This was a pretty decent book and I commend the authors efforts at trying to give a less hate filled exploration into Islam like Robert Spencer does so I found it refreshing. I viewed all the other ratings and noticed the one star reviews seemed pretty upset that the author didnt take the path that Spencer takes and kinda found it typical in the time when Islam is challenged by intolerant people. I mean, if you read books say for instance on Judaism, do you find where the author tries to impose his bias against the rleigion and exploit when Moses was commanded by god to kill and rip out newborn babies from mothers wombs? And if you wanted to learn about Christianity as a religion, would you look towards the inquisition as a proper representation of Christianity? Probably not. Nonetheless, I found it to be a pretty decent book. I recommend this book for people who want to approach Islam and not be swayed by an authors word trickery. Also, an important note, many people quote and source violent hadiths in order to use them to represent Islam as inherently "evil and intolerant". However, if you look at what a hadith is, which is an assumed prophetic narration of the prophet Muhammed, many dont know that there are hundreds of hadiths disregarded as false or inconsistent with Islamic belief. There are even sects of Islam which disregard the hadith al together and only use the Quran as a supplement to their religion. What many authors make the mistake of doing is painting Islam with one broad stroke of the brush and view it as this monolithic entity with one mind, one agenda, and one mission. Not true.

I like this book, because it provides a very good introduction and answers many questions in a large-minded way. Unfortunately it doesn't cover topics like aniconism and religious conversion.

John Esposito has written an excellent reference on Islam and Muslim culture for laypeople. He has organized his book into an easy question-and-answer format so readers can skip to whatever topic they want to know about. Very important questions people have about Islam are answered directly and concisely.



His writing reflects his deep knowledge of Islam and engagement with Muslims. He is very respectful of Islam and tries to place controversial issues within their proper context. As a result, this work is a much-needed attempt to build bridges of understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims. Too often have some Western writers written about Islam with the sole intention of damning or criticizing it. Esposito, on the other hand, approaches Islam in a neutral and objective way. He seeks to explain Islam and Muslims rather than condemn them.



Overall, I recommend this book to both Muslims and non-Muslims. For non-Muslims, this book will explain what they must know about Islam in order to avoid falling into ignorant bigotry against Muslims. On the other hand, Muslims will appreciate Esposito's expert articulation of many issues in the Muslim world today.



The title says it all. This is what everyone must know about Islam, both Muslims and non-Muslims. So if you really want to learn about Islam, this is a great book to start with.

John Esposito has written an excellent reference on Islam and Muslim culture for laypeople. He has organized his book into an easy question-and-answer format so readers can skip to whatever topic they want to know about. Very important questions people have about Islam are answered directly and concisely.

His writing reflects his deep knowledge of Islam and engagement with Muslims. He is very respectful of Islam and tries to place controversial issues within their proper context. As a result, this work is a much-needed attempt to build bridges of understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims. Too often have some Western writers written about Islam with the sole intention of damning or criticizing it. Esposito, on the other hand, approaches Islam in a neutral and objective way. He seeks to explain Islam and Muslims rather than condemn them.

Overall, I recommend this book to both Muslims and non-Muslims. For non-Muslims, this book will explain what they must know about Islam in order to avoid falling into ignorant bigotry against Muslims. On the other hand, Muslims will appreciate Esposito's expert articulation of many issues in the Muslim world today.

The title says it all. This is what everyone must know about Islam, both Muslims and non-Muslims. So if you really want to learn about Islam, this is a great book to start with.

Book collectors and Esposito buffs will welcome this annotated reissue of Esposito's 2002 classic, now in a handsome new edition.

The publisher has also seen fit to rename the book, probably to draw in a wider audience. The previous title was "The Art of Appeasement and Sticking Your Head in the Sand."

I really did enjoy this book. It answered a lot of "why?" questions I had about Islam and it's relation to other religions, lands, and ideals. It's a quick read and gives you an overview of the basics. I found it to be factual and not partial, exactly what the doctor ordered. I like opinions when I want opinions. I didn't want to learn about the basics with a taint of preference.

This man is on the payroll of Saudi Arabia and by Palestinian Business men who hate Jews and the West. He is the Middle East's puppet. Beware of this mans writing. He is nothing but a shill for the Jihadis. You will find no truth here, only the fifth column. Georgetown University should be ashamed to have this man on staff.

Since I was born a muslim myself and am very familiar with the teachings and I have read most of the Quran, I found this book to be a very factual and easy to read. Anyone who wants to learn about Islam with an accurate and unbiased view and easy to read I highly recommend this book

I really enjoyed this book. it was easy reading and included all the information I wanted to know. It also explained everything in a simple basic way. I have a really good understanding of Islam and definitely know that there is such a variety in Islam Religion. Islam is so much more than what the news portray. I recommend this to anyone that is interested in learning about Islam.

This is a worthy attempt by a scholar who has considerable knowledge of the world of Islam to explain it to the general public. The book is constructed in a series of questions, each of which has an answer that is between a paragraph and a couple of pages in length. While the author answers all of his questions, and I didn't notice any glaring errors. I did, however, notice some omissions which were glaring. Most notable was the discussion of Sayyid Qutb, an Egyptian extremist who is here noted for his advocacy of reform in Islam. Esposito leaves out the thing he's best known for, though: Qutb was the one who first posited the doctrine that Infidels were only due mercy if they accepted the primacy of Islam. In practice, this means that those of us who live in nations not governed by Sharia are fair game for terrorists. Only if the government is Muslim are innocent people to be left unmolested. Omissions like this are troubling in a book in which the author assumes you are ignorant on the subject, because he's deliberately *not* telling you this. Despite this, I generally enjoyed the book, and at least in conjunction with some other books I would recommend it.