Islam Evolving

Edis, a professor of physics at Truman State University, explores how contemporary Muslims balance the tensions between traditional Islamic religious values and the values of the secular West as they deal with the modern world. Citing comprehensive research that supplements insights from his personal experiences, Edis muses on a wide variety of topics related to Islam and modernity: the role of women, the pursuit of science and technology, the treatment of former believers, societal attitudes toward violence. He also considers how Muslim approaches vary within and among different Muslim societies, in particular contrasting Turkey with many of the Arab Gulf countries. This plethora of interesting examples weakens the book’s central argument that Muslims are adapting to modernity with a distinctly Islamic worldview, as Edis gets lost in exploring variety without fully demonstrating similarity. However, for readers looking to explore the basics of some issues between Islam and the secular West, the book will serve well as an introduction. (June)