The Oxford Dictionary of Islam

There are mixed reasons why interest in Islam has grown among Westernized readers in recent years. Long‐established cultural and religious study of Islam and other faiths, including Christianity and Judaism, has been rather overtaken in the popular imagination by talk of Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism. This has increased the demand for popular, reliable, and above all dispassionate, reference works in libraries and for sale in book‐stores. John Esposito’s record in this field is widely‐known: his introduction to Islam (Esposito, 1991) is a very suitable starting point for the student and beginner, moving through the history to modern changes and challenge,...