th century, Muslim nations repeatedly experienced promises of democracy and freedom, betrayal and more promises as western colonial powers took control. The final chapter opens with a scene of Iraqis protesting the American presence in 2003 with the caption, "Many Muslims saw the U.S. invasion as an aggressive move reminiscent of colonialism." There is a good overview of the halting progress toward peace between Israel and the Palestinians, although a more thorough description of the "last best" offer from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak would have provided amore complete picture. Acts of terror or violence are put in historical context even though they are placed out of the realm of acceptance for mainstream Muslims. Part of the "Introducing Islam" series. 2004, Mason Crest, Ages 12 to 18.
—Karen Leggett