With Dialogue Comes UNDERSTANDING
There are many books that teach Islam, preach it, criticize it, or academically explain it. The focus of this book is different. This book is a compilation of actual conversation transcripts, showcasing everyday people asking real questions and getting real answers about Islam.

What Would a Muslim Say is a series of books documenting my experiences as an interfaith volunteer. Ever since 2009, I have facilitated dialogue with many different people, answering questions about Islam and addressing misconceptions. This is the first book in the series, covering conversations from 2009 to 2011. My hope is that this can be a small step towards better understanding and harmony.

The conversations in these books are real. Some are curious, some are concerned, some are hostile, some are academic, and some are soul-searching. The purpose of this book is to share these kinds of conversations with people who might otherwise not have the opportunity to speak to a Muslim about Islam.

 

 

My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

I was raised Catholic and although I haven’t attended church much over the past 25 years, I still have Christian beliefs. I’ve always been interested in learning about other religions out of curiosity so when the author offered to send his book, I was happy to read it. 

I learned so much from What Would a Muslim Say? I knew that the majority of Muslims are peaceful, that they pray often, and that they believe in one God. I did not know that they believe that Jesus was a prophet. I also learned so much more: why women choose to cover their heads, what jihad really means, why they pray 5 times a day facing Mecca are only a few things I learned. 

What Would a Muslim Say? is a series of emails between the author and different individuals who had a variety of questions. It was enlightening and interesting although there was a lot of repetition. If I don’t know the true definition of jihad by now, I never will! I definitely think if anyone is curious about Islam, this would be a good place to learn a little bit about the religion.